Flirting with the Garden State...

6/10/08 - Man, they aren't kidding when they say 'early to rise'. Started hiking at 6:30 this morning!

• Dropped off at Pa. 33.
• 1st thing they encountered on the trail was a woman standing just off of the path who pulled her shirt up over her head as they approached -perhaps to hide (??)- and then walked off... keep in mind, it's 6:30 am! Weird.
• 'Really stinking hot' by 8:00, but by 9 or 10:00 the toughest/rockiest part of the day was over & the second half proved to be a fairly nice walk.
• Ate lunch at a random road crossing where some guy rolled up, opened his trunk & dropped a bag of garbage off on the side of the road. Spock quizzed him about the deviant discard & he rambled something about paying $130 to the garbage company & animals eating his trash and then he got in his car & drove off. Odd encounter #2.
• Hiked down to the Delaware River & into Delaware Water Gap. Arrived at the PA/NJ State Line but didn't cross - saving that little gem for tomorrow.
• 16 mi. Sat on the porch of the outfitter & waited for shuttle back to Tupperware's house.
• Back at the house: Ate dinner as a pretty severe t-storm rolled through - hail & all - while a reporter from the local newspaper interviewed Tupperware about his adventures on the AT. He scribbled down the names of Tupperware's hiking companions & took a group photo. I have a feeling all of this fame is going to go straight to their heads...

• ... ok, maybe not.

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!

Eukrazy hiking 1100 mi...

5/27/08 - Drove a bunch - Jordan & Colby arrived around 10:30 & on to the big car shuffle...

• Drove back to Md. 17 to snag Momma Ludwig's new ride - stopped on the way to pick up Half-brew's mail drop (in appreciation he treated the group to coffee at Starbucks!).
• Up to Pa. 944 to drop off Jordan's car and then back to Fayetteville to pick up where he left off on the AT the day before. About 4 hrs worth of moving & a shakin'.
• Started hiking through Caledonia State Park just as a slew of menacing storm clouds rolled in so they stopped to play a few hands of Eukre at a picnic shelter.
• Once the weather cleared, the group (Half-brew, Hearts, Jordan & Colby) moved on to Quarry Gap Shelter where they met back up with Meltdown.
• Odd characters at shelter included a socially awkward 90's Calvin Klein model who threw all of his trash in an unlit fire pit (very uncouth) and 2 section hikers who later described their group as "loud & obnoxious"... !
• 2.5 mi day.

5/28/08 - Woke up & hiked all the way to Birch Run Shelter without stopping.

• Hung out, ate lunch & played Eukre for 2 hrs.
• Eventually moved on to Toms Run Shelter where they stopped to play more Eukre... can you say 'stuck in a rut'? If not yet... you will.
• Passed the TRUE 1/2 WAY POINT (!!!!!) (unmarked & at 1087.5 mi by my calculations) then on to Pine Grove Furnace State Park to celebrate with the 1/2 Gallon Challenge - whose rules are to eat a 1/2 gallon of ice cream in one setting in honor of arrival at the AT midway point!!
• Amos & Meltdown chose to partake - everyone else "turtled out." (Amos' claims chickens don't scare easily & thus the saying should be changed...)
• They bought 1/2 gallon of chocolate & 1/2 gallon of vanilla - with the skill & precision of a neurosurgeon, they split the two down the middle so that they didn't have to barf up only one flavor.
• Amos said by ~3/4 of the way in he realized he had made a BIG mistake. (Which surprised me because I had seen him house several pints of ice cream at the Naked Ron ice cream orgy of '08 - my last visit.)
• Anyway... he did it! In 48 minutes AND without heaving it all back up!! (Meltdown finished in 1 hr 50 minutes.)
• 17.5 mi - man he made Jordan & Colby work!! (If you recall, I died after 1 measly 12 mi day!)
• Unable to venture beyond the site of the challenge, the haggard crew slept on the porch of the camp store (... after playing more Eukre).

5/29/08 - Woke up at 5 am & ran to the bathroom... expelled about 2 pints worth of last night's "dinner."

• Ate breakfast at the camp store & moved on to a photo op. at the midpoint marker.
• Hiked up to Green Mtn. General Store at Pa. 34 to eat lunch - subs, chips, & 1/2 gallon of "orange drink" (you'd think they'd be done with half gallons). More Eukre.
• Stopped at Alec Kennedy Shelter. Ate dinner - Jordan & Colby already sick of trail food... played Crazy 8's - just kidding - more Eukre... and then off to bed.
• 15.5 mi.

5/30/08 - Left camp at 7 am to hike through 3.5 miles of soggy cornfields and into Boiling Springs.

• Breakfast at JC's Country Time Cafe.
• Left packs at ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional Office & hiked another 12.5 really flat, really hot miles through a lot of cornfields, across a lot of roadways & through countless cow pastures. Smelled like poop all day... yep, all 16 mi.
• Didn't know roadkill was a possibility on the AT... just figured the traffic would be moving too slowly. I was wrong - Amos squished a toad that haphazardly hopped under foot just as he was stepping down - a moment of silence for Mr. Toad...
• Finally arrived at Pa. 944 where they picked up Jordan's strategically parked car, drove it back to Boiling Springs (to pick up their packs) and found the entire crew (Half-brew, Snoopy, Meltdown, Spock & Twiggy, Chief Daddy, The Treat, and Buns & Roses) sitting in the same exact spot they had left them earlier that morning.
• Drove to Chili's for real food & then to Pittsburgh for a surprise weekend visit!!

Or not...

4/26/08 - Left Pearisburg at 10:45 am & hiked 11.5 mi before storms started raging around 4:00.

• Day began with a cream cheese injected blueberry muffin and then an ascent up a big mountain in the blazing sun (still no leaves) & unfortunately had to pass an industrial waste dump on the way - very smelly.
• Walked along boundary between WV & VA for much of the day.
• The group (Half-brew, Snoopy, & the hiker formerly known as Shutterbug - now Mr. Friendly) was forced to set up camp in Symms Gap Meadow on top of an apparently unnamed ridge line in West Virginia due to the weather!

Gettin' High...

4/16/08 - Get your mind out of the gutter! Hiked up to the top of Mt. Rogers (sans pack) - abundant snow & no view but the highest peak in Virginia so worth the trip. Then headed off to Grayson Highlands for a few wild pony sightings...

• The Highlands were "really awesome, the most beautiful section yet" - bald ridge lines & snowy pines - reminiscent of Utah.
• The term "wild ponies" is a little inaccurate, they're actually free-roaming ponies. Cowboys round 'em up in the winter. None the less, they've got free spirits alright... Amos caught a little pony porn. (I'm praying those pictures don't come out)
• Another pony walked up to him on the trail & started licking his trekking pole (he must have been doing some serious sweating the last few days to have created his own salt-lick). They even got comfy enough with one another for Amos to pet him!
• Hitched a ride with 2 fishermen to the Troutdale Baptist Church hostel. Troutdale is the highest town in Virginia. (Seriously. Stop. I'm still talking elevation.)
• Total of 21 mi.
• Slept on the floor in a storage shed & not actually in the shelter to avoid 2 very odd men - one of which produced a noise when he slept like no other audible sound on this planet - Andre the Giant snores... with gusto.

4/17/08 - The heart wants what it wants... and it wants pineapple & banana peppers!! (that picture from the last post is starting to make more sense). Goal was to make it to Partnership Shelter tonight because it's the only shelter on the trail where you can have pizza delivered - and of course Amos would take full advantage of that.

• Ate 3 pancakes for breakfast & was still a little hungry so had 2 more = 5 pancakes!
• 10:00 start to hike 15 mi.
• Walked 1/2 mile without pony protection (trekking poles) - forgot them after stopping to take a break & had to double back for retrieval.
• Brush with... well who knows what: Sitting at road & heard someone come up behind him (coughing). Looked back to see a guy behind a tree. Amos called out "hello?" 2x with no response so he hauled ass out of there... good move, but don't like the sound of that one.
• Made it to Partnership Shelter (safely!) - Snoopy caught up & Half-brew (& dog), too!!
• Ordered and ate an entire medium pineapple & banana pepper pizza. C'mon - pancakes & pizza all in one day!! He's living THE life.

Led astray...

4/11/08 - Fell asleep to a curious raccoon rummaging through garbage around camp last night... for about an hour.

• 22 miles & downright HOT - open to significant exposure since there are no leaves on the trees yet.
• Seriously considered taking a dip in Watauga Lake but thought better of it knowing that the water is still so cold.
• That is until scaling the next big hill... then nausea from the heat set in & he wished he'd gone avantouinti. (May have been suffering a mild case of heat stroke.)
• Lost for the 1st time - mile or 2 detour after misplacing the white blaze!
• Arrived at Iron Mountain Shelter fairly late. Everyone was asleep when he got there, so in an effort to let sleeping hikers lie, Hearts foraged through his dry provisions. Nothing fills a man up quite like dried nuts & berries after a long day on the trail...