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.

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!

Poster boy for beer...

6/5/08 - Left 501 Shelter for a pretty uneventful hike.

• Walked around 2 huge boulder fields - says Pa is extremely rocky.
• 1st break of the day about 15 mi in at Eagles Nest Shelter.
• Then a big downhill into Port Clinton.
• As he walked into town a local stopped him & insisted he wait while he went to get his generator (to plug in Amos' electronics) and some beer! He also insisted on driving Hearts the remaining one-tenth of a mile to the town pavilion to meet up with the other hikers!
• Caught a ride into Hamburg for Taco Bell & to watch the NBA playoffs then back to Port Clinton to sleep in the pavilion.

6/6/08 - Following breakfast, the group (quickly) hitched a ride (2 cars! That HAS to be a record!) to Pottsville, Pa for a tour of the oldest operating brewery in the country!

• 1-2 hour tour ended with 2 free drafts - which all agreed was awfully generous!
• They also gave Hearts & gang a Yuengling poster and said that if they took it to Katahdin and snapped a group photo with it at the summit, they would hang it up in the brewery!!
• Excited about the prospect of being local celebrities, they set back out toward Port Clinton & wound up snagging a ride with the lady who gave them the tour!
• Packed up their gear & hit the trail.
• About 3 miles after they set out, the group came across a bunch of guys walking up a hill from jumping 40 ft into an undisclosed body of water. So they decided to participate in a little spur of the moment cliff jumping!!
• With an extra burst of adrenaline & a few degrees cooler they moved on to Windsor Furnace Shelter where they met up with Tupperware & his girlfriend who brought an assortment of goodies for the group to enjoy around a campfire!
• 6 mi day.

Raining squirrels...

6/4/08 - Woke up to sopping wet shoes - although they are NEW sopping wet shoes!

• Trail angel bringing trail magic lost track of the trail... so Amos helped set her straight & carry her cooler to the underpass before I-81. Rewarded with 7-Up, mini Oreos, applesauce & bananas.
• And the rain rain rain came down down down: Feet were soaking wet all day which made them especially tired & sore and prompted a few blisters on his right paw to sprout.
• So it was raining cats & dogs... and apparently woodland creatures as well... At one point he heard a loud cracking noise followed by a dull thud & turned to find that a squirrel had fallen from a tree behind him. Soon after, the branch the little bugger was perched on came crashing down, too! Said the squirrel must have survived the fall fairly unscathed because he watched it scamper off... aww a happy ending!
• Parking it a 501 Shelter tonight - another that is well known for pizza deliveries! No fancy toppings this time though - just a large cheesy pie.
• Shelter also equipped with a solar shower but since there was no sun today Hearts had to settle for a cold rinse... brr. Then about a half hour later, a trail angel showed up with hot coffee - man, I cannot believe his luck sometimes. It's like somebody is blatantly looking out for him... and to that I say 'God is good' (can I get an Amen)!!
• So, if you're keeping track... 17 miles down today and...

less than 1000 miles to go!!!

Pick your poison...

6/3/08 - They shut down the bar just as the Pens went into double overtime last night!! What a let down... woke up still wondering who won!?? (Pittsburgh in triple overtime!!)

• Breakfast at Goodies. Had a dish just like the Good Start (2 eggs, homefries, & toast) at Sisters (in Confluence) but 20 cents cheaper! That IS a good start!
• Picked up new shoes & mailed old ones home... just in case. Can't wait to get that package.
• Left town around 10 am, faced a decent climb just outside of Duncannon & then picked his way through a boulder field...
• Nature extracts its revenge: came across a copperhead blocking the trail - apparently it didn't take too kindly to having its lunch tenderized the week before. None the less Amos did not sniff it to see if it smelled like cucumbers (maybe that's just something I'd be tempted to do) - he did take a very cautious photo and then Cu blazed around where he wound up in poison ivy instead.
• AND another bird came charging after him... I'm going to have to assume he's either venturing too close to their nests or they think his beard looks sexy... maybe just homey.
• Stopped for snacks at Clarks Ferry (4.5 mi) and Peters Mtn Shelter (11 mi) but an amateur meteorologist with a bad weather forecast told him that the chance for rain was low low low - at least until 1 am. She realized about a half an hour later - she was dead wrong... sorry!
• It became really dark as he approached the ruins of Yellow Springs Village & started raining cats & dogs about 10 minutes after that. His fancy ultralight camping umbrella didn't survive the canoe trip, so by the time he hiked the additional 6 mi to Rausch Gap Shelter, he was pretty waterlogged. Glasses nearly impossible to see through & water managed to seep into his headlamp - but it stayed lit! (now I have a scene from Pete's Dragon running though my head) He assured me the durability of his headlamp was very fortunate as he would have been screwed (with a capital 'S') without it.
• Got in around 10:30 pm - all in all hiked 29 miles - which is the longest he's hiked in 1 day by 1 mile!!

Quit grousing around...

6/2/08 - Caught a ride back to Pa. 944 with my Dad - who commutes to Philadelphia each week. Luckily Amos had left off near where the AT crosses the turnpike - completely unplanned but perfect timing!

• 3 hr trip back tempered by a morning cup of joe & plenty of conversation about deer hunting, park rangers & I imagine a few embarrassing stories about me in braces & rocking big 80's hair. Dropped off at trail around 11.
• Hiked up a mountain to Darling Shelter & used the largest privy he's encountered so far on the trail. Not to worry, he didn't fall in - it was just a really big building - too much empty space.
• Then off to Cove Mountain Shelter to: gaze beyond the overlook, tear up an afternoon snack (cheesy bean & rice burrito I believe), and be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
• Back on the trail (once the mosquitoes had their way with him) he became the target of an overly territorial grouse that came charging at him - feathers ruffled! Luckily this wasn't his first encounter with trail wildlife & he instinctively fell back on his trusty trekking poles for protection. Once the bird -mesmerized by the swift sticks- stopped rushing, he thought it best to move far & fast down the trail.
• On to Hawk Rock for a great view of Duncannon & the Susquehannah River.
• 13.5 mi. Arrived in Duncannon & just missed happy hour at the Post Office which closed at 4:30. He'll have to get his new shoes in the morning... said the left sole on his 1st pair fell off this morning. Again, not too shabby on the timing!
• Paid $20 for a "mildly scary looking room" at Doyle Hotel - owned by Anheuser-Bush & over 100 years old! That's okay - they've got cheap beer, the Pens game & rumor has it... simply delectable cheddar cheese fries.

Fun on the Bum...

6/1/08 - A little Meadow Run on Sunday... or a lot depending on your idea of a legit water level. Personally - you couldn't pay me to run the Slides at any level but I do LOVE watching Amos & Cody run them!! So smooth!

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!!

Hike-along Mom...

5/23/08 - Got up... drank coffee... and hiked on out of Harpers Ferry. But first they had to...

• Clean up the raging mess they made in their hotel room.
• Walk a mile into historic downtown Harpers Ferry.
• Hit up the post office (mailed new shoes ahead to Duncannon).
• Use and abuse the ATC's hiker box and free Internet.
• Hike along the C&O Canal bike path (the one that goes from DC to da Burgh & meanders through Ohiopyle and the B&B along the way!).
• Leave Half-brew behind. He was caught up discussing mountain bike features with a local.
• They eventually found their way to the Ed Garvey Shelter for lunch. Amos said it was a really nice shelter - with a loft & porch area.
• Hiked 10.5 mi. Ended up cowboy camping (illegally) in a field in the middle of Gathland State Park. All except Tupperware, who snuck into his tent in the middle of the night to avoid the bugs... and he calls himself an Eagle Scout... (dude, I would have done the same thing).

5/24/08 - Supposed to meet Mom at 3:00 - still 21 miles away! So they hightailed it to I-70.

• Passed a bunch of Boy Scouts.
• Passed a large group of inner city kids.
• Breezed by the Washington Monument.
• Came across another inner city kid who must have strayed from the group because he was 2 miles away & obviously lost. Amos gave him directions back to the monument - hopefully he's not still in the woods somewhere...
• Arrived at the road to meet Mama Ludwig at about a quarter past 3 & had to scout around to find the parking lot (which wasn't on his map).
• Tupperware's parents were meeting him at the same place & they had been there since 10 am!! Hearts said Tupperware's mom was chock-full of energy & a million questions about her son, his stability, and his experiences thus far. She ensured that they had plenty of fruit, veggies & brownies for the road & even gave Amos her cell # in case of a Tupperware emergency!
• Half-brew, Mom, & Hearts drove into Smithsburg for resupply & Subway the back to the trail where Mama Ludwig revealed her stash of pineapple & banana pepper pizza and Butt Monkey Ale - Momma knows best!!
• Hiked 5 mi to Devils Racecourse Shelter only to find it was down another big hill so they decided to show-up Tupperware by cowboy camping at the top. Look, Ma no tarp!

5/25/08 - Morning climb over a lot of rocks.

• Down to Pen Mar County Park where there should have been a bunch of old people dancing around and a snack bar... but apparently that's not till next weekend... which left them a little bummed out. Despite their disappointment, they stuck around for about 2 hours and enjoyed lunch anyway.
• Hiked another 0.2 mile and crossed the Mason-Dixon Line!! Which was memorialized with a small wooden post. Just the post. Someone had stolen the sign off of & someone else had scribbled its importance on with a magic marker... Welcome to the North!
• Then on to a climb Amos said Mom simply loved...
• 2nd lunch/1st dinner at Deer Lick Shelter which was overrun with mosquitoes.
• Almost camped at the next shelter - Antietam - but it was also very buggy so they decided to move uphill to Tumbling Run Shelter to try & get away.
• Another night of cowboy camping and so concluded a 13.2 mile day with Mom!!

5/26/08 - Woke up, drank coffee & climbed to the top of Chimney Rocks - which had a terrific view but was a rather rough start to the day.

• Stopped just after Pa 233 for lunch - Mom was amazed at how much food she packed in these past few days - Amos said she could have put a small defensive end to shame!
• Came across a coiled rattlesnake as they were coming off of a rocky ridge. It didn't move or shake for them but they found out later that it was a little more active when Half-brew and Trinity strolled by.
• Dropped down to US-30 and attempted to hitchhike into Fayetteville. Amos snagged one from a lady he boldly went up to at a convenience store just down the road. She flat out turned him down until she noticed he was with his muja.
• 10 mi day. Capped off by sitting on the porch of the Scottish Inn, sharing a pint of ice cream with Mom. Did I also mention the case of PBR?? Yeah, that too... like I said before... Momma knows best!