What The Hobbit Saw

"How long have you been hiking?" I asked a hiker I met in Shenandoah National Park.
"57 days," he said, completely drenched in sweat, sporting an unkempt beard, wet hair, lean body frame and a heavy backpack that ran almost half his height that carried his tent along with other things.
"Wow. That's awesome. So you camp all nights?"
"Mostly nights, yes. Sometimes we stay in bunkhouses along the trail," he shrugged, as he stuffed some snack bars back to his backpack. It was apparent that he was accustomed to such questions.
"How many more days to go?"
"I suspect about 70 days," he said, "We plan to go all the way upto Maine." That would complete 2200 miles of hiking in the woods.
"Nice," I said, "Have you heard of Bill Bryson? I read his book on hiking the Appalachian Trail. Pretty good memoir."
"Oh! Yeah. He is a loser. He did not hike even a quarter of the trail,"the dude smiled wryly.