"Are you ready to be Gogebic Woman?" -John Ryan

Entering this journey, that i argued, to this day, should be a 5 rather than 4 day trek, i always knew that i would have fewer miles under my belt than the boys.  I got a slow start this year, and, well, frankly, reality has sort of taken a hold on me this year so 200 mile weeks are sort of out of the question anymore.  That said, by day four i was a walking zombie:  some sort of weird foot thing provoked by my new expensive italian pink/red shoes, sunburned lips beyond pain, terribly sore left wrist, and on and on.  The boys, i insist, all played like it was another day at the office and literally behaved as if the tailwinds that benefited us made the ride practically too easy. I guess carrying all that cargo just pumped them up more than usual.  I will say, however, that when we rolled into the gas stations and bars & quick stops, i got a bit more attention from the biker dudes than they did (and yes, i practically threw myself at strangers with my punchy jokes).  In fact, when we stopped in Cheldon on Day Four i walked into a bar/bowling alley to use the toilet.  The place was PACKED in the middle of the day and it was all I could do not to hang out and have a beer, i was completely absorbing the vibe of the north woods.  It must have been the same for Patty Hearst, after so many days of being broken down, i was willing to escape to whatever sub-group would accept me.