Rich Beilock "Gator Bait" with recent IAT hiker Ray Hicks "
Another hiker left Key West on January 4th on a quest to thru-hike the Eastern Continental Trail(ECT). Rich Beilock "Gator Bait" left the southernmost point marker and headed north for Cap Gaspe. It is reported that he did three thirty-mile days and was in Marathon on January 7th. He must be in really good shape to put in days like that on his first three days on the trail. Rich lives in Florida and on his way south, to Key West he stopped in at the Naples home of Ray Hicks(IAT/SIA 2008 Katahdin to Cap Gaspe and planning to complete the IAT/SIA in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2009) to get a few tips. He stayed overnight with Ray and Ray got a couple of pictures of he and "Gator Bait" which accompany this story.
We will be following "Gator Bait's" journey on this web site as he progresses northward. When he gets to the IAT/SIA we may ask him to change his trail name to "Bear Bait" which might be more appropriate.
I have to add that seeing all these pictures of hikers in shirtsleeves makes me wish I were in Key West instead of Maine. Maybe I'll go there and hike a few miles sometime this winter.
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