Hold your breath, here we go...

6/13/08 - I left... which was supposed to mean hiking would take place. Alas, it did not.

• First, he hit the post office & mailed home all of the stuff I forgot. (Thank you!)
• Then, they were supposed to hike out & have ChiliMac meet them at Culvers Gap but they didn't get started early enough sooo they decided to jump off a 40ft bridge instead and have Tupperware drive them to the pick-up point. (Which will mean a necessary slackpack tomorrow).
• Hearts, Spock & Twiggy, Meltdown, ChiliMac & Snoopy all gathered together - in a tiny Courtyard Mariott hotel room - with Half-brew, his wife, and friend for one last Eukre tournament in celebration of Half-brew's last day on the trail!

6/14/08 - Continental breakfast followed by 1st round of horrible diarrhea... (don't bother getting squeamish this early in the game - we're just getting started).

• Said goodbye to Chili, Snoopy, & Half-brew.
• Picked up a box of Imodium for the road.
• ChiliMac drove them (Hearts, Spock & Twiggy) back to the trail where they hiked south from Culvers Gap to County Rd. 602 while Meltdown continued north - I'm sure they were a twinge jealous.
• Managed to snag a ride back to Culvers Gap with another thru hiker, Nightterror, and then hiked an additional 3 miles north to sleep in Gren Anderson Shelter...
• On the way, they encountered an amateur ham radio convention on Culver Fire Tower - said it was like walking into a faux WWII control room reenactment... oh those boys & their toys.
• Get out your TI-83 graphing calculators kids it's time for vector trivia: If Amos hikes 14.5 miles due south, catches a ride back to his original destination and then continues to march an additional 3 miles due north and it pours buckets all day, how far has he traveled??!
• I refuse to dignify that with an answer. You figure it out.
• Once at Gren Anderson, they found themselves sharing space with couple called Beans & Benadryl (DYING to know how they got those names) who were less than thrilled to have their new shelter companions show up late & sopping wet but what can I say... thems the breaks.

Where boots go to die...

6/7/08 - Woke up to a big 'ol black snake hanging in the trees above camp... oh hello there!

• The Treat made a campfire to heat up hot dogs for breakfast... don't worry Hearts didn't have one... but he DID LAST NIGHT! And under the guise of 'trail magic' - for shame! (For those who are keeping track - that's 2 hot dogs thus far on the trail and God only knows how much more mystery meat he's consumed & neglected to mention!)
• Hiked up to Pulpit Rock where they stumbled across more Girl Scouts than there are uneaten Tagalong boxes in my secret cookie cupboard. Just kidding... I don't have a secret cookie cupboard - don't bother coming to look for it... seriously you'll never find it anyway...
• I digress. There were a lot of Girl Scouts. Communication with the tribe was a breeze once the group realized Tupperware spoke their secret language... he was up on the Jonas Brothers & Webkinz and all sorts of things only pre-teen girls should know about - if he weren't hiking with his lovely girlfriend, Jen, I'd say it'd be fair to be a bit worried about old Tupperware... again, I digress.
• Hiked onward & upward to the Pinnacle which was supposed to have the best view in Pennsylvania. When asked if it lived up to the hype, Amos replied, "Eh."
• Sounds uneventful, but they did stumble across a HUGE HUGE HUGE rattlesnake - more specifically Amos stumbled across a HUGE HUGE HUGE rattlesnake - it was right at his feet in a crack between two rocks!!
• Tupperware's dad picked them (Tupperware, Jen, Spock & Twiggy, Buns & Roses, and Hearts) up at Hawk Mtn. Road to shuttle them back to Tupperware's house for a Thanksgiving-style feast (I am to place emphasis on the word 'FEAST')! Amos particularly enjoyed the strawberry shortcake and brownies a la mode that Tupperware's mom served for dessert (I guess he's finally over that whole half-gallon challenge ice cream sickness thing).
• Tryptophan and staggering heat forced the group to turn in early for the night. 9 mi day.

6/8/08 - Good thing they got to bed so early...

• Woke up at 5 am to hike 25 miles in 90 degree temps - this is when it's best to take advantage of the wee morning hours.
• Tupperware's parents made eggs & set out all sorts of goodies for breakfast including fresh fruit - yum! Afterwards, Tupperware's dad drove them back to Eckville Shelter to pick back up where they left off... only he dropped them off sans-pack! Yeah, you heard right! The slack-pack's back! In fact, the next few days are going to be spent slack-packing back & forth between the AT & Tupperware's house! (Super nice of the Tupperware's)
• Took a break at Allentown Shelter & then another at a restaurant they found on Blue Mountain Summit. Stopped to enjoy cold beverages from the diner & noshed on the sandwiches T-ware's mom had packed for them earlier- my gosh she sounds like a dream! They also lucked out by scoring free watermelon as they left the parking lot.
• Rest of the day was EXTREMELY rocky - several blisters, sharp pain in right foot (hopefully not a stress fracture), and considerable chaffing due to excess sweat...
• Dad picked them up at Lehigh Gap and they were back at the house by 8 pm for dinner, a quick shower and then right on to bed.

6/9/08 - Pancakes & waffles for breakfast! Hearts adorned his with fruit & whipped cream.

• 1st climb of the day -a steep boulder crawl- was awesome! Reminded him of the terrain in Wyoming.
• Then to the top of the Palmerton EPA Superfund Site - an old zinc mine that completely destroyed the mountain. Said the scarred landscape resembled a barren, rocky desert. This is where Amos chose to eat wild blueberries - wild zinc blueberries - against the wishes and better judgement of his hiking companions who are all convinced he's going to wind up with three-headed babies someday. I think as long as he steers clear of Three Mile Island tomatoes he'll be alright.
• Hiked up ahead of everyone & took a nap while he was waiting for them to catch up. When he awoke he realized he wasn't alone - there was a swarm of ants in his pants... maybe they like zincberries?
• So many rocks.
• Cheesecake and PB & J sandwich for lunch - again, packed by Tupperware's mom. This Tupperware clan has been unbelievably generous & overwhelmingly hospitable! They rock! (bad pun)
• 20.5 mi. Met Tupperware's dad at Hahns Lookout then hiked back to his car for a night out on the town. And by that, I mean dinner at Johnnies and grocery shopping! Another early to bed... and another early to rise tomorrow!

Ahoy, me Hearties...

5/19/08 - Started with your basic town-type chores: post office (mailed forward iPod & thru-hiker companion, etc.), groceries, liquor store.

• The next three days to be aqua-blazed: 12 hikers, 6 canoes, 1 dog and the Shenandoah River from Front Royal to Harpers Ferry.
• Once each canoe was outfitted with a cooler and all of their packs were tied in, the group - Hearts, Half-brew, Spock & Twiggy, Tupperware, Snoopy, Josh (Snoopy's friend), Buns & Roses, Meltdown, ChiliMac, and his cousin Ian - set sail.
• Amos said it was fun watching everyone get used to paddling but it didn't take too long for them to get the hang of commandeering the boats.
• 5 miles later, they pulled ashore for lunch & Snoopy fell out the back of his canoe trying to get back in! (I guess I spoke too soon...)
• Half-brew & Hearts kept getting too far ahead - show-offs - which made them miss the rope swing (okay by Amos, it was c-o-l-d).
• 17 miles worth of paddling led them to an overgrown field on an island where they were forced to bushwhack a small expanse with their paddles to set up camp for the night.
• Then it rained - which was pretty typical since they are still in Virginia...
• Batten down the hatches - the AW gauge had the river pegged as "high" even before this particular soaking... Luckily they had super-river guide Amos, who made sure to take the easiest lines through the class I/II whitewater - his main goal was trying not to freak Trinity out.

5/20/08 - Avast ye mate, twas still raining when they awoke - luckily it stopped about an hour after they got up. So, they donned soaking wet/cold gear & hit the river... or should I say 'the high seas'...

• 5 miles in, Half-brew & Hearts got ahead again & decided to stop on the bank under a highway overpass to brew coffee.
• It started to pour as the rest of the group caught up so they built a bonfire, tried to dry their gear & ate lunch. Amos said he felt a little homeless...

• 2.5 hours later - the rain stopped.
• Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen, the adventure had just begun...
• Shiver me timbers! With foam swords furnished by ChiliMac - pirate on pirate action ensued as scurvy dogs swashbuckled and pillaged booty from enemy ships - arg! Luckily, no one was sent to Davey Jones' Locker and as for walkin' the plank... it was a wee too cold for these buccaneers. (Man, that was a lot of pirate catch-phrases to squeeze into one entry.)
• 18-19 mi. Ended up stopping short of the island they had intended to camp on & realized they were on private property... oops! Spock & Hearts hitchhiked to a nearby gas station for supplies (s'mores, potato chips, & beer)... I guess those old salts built up quite an appetite.
• While half the crew turned in for the night, the other half stayed up singing songs to the tune of Ian's guitar. Crowd favorites included: 'A Whole New World' from Aladdin, ditties from The Lion King, Robin Hood... and many, many more popular, albeit cheesy songs. Amos found it particularly entertaining when his fellow thru-hikers started ad-libbing...
• Eventually fell asleep under the stars.

5/21/08 - Started out nice & dry. Crossed over the 1000 mile mark and into West Virginia!!

• Amos tried to get everyone to make a 'WV' with their boats & snap a picture, but no one cooperated - another good idea down the drain...
• Saw a ton of birds along the river & spotted bald eagles all three days!!
• Found an old, deserted motor boat around one river bend. A few hikers threw their canoes on the back & hopped-in to paddle it downstream. They eventually ended up beaching it along the left riverbank & had to abandon ship.
• Rescued a baby calf (maybe a week old) that had fallen into the river and couldn't get out because it was too muddy. Snoopy was first on the scene & almost got pooped on because it was so scared! They eventually wrangled it to safety as its mom cried & moo-ed along the shoreline. Well done boys... & Twiggy!!
• Barely made it off the river before the rain but they arrived at the take-out just in the nick of time!
• Shuttle from an old Upper Yough guide to downtown Harpers Ferry where they stopped at the ATC Headquarters to have their photos taken and logged in the Official Appalachian Trail Headquarters Register!!
• Off to dinner and then a room at the Quality Inn. 6 people, 1 room... @ $12 a piece, that's what I call quality (or is it quantity??)!