Wrong sort of fireworks...

7/1/08 - Left the shelter before 7 am (to meet up with me later). Trudged through miles of muddy trails, moose tracks & more moose poop.

• Paralleled Roaring Creek for awhile - looked very kayakable.
• Took a break at Congdon Shelter then up Harmon Hill - which had absolutely no views.
• Finally an extremely steep descent to VT 9 where he waited around with Meltdown & another section-hiker until I arrived on the scene around 1 pm.
• Took Meltdown into town then off to Greenwood Lodge & Campsites for showers and to set up shop (home) for the next few days.
• Followed by THE MOST unproductive scavenger hunt for authentic Mexican food that you could possibly imagine... a good half an hour down the road (and then some) for a tribal-tattooed white guy to throw black beans and a "Mexican pizza" our way. I resorted to refried ice cream- for dinner.
• Exchanged birthday presents while we waited in the parking lot for the faux-Mexican restaurant to open. I scored an iPod nano while Amos got stuck with an assortment of odd souvenirs from Europe which included: Scottish sweater, Guinness tee, deck of cards, Viking helmet, wooden sword & matching wooden shield. I might owe him. Big time.
• Then back to the campground for margaritas & beer.
• 11.5 mi day.

7/2/08 - Woke up. I took what Amos describes as a "long" shower. In reality, I got sucked into talking to the campground owner, Anne & her son Chris, for at least 20 minutes.

• Into town to do laundry in a very smelly laundromat.
• Blue Benn Diner for lunch.
• Picked up Tupperware from the trail.
• As we were driving through Bennington, Tup rented a town bicycle, rode alongside the pretty little luxury SUV that my Dad had gotten for his 50th birthday and had graciously let me borrow for the week, somehow got a little too close, and accidentally scratched the multicolored metallic smoky granite mica paint with the handle of the bike. (I'll admit that was a bit of a run-on.) So, while Amos sipped on microbrews in Madison Brewing Co. (and I on water), Tupp snuck off to the nearest auto center for a repair kit. It didn't quite do the trick but luckily Dad didn't mind (I LOVE YOU!).
• Pizza next door then back to the campground for reheated Patron's, crab rangoons, an air hockey tournament and a game of HORSE - which I WON!!!
• Another campfire, more beer & margarita, to bed.

7/3/08 - Packed up camp. HORSE rematch - Amos won...

• To the library, Walmart, a bad stint at Taco Bell (man, we had absolutely NO luck with the Mexican!) then rented a room at the Best Western with Tupperware.
• Picked up Buns & Roses, Spock & Twiggy, and Cuda out of a soaking rain.
• Once we got everyone back to the hotel, Hearts started feeling ill & noticed a lump on the right side of his hip near his groin. After several phone calls to family pharmacists, two doctors and one dentist - all it took was one alarming allusion of impotence to trigger a trip to the ER.
• When we arrived, Amos told the registration attendant that he had a fever (Roses suggested this trick to get in quicker) - it didn't work as intended - but it did get him a creepy blue surgical mask to wear in the waiting room.
• Waited forever. Doctor finally showed up (maybe 3 hrs later) and instead of inquiring about Amos' symptoms he wound up spiraling into a 15 minute conversation about preferred hiking gear (no wonder we waited so long!). An ultrasound and a debate on appropriate water filtration later we left with a prescription for what the doctor decided -based on extenuating circumstances- was giardia. (NOTE: He had nothing intelligent to say about the lump on Amos' hip and assured us it was a bulging femoral artery - "no big deal"!!! We should have known...)
• Back to the Best Western & off to bed.

7/4/08 - 1st stop... CVS for Tinidazole. The lady who initially set off to fill his prescription somehow forgot all about him & so we ended up waiting about an hour for the drugs.

• Back to the Blue Benn diner for brunch but Hearts had no appetite.
• Dropped everyone off in town where we struggled to say a very long, drawn-out, sad goodbye and then I left.
• Hung out at Chris' house for the rest of the day. Played pool, cards, cooked on the grill, and enjoyed a Spock-led drum circle.
• Tried to fall asleep on the couch but felt awful - very feverish - still didn't think much of it.

7/5/08 - In the morning, he felt really weak but thought it would pass so they packed up and decided to hike out anyway.

• Stopped at the Blue Benn one more time for breakfast, then to the post office to pick up the Therm-a-Rest Half-brew sent in the mail to replace his - which had a small puncture wound.
• Hitchhiked back to the trail.
• Climbed up 1000 ft & immediately started feeling really weak and ill with a sharp/stiff neck pain.
• Took a much needed break at Glastenbury Lookout.
• Arrived at Goddard Shelter but it was full. Some lady pitched an entire tent inside the shelter and slept in it with her dogs! Another man in the shelter was shrouded in a full-body bug suit - which Hearts thought was hilarious.
• Moved on to camp on Glastenbury Mtn. Amos decided to sleep on top of the firetower to avoid setting up his tarp & Spock made him dinner.
• From that point on, his condition deteriorated... he was very feverish and no matter how many or what type of pain relievers he took, the neck pain would not go away. Spent all night vomiting off of the firetower.
• 10.5 mi.

Last slack...

6/11/08 - Tupperware's dad hiked along for a southbound slack-pack. Started at CR 602.

• Started at CR 602 and then along really cool ridge line w/ great views of New Jersey.
• Ate lunch Sunfish Pond.
• Hiked down to a little creek for a trip down the natural waterslides as a reporter from the Pocono Record took photos... there should be an article (along with multimedia presentation) in Sunday's paper!! (check it out at http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080615/NEWS/806150331)

• Went across the Delaware River Bridge - the PA/NJ state line - Pa's officially over!
• Someone chucked a beer can at Treat's head on the bridge... when asked why he didn't chase them down (cause he is a BIG guy) Amos reminded me that it's a shade of difficult to chase down a moving automobile. Good call.
• 13.5 mi total.
• Back to the Tupperwares' for my surprise visit then to a restaurant that claimed to be authentic Mexican but most certainly was NOT! (we've discovered - through a significant amount of grunt work - that the crappier looking the establishment the more authentic the Mexican - we should have know this place was going to serve pinto beans instead of refried - it was too clean & new to be tasty too.) Anyway the dinner was to treat the Tupperware's for their genuine/over the top hospitality!

Virginia has not been for lovers of cell phone reception...

5/6/08 - I think you'll find a good chunk of this week sounding a lot like the movie Groundhog Day. Up & down. Started with a big 2000 ft climb.

• Came across an ATC ridge runner (the AT's equivalent of police) & Half-brew laid into him about the crappy terrain. The ridge runner retorted something about how the AT's not supposed to be easy.
• Ate lunch at Punchbowl Shelter - pond on top of the mountain was lovely & unique.
• Climbed down 900 ft & took a break by Pedlar River before walking around Pedlar Lake.
• 18 mi day. Arrived at Brown Mountain Creek Shelter where Spock & Hearts took an ice bath in a nearby creek. Brrr!
• New blister... ok maybe that's not new, but an onset of athlete's foot is... probably due to the unrelenting heat & moisture.

5/7/08 - Started day with 3000 ft climb to Bald Knob - not bald.

• 2nd mountain was Cold Mountain. Which wasn't cold, but it was bald... go figure.
• Down to Hog Camp Gap - difficult water resupply - spring was located 1/2 mile downhill. Turned out to be a nice meadow with a tree swing - crew took full advantage of the wooden toy & stopped for lunch.
• Cranked out 9 more miles & passed Seeley-Woodworth Shelter to camp in Porters Field.
• 17 total mi.
• Built a campfire & drank Half-brew's bottle of Dickel's Whiskey to celebrate the fact that Half-brew made it 1 mile further on the trail than he did last year!! (plus the fact that they had all made it over 800 miles!!)... then it rained.

5/8/08 - Snoopy left the group this morning - got off the trail at Montebello to spend some time with family & friends.

• Everyone else climbed to the top of Main Top Mountain.
• Ate lunch at Priest Shelter (just before Priest Mountain) where entirely too many dirty priest jokes were told as Hearts ate oatmeal & coffee.
• Still raining... lets be honest it rained all day.
• Back down to 900 ft (getting old huh) along the Tye River where they'd had enough of the ups, downs, and the rain & decided to try & hitch a ride somewhere... anywhere.
• After a few failed attempts they were finally picked up by a seemingly jovial yet hard-core biker named Seth & his lady-friend (a UVA professor and cheating mother of 2 whose name will not be mentioned to protect her own anonymity).
• 7 people (Tupperware, Spock, Twiggy, Half-brew, Hearts), 5 packs, 1 dog, 1 Toyota Tercel.
• Rode (rather tight) 14 miles to a BBQ joint/convenience store. Ate, bought ice cream, watched Seth pop some pills & drink 6 pack in the parking lot... then things started getting really uncomfortable...
• Seth's drug-induced bipolar disorder began to rear it's ugly head soon after some sort of shady "transaction" with the check-out clerk went down outside. He got pretty antsy -some might argue downright rude or impatient. He yelled "gimme your wallet, woman" to his lady-friend (WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER - go back to your husband!!), grabbed her sandwich, took a huge/sloppy bite, threw it down, and demanded that the group get in the car & get going.
• Death-defying car ride back to the trail where he kicked them out of his car & went on his merry way. (Amos mentioned really regretting this particular hitchhiking experience.)
• Another 3000 ft climb (over 9 mi) to Maupin Field Shelter. 19 total mi.
• Arrived 10 minutes before it started to hail & managed to squeeze 8 people in a 6 person shelter.
• (THIS was the night that EVERY county in western Virginia was being pummeled by severe thunderstorms & tornado warnings... not watches... WARNINGS. All except Nelson County - smack dab in the middle - which listed as having a measly little flash flood warning. Despite knowing they were in that blessed little county, this was the night I was riddled with worst-case-scenarioitis & completely unable to sleep.)

5/9/08 - Started 4-5 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway with Half-brew. Still raining & surrounded by fog - sounds like a good time to walk along the road...

• 16 mi to Paul C. Wolfe shelter for lunch.
• Saw 15-20 BRIGHT orange salamanders with black spots. Trinity kept stepping on them... & Meltdown probably too because he claims to have only seen 1. Which means he must not have been paying much attention...
• 21 total mi today. Hiked the last 5 miles in 1 hr 15 min!! Claimed it was because he knew he was getting to see me - I think it was because he was desperate for a shower & neck shave.
• Trail angel, Bill, took them to the Quality Inn in Waynesboro - where Half-brew, Tupperware & Meltdown remained for the next 3 days.
• I met Hearts at the laundromat & from there we went for Mexican, watched the Pens beat the tar out of the Flyers & camped at the KOA in Verona.
• Time to zero!

Mexican't...

5/2/08 - Morning of mail fiascoes meant they didn't leave town in very good time...

• Early bird gets the bagel: Arrived downstairs for the continental breakfast 5 minutes after it was over... what a tragic way to start the day.
• Spent all morning hitting up the post office (Snoopy's new pack arrived and Amos had to mail back his broken water filter & a roll of film) and waiting around for UPS to deliver Half-brew's summer gear (sent by his lady-friend/wife). I guess that transaction went down much later than expected because they didn't make it to lunch until around 3:30.
• Say no to Rancho Viejo - a soggy queso burrito seeping with some kind of thin, watery salsa - 1st reporting of BAD Mexican on the AT!
• Found Spock & Twiggy (yay!) 5 miles down the trail at Fullhardt Knob Shelter where they decided to spend the night.
• Received a voicemail from Naked Ron (obviously hitting-up happy hour at el Rancho Viejo) checking to see if Amos was still in town - so close! Maybe he'll catch up in the next few days.

Forced march...

4/18/08 - Arrived at forest service road about 3 miles before Chatfield Shelter - just as forest service personnel began to ignite a controlled burn.

• Allowed 6 thru hikers to follow foresters with chainsaws through burn area.
• ... and then one fell... not a chainsaw laden forester or a thru hiker but a burning TREE!! Forest service scattered when they heard the tree crack while the hikers stood there frozen, each with a wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights stare. The tree landed about 20 feet from the foresters and about 2 feet from fellow thru hiker, Jukebox - splitting the two groups in half... close call!
• Lucky to get through - most hikers had to be shuttled around the site.
• Continued to walk the rest of the way thru a hot field to the truck stop in Atkins (I-81) & stayed at the Relax Inn. True to the motel's name... relax is just what he did for the remainder of the day... on the porch with Half-brew, Shutterbug, and a few beers.
• 11 mile day.

4/19/08 - This is where I come in. Upon arrival, Hearts sprung the idea of hiking a section of the AT together. "10 miles... easy terrain" was how the concept was presented to me...

• I was BAMBOOZLED.
• Chose to slackpack. Dropped-off the Jeep north of Atkins where the AT crosses Va. 42 and hiked back SOUTH to Atkins. (Half-brew & Shutterbug hiked north from Atkins and we handed-off the keys when we crossed paths so that they could drive my car back to town at the end of the day.)
• As we approached Va. 610... Amos decides to let me in on the fun little fact that our trip would have been 10 miles - as promised - IF we would have started at Va. 610 instead of Va. 42... The 10 miles I was pledged became 12. Keep in mind, at 2 miles in I was already getting pretty tired (I'M A SPRINTER - this distance stuff is for the birds) and I had just found out that my day hadn't actually begun...
• My attire was anything but ideal: fleece-lined pants, an assortment of cotton tees and my Mary-Jane Crocs. Several hikers we passed made mention of this urban legend they had heard in town of some chick hiking in Crocs... yeah that was me. Roller coaster weather made my clothing choice (especially the fleece-lined pants) absolutely miserable at times & a sheer blessing for the remainder of the day.
• After climing first big mountain we learned we had made it to the AT's 1/4 way point!! (@ 544.75 mi!!) Yay, Amos, yay!
• Remember how I was led to believe the terrain was going to be fairly easy?? Yeah, well we've come to the conclusion that Amos' perception of an "easy day" of hiking is heavily skewed. It was riddled with switchbacks and countless ups & downs - each one was even more unnecessary & excruciating that the last. He spent a significant amount of time waiting for me at the top of (and - to be fair - the bottom of) pretty much each and every climb.
• 9 miles later we found our way to Davis Path for a MUCH needed break. While I (literally) passed out on the shelter floor, Amos snacked on an apple pie & read the register. I eventually woke up freezing cold and less than enthused to finish the remaining 3 mi. The carrot Amos dangled in front of me to get my lazy butt off those old wooden planks was a promise of My Puerta Mexican and more importantly - a pitcher of margaritas. GAME ON!
• With an invigorating second wind we continued onward... Ran into a crazy guy in field with 1 answer to all questions... How many miles did you go today? "Springer Mtn." Which way do you think the rain is headed? "Springer Mtn." Any idea if the rain is coming our way? "Yeah. I come from Springer Mtn. down there in Georgia" - you don't say... Amos is going to have fun avoiding him for the next few days.
• We reached Atkins later than expected but with a full rainbow marking the long & tortuous path we had just taken... !!
• The best part of my day was when Half-brew told me that he also thought that section of trail was rough - this little nugget may seem insignificant to some but it made me feel a thousand times less lame about being so unbelievably wrecked from the hike. Though he did give me the honorary nickname "Hurts," which should provide some visual as to how out of sorts I was by the end of the day.
• Camped at the parking lot where the trail meets Va. 42 - in for a cold & rainy night.

Back in the saddle...

4/10/08 - If you're dying to know how you've been faring on the polls lately, let me run thru the results... cran/grape & mini straw (go figure - I voted beer), Naked Ron, AND if you said 4 days of boating (and boy did they boat! Everything but the kitchen sink... Tallulah, Nantahala Cascades, Cheoah, Yellow Creek [20 footer!], Wilsons Creek [4x in one day!], Little River in the Smokys, you name it!) you win the Kewpie doll! (I completely lost track of how many Mexican restaurants they hit... suffice it to say 'a lot!')

• Managed to snag a ride back to Kincora Hostel with Jesse to clean-up & catch-up on laundry. Then jumped right back in to AT around 6:30 (pm).
• 2 mi to Laurel Fork Shelter & good to be back! Except it's not. It's hard to get back out there after drying out, warming up, and spending some good quality time with the boys.
• (It's supposed to rain again tomorrow... then maybe snow Monday??)

Leave it to Hearts...

4/1/08 - Spent a good part of the day in Erwin or getting to Erwin...

• Hiked around 6 mi to a hostel where $3 was spent on a much needed load of laundry & an additional $3 was spent on an even more essential shower.
• Crossed 3rd kayak-able river he didn't get to run... poor Hearts. (No need to be blue: looks like Scot will be down to get him on the 9th!)
• The hostel let him borrow a bike (for free!) to cruise into town.
• Hit up the grocery store, post office & library. Alright, alright - of course he went the local Mexican restaurant... Scarfed down a big order of veggie fajitas. SO FULL he couldn't walk... but managed to find room for a pint of ice cream!! (surprisingly NOT Ben or Jerry)
• Got lost in Erwin on his way out of town...
• Biked a total of 10 mi to and from Erwin. Rode back with a grocery bag on each handlebar : )
• Hiked remaining 4.5 mi to Curley Maple Gap Shelter. Hanging out with Half-Brew (who just got bit by a mouse) & his dog.

Praying for daylight...

3/25/08 - Woke up at 5 am and even Isaac couldn't wait to get out of bed so they could get up and hike. He didn't though... at least not right away... Amos served him up breakfast in bed!! (what a good brother - Brandi don't get any ideas!)

• Put on FROZEN gear (socks were stiff as a board!) & managed to eek out a few jumping jacks to warm-up.
• Beautiful blue skies w/ snowy peaks & green valleys - great views today made up for near zero visibility yesterday.
• Isaac talked to EVERYBODY they came across on the trail - maybe a full hour and a half worth of Isaac being good 'ol lovable Isaac!
• Lunch: (I should preface this by saying that they each have their own personal jar of peanut butter.) Organic dark chocolate and peanut butter sandwiches!
• Took a side trail to Mt. Cammerer - they could see all of Hartford & even Isaac's house!!
• Trail magic just as they came to the end - a cooler full of all that Little Debbie could possibly have to offer: donut sticks, zebra cakes, oatmeal creme pies, etc.
• 17.5 AT miles today & hiked an extra 1.5 mi to the Pigeon & had a friend (Mike) pick them up - they're nice & cozy and at Isaac's house tonight. (Maybe a good 40 degrees warmer in the valley than up at 6000 ft.)
• Isaac quote of the day: "1. Amos is WAY more bad-ass than me... 2. You had the most romantic 1st kiss ever." (he was serious - under a flipped Shredder on the Upper Yough was more idealistic than even I could dream up!)
• Hiking to Max Patch tomorrow - and then back to Isaac's tomorrow night with the promise of La Carreta's Mexican - veggie fajitas I presume. Civilization is sooo tempting... !

Home is where the Hartford is...

3/17/08 - 14.5 mi to Double Spring Gap shelter. Caught 2 FANTASTIC 360 degree views back-to-back! One at Rocky Tops (which was ironically a big grassy peak w/ a small pile of rocks at the wee top) and the other at Thunderhead Mtn.

• The 1st and last 2 miles were BEAUTIFUL but the middle 12.5 were fairly uneventful.
• Some dad made his kid begrudgingly give Amos his chocolate covered pretzels (Amos of course gladly & quickly accepted)!
• REALLY windy, foggy, misty, cold so Hearts made a fire in the shelter.
  

3/18/08 - Started hiking around 5:30 am to catch the sunrise at Clingman's Dome - hiked in the dark & said it was one of the creepiest things he's ever done... especially cause his headlamp was near death the entire time - his back-up plan was light by cellphone...

• Trek up to Clingman's was EXTREMELY foggy & the clouds were "whipping past him at 80 mph"!!
• At Newfound Gap an "Ultra-Republican-Southerner" gave him snacks and a drink on the stipulation that Amos not vote for Obama.... (little did he know, Amos already voted for Obama, and I LOVE that Amos momentarily set aside his deep-seated, ultra-liberal political viewpoints for a lemonade)!
  
• I got there around 1ish & took Hearts & Spruce down to Gatlinsburg - my favorite part of the car ride was when Spruce learned Amos' real name!!
• Ate some mexican, napped at the base of the Smokys in the sun, drank $2 pints at Smoky Mountain Brewery with Isaac, and housed a pint of "Everything But The..." ice cream (Ben & Jerry of course).

3/19/08 - No miles... no miles for the next few days. Staying with Isaac in Hartford. The brother(s) will start hiking again on Easter (this Sunday). Knee needs a break. I need a break.

• Crab rangooon for breakfast, stopped to visit Isaac at work, went grocery shopping (took FOREVER), drank wine, ate peanut butter fudge (which wasn't "peanut-buttery enough" says the man who eats like 8 oz of straight-up peanut butter a day), played rummy (I lost royally, 545 to 355), tossed around football, ran Big Creek with Isaac, power outage, drank some more wine - good relaxing rainy day.
• Thrilled not to be soaked to the bone in the upper Smokys!
  

Stuffed & bald...

3/11/08 - Got up early & set out to Siler Bald Shelter. 10 mi into the trip, came across some trail magic...

• Scarfed down the following delicious & nutritious treats (in no particular order): coke, 2 fudge rounds, a rice crispy treat, snack pack pudding cup & a bag of Doritos - which turned out to be the calm before the storm...
• Because... Upon reaching rt. 64 it was decided to tweak the plan slightly so that it now included hitchhiking to Franklin for an ALL YOU CAN EAT MEXICAN BUFFET and beer with Riley...
• It's apparently easier to hitchhike with 2 people.
• Buffet came with all you can eat cheese sauce, too...
• With full bellies, a nice young lass with a fondness for handsome thru-hikers offered to take them back to the trail where they continued on for 3 more mi to Siler Bald.
• Other knee is starting to hurt & 3rd blister formed on his left heel which is proving much more painful than the previous 2 that were on his toes.
• Tonight's shelter is holding our boy Hearts, Ron, Riley, Matthew, and The General- who's entertaining the troops by telling old war stories in his charmingly unique Brit/Aussie accent.

Saw it coming...

3/8/08 - Hiked 0.0 mi... I knew it! He's not leaving the Blueberry Patch... ever.

• Cold, blustery & significant snow in the mountains
• Knee is still a little sore
• Organic breakfast: eggs, biscuits, coffee, oj, fresh fruit, pancakes with... you guessed it... blueberry syzzurp!
• Played Rummy with a few other thru-hikers - Jesse, Bill, Herbie & August - came in 2nd (which means they didn't get to see how disgruntled he gets when he looses)
• Games followed by back-breaking manual labor around the hostel. My understanding is that they wound up cutting down trees, splitting firewood, pulling thicket and feeding briars to the donkeys (!)
• Leftover mexican for dinner then took a bus back to Neels Gap (you're going the wrong way!) for the annual "hiker kick-off" - which is a fancy way of saying "more free food"
• Should cross into his 1st new state tomorrow - NC or BUST!

Please don't throw me in that Blueberry Patch, Briar Fox...

3/7/08 - I'm at a loss - more days like this "on the trail" & he may never come home... total AT mileage = 66.3 mi out of ~2175 mi. Last one to leave the shelter this morning after waking up next to section-hikers Chris & Davey (The General had already set out). Chris promised a warm meal once Amos gets near his his home along the trail in Virginia. Breakfast sounded good: blueberry oatmeal & coffee - yum! Hiked the 4 mi he promised in the rain to Dicks Creek Gap and the Blueberry Patch Hostel/Christian missionary in Hiawassee, Ga. where he declared the owner & former thru-hiker Gary Poteat one of THE nicest men... ever. Lets examine why...

• Upon arrival Amos hops in the shower while Gary does his LAUNDRY!
• They decide to head into town, but alas... they only have one car. So Gary has Amos drop him off at church and lets Amos take his PICK-UP TRUCK into town to run errands!
• Amos then hits up a local MEXICAN restaurant for a veggie chimichanga and Dos Equis. This followed by trip to the library for a quick session ONLINE.
• He gets back to the hostel where Gary has a toasty FIRE built JUST for him and then meets some of the critters Gary & Lennie keep in their back yard including 3 goats named... wait for it... Shadrach, Meshach, and A Billy Goat!!
• He uses a BOOT WARMER to dry out his tennis - who has one of those?!!? And then proceeds to find a half gallon of NUTTY-BUDDY CONE CRUNCH ICE CREAM stashed in the freezer - which I'm assuming he's waist deep in right about now - complete with one of the most severe ice cream headaches of his life... good for him
• Tomorrow morning he's looking forward to what Backpacker Magazine lists as one of the things not to miss on the AT - The Blueberry Patch's infamous ORGANIC BREAKFAST!

He's so spoiled.