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3:30 PM - My pack is now a true hybrid of the external frame CampTrails pack and the internal frame Osprey Silhouette. I like the hip belt and shoulder harness of the Osprey and the ventilation, strength, and convenience of the CampTrails pack. By weaving the hip belt through the bottom section of the frame and securing with nylon straps, tied with clove hitches to the frame. The belt now takes most of the weight, as it should. The shoulder harness system that I modified a week earlier still works well.
My Salomon X-Mountain boots still cause pain and friction on the outside edges, where the "Clima-Dry" is sewn to the leather. A plastic clamp cuts into my foot at this location. This is due to the leather stretching but the plastic staying the same size. I believe it is a bad design flaw and will not purchase boots with such combinations of materials or seams on the sides again.
I'm considering giving Vasque a second chance, since I believe the problem with their Sundowner II boots may have been due to the small size (11.5 when I use 13). I'll make it to Harpers Ferry with the Salomon boots, but will have to ditch them before new blisters/abrasions develop. Besides, the X-Mountain boots weigh 5 pounds for the pair! I'd prefer sneakers that fit plus a 2-pound weight on each ankle!
I spent the night at Elizabeth and "Squirrel" W's house, about 1/2 mile off the AT near Possum's Rest Overlook (northern boundary of Shenandoah National Park). Due to my late departure from Thornton Gap (2:30 PM), I arrived at 11:30 PM. Elizabeth reheated an entire chicken dinner for me. We talked until 1 AM, then went to sleep.
They have a beautiful mountain home with nice views in all directions. Two Husky-mix dogs live in a pen under a second floor deck. They sounded ferocious when I approached the house last night but today they want to play.
After the nice long hike yesterday, and the offer of lasagna for dinner tonight, I decided to stay until tomorrow. I tried to make myself useful around the house, and we had a nice chance to sit around talking in the evening. It's nice having such good friends all along the trail.
I'm less than 60 miles from Harpers Ferry. If the trail and weather are kind, I'll hit Harpers Ferry on the third, but maybe stay until the afternoon of the fourth. I need new boots and want to make a good decision, so it'll take time. It should be easier to make time through PA by rock hopping the knife edges, but only if the boots don't hurt.
I just discovered that West Virginia has only 2.4 miles of trail near Harpers Ferry! I'm not sure how much ran into WV near the south-western area of VA, but It'll be nice to say I completed 3 states in one day. I could start earl y, after a good rest, and enter Harpers Ferry, finishing Virginia, cross the Potomac River into Maryland, then hike 40.0 miles into Pennsylvania. When our Scout troop did this segment, I did my first 20-mile day, but then it seemed difficult.
Ryan T. made a statement that morning, "by the time you adults figure out where to put the cars, we could hike there." not wanting to let go of a challenge, he kept his word ... and took me along for adult supervision. My feet only started bleeding in the last 5 miles. It's gotten easier!
I think a 4-state day will have to wait until another day, since I need to spend time at the outfitter in Harpers Ferry.
I determined that Salomon does not have any customer service. They have an 800 number that plays voicemail phone tag through a survey, then spits you a telephone number of a nearby retail store. CampMor gave me the secret "distributor" number that the retail stores call. The number is 800-654-2668. Don't bother calling the old 800-995-3556 number, it's just market research now. With this new knowledge of the lack of customer support, I will never buy another Salomon product. Oh how word of mouth advertising on the trail affects these purchases! I've had great customer support from Vasque, beyond what would be expected from a manufacturer. I think I'll switch back to them and carefully choose a good boot with no seams on the heel or sides of the foot, no plastic parts, no auto-ejecting pop-rivet grommets, no unrealistic claims of waterproofness, no excessive weight, and a rigid sole with solid tread that won't 'blow out' like my $10 sneakers. Basically, I want my old bedroom slipper moccasins with hard tread and a few nylon straps to provide a solid fit.
I've seen people hiking in Teva Sandals. Maybe a pair of those sandals, with the heavy sole, would satisfy my criteria if I tied a couple of ankle hitches around my feet with 2-inch nylon webbing. I think I'll give Vasque another try - now that I know how to choose the correct size.
8 AM - I'm just getting up in a geodesic Dome shaped structure called "Dick's Dome." It reminds me of my North Face tent. It only sleeps four according to the ALDHA Companion, but like my tent, I can see room for more.
When I lit my candle last night, locusts dove from every corner to land on the flame. Once in front of me, they said "I'm going to annoy you if you don't kill me." So I did...All two dozen. I also took out a few Gypsy moths. It seems early for the moths to be in the adult stage, but now they are in the "dead under the picnic table" stage. Before the pseudo-nature protectors start freaking out, let me remind them that 3/4 of the Shenandoah's trees are dead thanks to these "beautiful" insects. Besides, there's plenty left to annoy the next batch of hikers.
A couple of section hikers, headed southbound, pointed out the fields of trillium flowers and said this is the largest stand of trilliums in the country. Kathy, the Naturalist from Sky Meadows State Park, gave me the story about the rare (?) flowers and took my picture in front of them. She quickly deduced that I am a thruhiker and gave me an apple. At that point, I would believe any story about the flowers. She and Mike continues their hike and I proceeded to miss the turnoff of the AT and added 2 miles to the day's hike. The white flowers must have camouflaged the blazes because I almost missed it when I back-tracked, as well.
The Salomon X-mountain boots have started ripping my feet apart again. While wearing 2 pairs of smart socks and a nylon liner, the boots steadily ground a small hole on each foot by the small toes. Since Salomon has no customer service department, I will have to take photos and put them on the Internet, in hopes that a Salomon employee, somewhere, will see it and change the poor design.
At the Denton Shelter, aka "PATC Hilton," I met Ron Richards. He came out to see John O., from the Trailplace Online Journals, but John apparently hasn't reached the shelter after shopping in Harpers Ferry. I'll probably see him today.
Last night, "Crooked Stick" stayed in the Dome Shelter. He has a few hundred miles to finish his 2000-miler award. We talked about boots, gear, and other hiking stuff. I like his Reichley hiking boots. They appear very well constructed, with no gimmicks or plastic junk to break or cut. They also weigh less than 1/3 the weight of my Salomon ankle weights.
I'm not going to reach town until the 4th of May. These boots hurt too much to get much further than 20 miles in a day. I also read that the terrain just north of me is very difficult with over 5000 feet of ascent and over a choppy sawtooth ridge. Maybe I can have plaster casts applied to my feet and just hike in them.
OK, time to apply the shredders and walk out the doorway.
Transcriber's Note: Sven reached Harpers Ferry on May 5th. If he makes 18 miles a day, expect him at Hawk Mountain on 5/16. Other projected dates are: 5/19/99 Delaware Water Gap, PA 5/25/99 Bear Mt, NY
I'm at the AT Trail Center, 12.2 miles south of Harpers Ferry and 26.8 trail miles and 0.5 miles of side trails from Dick's Dome SHelter. It's a large building with a catherdral ceiling - new last year - and several woodburning stoves.
The caretakers are great! Bob, aka "Yukon Cornelius," was thruhiking last year and signed up to live and caretake for this place. He's planning to change careers to something that lets him hike, possibly like a guid or voyager.
Courtney, aka "Mogo," finished her thruhike in 1996. Her trail name comes from that of a whale that was tagged with a radio transmitter. Her friends wanted to tag her in her sleep with a collar. She didn't specify if they were successful.
Yesterday was cool, overcast, and misty. Occasionally it drizzled, but the mist was perpetual. It was perfect hiking weather!
Today is Harpers Ferry Day! Woo Hoo! After last night's boot chat, I've concluded that Reichley has the best boots for thruhiking. Several people told me how their Vasques fell apart (another boot recommended by Backpacker magazine). I hope the small outfitter in HF has Reichley boots.
Two streams in yesterday's hike had detritus from a rare fruit tree. The fruit of the trees collected near the stream - small, cylindrical fruit with an aluminum peel. Some tasted orange and some were a hybrid of lemon and lime. I understand a thruhiker named "Fanny Pack" planted the trees. Thank you, whoever you are!
I finish Virginia in 10 miles! After Harpers Ferry, I'll be finished with West Virginia. It'll be another day before I complete Maryland. Then on through Pennsylvania. I understand Rainbow Bright just hit New Jersey. You turn your back for a week and he flys!
I enjoyed my time in Virginia, but it will be nice to see familiar rocks. Of course I'll have to start carrying more water because of the unpredictability of many water sources in PA. They're tempramental springs in this stats, and far down the hillside from the trail!
I received a bunch of letters at the post office yesterday. Thank you to all the writers - it really does make me feel more at home.
I learned my Fall 1999 mailing address! I will email it to friends and family as soon as I get home.
My move-in date is August 13th. I can move in on or after that date in Kirksville, MO. Since preregistration starts on the 15th, so I need to move in on the 13th. I'd like to leave NJ about August 1st so I have time to visit family in Missouri before classes. (I also don't want to be rushing around at the last minute the days before my thruhike.) Hopefully, I will have most of July to visit friends and family on the East Coast, scan my photos to publish the full online journal, <http://www.chassels.net/at>, pack my belongings into my car and mail ant additional boxes, finish dealing with Lenihan Chrysler/Plymouth to have them replace my headlight bracket and safety catch on the hood of my new car (and wash it as promised in writing but not performed).
My Discover card is working again with a bunch of excess cash that they owe me. That is very comfortable compared to me owing them.
I haven't heard from the National Health Service Corps Health Professional Scholarship Program yet. They told me they received my complete application so I'm hoping to be invited for an interview session. This is just mildly stressful, as they may or may not pay for all my medical school tuition, books, fees, etc. My hair is even a "respectable" length now!. (editor's note - they have since invited him to interview, so he'll have to take a break from his hike.)
I'm very excited about starting med school this fall!!. My apartment will have 2 bedrooms, an internet-accessible local area network connection, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and closet with hallway. All that space to myself, yet the front door connects to the inner hallway with other students' apartments. That gives me study room without completely isolating me from other students.
At the ATC headquarters, I weighed myself. I am down to 196 pounds, after consuming those 8 pounds of cheeseburgers! I think I've lost about 20 pounds in the 70 days of hiking. I don't see how I could possibly eat more food, and I'm definitely getting enough protein and fat. I even take a multivitamin so I must be burning lots of energy. I'll try to eat more complex carbohydrates to keep me healthy, but it's difficult. (I know, a year ago I wished I had this problem!)
I'm going to get new lightweight hiking boots today. Apparently, Harpers Ferry area is a terrible place to outfit footwear, according to the locals, because all the outfitters have limited selection. They are all rumored to be quite small. Anything has to be better than the "5-pound potato peelers" that I'm now wearing. (He goes on at some length about his efforts to get in touch with Salomon, unsuccessfully.)
I just talked with Jonathan A. He plans to meet me near Fayetteville, PA on Saturday 5/8. It'll be great to see him. Now I have to get moving! The outfitter in HF told me some of her selection - I hope she has my size!
9 PM - Today was an all-around great day! The only spectacular thing that happened was me hiking by 6 AM! I woke up at dawn around 5:30 AM, drank lots of water, packed, and walked. I had 6 miles walked by 8 AM.
I took a hot shower at the Dahlgren Backpack Campground and rinsed out my hiking attire. A section hiker named Bill stopped here last night and we talked a bit. He's going to hike north for a month, possibly finishing Pennsylvania.
I discovered that one of my Smartwool socks is missing. I know it came off my foot at the house in Harpers Ferry, but it didn't make it into the clothing bag.
My new Danner boots are working well so far. They are all leather except for a Goretex liner. There are very few seams because only two pieces of leather are used. I put 15 miles on them yesterday and 25 miles today. They were instantly comfortable, but they are durable. The Vibram soles are sewn to the shoe, not laminated. They feel nicer on my arches and sore spots with a second pair of Smartwool socks. Until my small toes heal, I will continue to pamper them with excessive padding.
Another happy thought is that I'm still 5 miles south of PA and the Mason-Dixon Line. Tomorrow will be a 20-mile day, leaving me 4 miles to walk on Saturday morning to meet Jonathan at Hinckle's Market. I will resupply my food at the market or Jonathan can drive me into town.
I fell asleep three times writing this last page.
8 AM - After falling asleep while writing three times last night, I gave up. This morning I feel refreshed! Sending home the AA minimag flashlight and headstrip was a good idea. With 15 + hours of daylight at this southern latitude and over a month before the summer solstice. In other words, there is so much daylight that a flashlight for night hiking is inefficient.
"White Gloves," the hiker who is helping "Crooked Stick" finish his 2000-miler, just stopped in. He showed me where the AT used to run, about 40 feet above this shelter. The sign before the blue-blazed shelter trail says the shelter is 4.5 miles down the side of the mountain. It was worth the hike last night. The drizzle picked up. I have been in clouds for the last 36 hours.
The clouds leave everything feeling damp, but the synthetic gear, including the sleeping bag, are warm and feel dry once I put it on. White Gloves told me the valleys are dry. I hope it stays nice and cool today.
Mating season is here. I listened to cats mrowling two nights ago and a couple of chipmunks are now chasing each other over the trees, table, rocks, etc. of the campsite. Yesterday, the squirrels were zipping through the bushes and leaves.
The greenery of the Maryland forest is such a pleasant contrast to the dead Shenandoah Park. Last night "Gray Beard" commented about the difference and questioned how the damage was limited to the boundaries of the Shenandoahs. I pointed out the diverse, chaotic landscape in front of our shelter. Everything is cluttered and competing for sunlight, water, and shelter from the wind. He recalled how straight the dead trees of the Shenandoah grew. The uncontrolled controlled burn that the USFS lit just south of Damascus, VA, was supposed to "help" the trees grow straight. The outfitter in Damascus told me about the harvestability of straight trees. I guess the Shenandoahs will have a bad crop of trees this decade, as a result of overmanagement and the unpredicted infestation.
Gray Beard also pointed out a Scarlet Tanager last night. It was a striking iridescent red color. With the bright green backdrop of new leaves, it seemed to glow like the puck in a modern televised hockey game. Beautiful creature! Apparently they are rare to see along the trail.
The lily-of-the-valley is in full bloom all along the trail in Maryland. These flowers, along with the gentle mist of the clouds and the various bird sounds, made yesterday's hike seem like a fantasy.
After completing most of yesterday is like a horrible feeling of deja-vous come over me. One of those "I've seen this before from the other direction...recently" feelings. I thought I might have messed up and headed south at some point. I checked my guide and confirmed that I was going northbound. The Scout troop must have walked all of Maryland, because I remember all of this, but we went southbound. Tossed quite a scare into me!
The air is still cool and moist this morning. I'd better start walking. It's almost 10 AM. Time to hit PA!
6:30 AM - It poured on the Rocky Mountain Shelters last night. We got thunder, lightning, and buckets of rain. It started late and lulled me to sleep.
This morning the sun lit the valley by 5:30 AM. A light fog is still hanging over the ground and dark clouds loom overhead. The air is cool and humid. Everything feels damp, including the neighboring beagle.
"Sunset" and "Brooklyn" are in the first shelter with a beagle/shepherd puppy that came from Rusty's Hard Time Hollow. They are taking it home today because it is having trouble on the rocks. Dogs aren't made to walk this trail. It's cruel to hike them over 2000+ miles of it. This is the third dog hurt out of five that I have seen on the trail.
"Co”s" returned my missing sock today! He stayed with me in Harpers Ferry at Jet & Mike L's house. It was hanging from the shelter trail sign, in a zip-lock bag, with a note. He told me he planned to go another 5 miles with Gray Beard. I had to stop here for the night or walk back 3 miles this morning to meet Jonathan.
Co”s is a park ranger in the White Mountains National Park. He gave me a better idea of how I will get through the hut system without going broke. He has the type of career that I dreamed of when I was a sophomore in college. As a result, 30-mile days are nothing for him. He started at Springer Mountain on March 11th.
On May 7th, he walked the 40 miles from Virginia to Pennsylvania. I know he had a tent, but I don't know if he was able to slack-pack the 40 miles. He said he wanted to , but I think he took his pack. Either way, he carried my sock on the trip. I have to figure out how to label that sock "40-miler."
It's 8:15 AM, I'm finished writing postcards, journal, etc. The clouds got darker, and thunder is crashing loudly all around our mountain. To meet Jonathan at 11 AM, I have to hike 4 miles and start at 9 AM. I hope it stops before 9 AM.
This campsite has two shelters, like many in southern PA. I stayed with "Kafka" in this shelter. Sunset, Brooklyn, and Kafka plan to drop the dog at home in Virginia, then continue north from here.
3:30 AM - I met Jonathon A. at Hincle's Market without trouble. Because they didn't take credit cards, he drove me into town where we ate at Pasta Plus and shopped at WalMart. This was the first time I had the pleasure of grocery shopping at WalMart. Needless to say, I'm well supplied for a while. Jonathon plans to scan the photos that demonstrate this fact.
I stayed at the Birch Run Shelter that night, where I finished the feast that started at Caledonia State Park. Cheese Danishes (9), hoagie (about 2 feet long), 4 liters of soda, smoked sausage cooked on campfire with bread, etc. My pack is back to 35-40 lbs after eating and drinking about 20 lbs of food and soda.
Today started caalm enough. I am currently biv-camping on the north side of some mountain. I'm not lost. I know generally where I am and where the trail is. I just chose an alternative route and the mountain is not cooperating. My best guess, without a street map (the ATC maps are useless out here), is that I am within 2 miles of the Alex Kennedy Shelter, about 4 miles south of Boiling Springs, PA. I know the AT is directly up the mountain to my south, but I felt it best not to camp up there.
Just before I climbed this mountain for the first time, I crossed a road with a spring. I see only one such combination in the ATC Databook in this area, so I will assume it was Whiskey Spring and Whiskey Spring Road.
From the road, I quickly climbed to the top of the mountain, unlisted in the databook, and headed for a boulder field. I caught myself just before stepping on the middle of a 3-foot-long coiled snake. I never saw this kind of snake before, other than drawings and photos. The diamond-shaped head is what almost gave me a heart attack. The patches of dark brown provided the snake with perfect camouflage in the pile of crushed leaves on which it was sunbathing. The rest of the body looked like part of the rocks which I had been climbing.
I took a few seconds to inhale, exhale, look around carefully for other serpents, then stepped back a few steps to re-evaluate my situation. The snake wasn't aware of my presence. It continued to stare, motionless, toward the trail just on the other side of the creature. I then looked closely at its markings, hoping I was wrong about its identity. I didn't see any rattle on its tail. Of course I knew this didn't matter. It was clearly marked like all the rattlesnakes in all the photos, movies, and sketches.
The sun was going down; the time was about 8 PM. I decided to move the snake off the trail with my poles. The first two attempts resulted in a jerk of the snake's head, ready to strike at my pole. Now I saw the rattle! I couldn't hear it, but the tip of the tail vibrated quickly as the snake eyed my hiking pole.
The third attempt was successful. I scooped the reptile from the middle of its body and sent it 20 feet through the air, into a nearby set of bushes and rocks.
I quickly scrambled up the rocks, fearing that his friends might be nearby.
The top of this mountain has been vandalized by the local trail maintenance club. They painted almost every rock with a white blaze. They literally ran the trail in a figure-8 at the top, around several boulders. One set of arrows has "ME" and "GA" labeled, but those arrows point to other arrows that go both left and right, depending on what angle you are supposed to see them from, I guess.
I followed the maze of arrows and left the boulder field walking north. The sun was setting in the west, over my left shoulder. I couldn't remember where it was when I entered the boulder field. I guess the snake distracted me. I do remember having the sun on my back most of the day, indicating a NNW direction of travel.
On the way down the mountain, I found four college kids climbing up. I was worried that I was retracing my path, so I asked them which direction was "northbound on the trail." One reolied, "that way is north," pointing over his shoulder. I was going to clarify my question, but they quickly ran up the hill.
I saw pole marks in the ground, but wasn't sure if they were mine. I kept turning around, but the view wasn't familiar. After about 2 miles, I decided the large rock on my right was too similar to the large rock on my left earlier in the day.
I raced through the woods down to that stupid road, and up again. SInce the sun had already set, I decided to camp for the night. Not wanting to cuddle with a rattlesnake, I decided to bushwhack off the rocks into the valley a ways. I hear cars and machines in the valley. I have also seen headlights on a small gravel road just to my northwest.
At dawn, I will bushwhack to the northwest until I hit the road. From there, I will climb until I see trail markers or a sign, house, etc. Hopefully, there will be some sort of indicator about which direction leads to Maine.
I think I'm going to call AAA and have them write me a triptik for the Appalachian Trail. It has to be better than the ATC maps. They'll also have town maps in scale!
9 AM - Yesterday, after waking up to the whip-poor-will serenade of the rising moon, I wrote in the journal and started a couple of postcards to friends I hadn't written before. The sunrise at 5:30 AM put my situation in better perspective: Mountain Road, aka PA 94, was 30 feet to my northwest. It also had a large creek passing under a bridge, 10 feet further from my camp. I always told people if they get lost on the AT in PA they can walk downhill until they hit a road, but I didn't realize how close this one would be.
From the road, I walked up to the AT crossing. I turned right. This put me traveling west. My xxx's that I drew the day before clearly told me I was there before. It also told me I shouldn't have turned around the night before. My frustration was tempered by the fact that I had not received a rattlesnake bite which certainly would have resulted from my 200 pounds of force being applied to the center of its body the day before.
Back up the stupid boulder field on top of the mountain! The ATC Atlantic Regional Headquarters staff casually refer to this mountain as "The Maze" and freely admit getting lost on top. My suggestion of placing a sign on each end of the maze congratulating people for its successful completion in the x-bound direction was welcomed. They seemed to like it better than painting the rest of the rocks white, making them match the blazes, reducing confusion.
I found the rock table with graffiti that has a mirror image sibling on the north side. This confirmed my successful completion of the maze, yesterday, but it pointed out how close to the shelter I was when I turned around.
I remember crossing the maze with our Scout troop several years ago. I believe we just climbed to the top of the maze, ignored the poorly blazed trail markers, and walked south over the rocks. Of course, we had the US Geological Survey maps at the time. The ATC office in Boiling Springs informed me that the maze is not recorded on any map.
Net result of my back tracking: 11 additional miles over the same stupid mountain. I should have said "...passing every white blaze, ONCE" when I described my thruhike!
I stayed at Darlington Shelter last night. This made 25 miles of walking for yesterday, and 30.5 miles the day before. I celebrated in Boiling Springs with a half gallon of chocolate ice cream while I read my mail.
Today, I'll pass through Duncannon, PA and try to stay at Peters Mountain Shelter, 35 miles south of Pine Grove, PA. A nice, easy, 22-mile day. (Now I'm asking for trouble!)
I have a blister on my right Achilles tendon, which I discovered to be larger than my left. A piece of moleskin was sufficient padding for yesterday's hike. My right heel also has a blister. I believe its partly due to my ankle blister. I drained it and will grease it with antibiotic ointment.
1:30 PM - I just found the second rattlesnake of my thruhike (and my life). There was no mistaking this one. It was about 4 feet long, one inch thick at mid-body, had a slight greenish tint with its alternating brownish-gray splotch pattern. The only reason I saw this one was its one-inch long rattle that could wake the dead! It sounded like 100 cicadas sitting under my ears.
Apparently, I stepped 6 inches to the side of this one as it lay to the side of the trail. It immediately started the rattling as it coiled around itself and raised its head toward my position.
I was surprised to find myself standing 10 feet away from the creature, without the slightest memory of backing off. That rattle sure has a powerful effect!
Since the creature didn't move away, I was left with a problem. There was no real alternative route, other than over rocks with thick brush and poison ivy. I pulled a few large rocks from the trail. The first few were struck by the snake as they fell on the snake's body. The fourth rock convinced the snake to move into the bushes. I heaved a fifth rock at the snake and quickly trotted down the trail.
About 100 feet past the encounter with the green-tinted rattler was Peter's Mountain Shelter. I found a beautiful 2-story structure with a perfect view. This is a much better place than last night's Clarks Ferry Shelter. I only did 16 miles yesterday, due to a late start and an uncertain terrain. It was a good decision. I worked on my blisters a while and rubbed my feet before getting a long night's sleep. I would not have enjoyed meeting a rattlesnake near dusk, as I'm sure it would have been dark if I pushed for this shelter last night.
The PA rocks are as easy as I remember them. The roads are annoying. Too many road crossings and trains. Last night the train made 'way too much noise. The whistle blew a steady one-minute every time it passed the valley (3 times, I think.)
I'll stay at the Rausch Gap Shelter tonight. That will put me back on schedule for an arrival at Hawk Mountain Road on May 15th. Hopefully, I'll see Scott D. and stay at Maurice C's cabin that night. The following night I hope to stay at Harley N's house near Blue Mountain Summit.
Of all the sections to not have a camera, PA was not the section. I missed a photo opportunity at the half-way marker, 2 rattlesnakes, the stupid markers of the maze, and this beautiful shelter (best one yet). I'll probably see Big Foot tonight.
5 AM - Well, I am definitely moving toward the eastern edge of the time zone. The sun has been setting earlier and rising much earlier. It set at about 8 PM, getting dark around 9 PM. The first birds started chirping a few minutes before 5 AM, and the sky is already getting bright. A few days ago, sunrise and sunset were a half hour later. I suppose this means I'll have to wake up earlier to take advantage of the extra daylight.
I was under my 5 x 7 tarp last night. A sloping shelter, from two trees on my right side to the ground on my left, worked well. According to my databook and Wingfoot's handbook, I walked past the Rausch Gap Shelter trail. The sign is "easy to miss going north," according to Wingfoot. I stopped when I reached a cemetery. I saw the sign for the cemetery, but couldn't see where the trail was supposed to continue north. The last glimmer of light disappeared at 9 PM, so I backtracked to the campsite near a waterfall and made camp.
It's dawn and I'm very thirsty! I tried to get water last night, but the rocks near the stream were tricky and I didn't want to risk it. Now that the sun is up, it looks simple enough. I have no idea where the shelter trail is, but I believe I passed it one or two miles back. I'll figure it out once I come to my next landmark, figuring a 2.7 mph pace.
I should be a couple of miles south of Green Point, PA. I'm not sure what that means, since it has no services according to all three of my guides. I'd really like to go into Pine Grove for all the fast food and all-you-can-eat buffets but I'll pass on the long walk to town. Apparently the 501 Shelter, on Rte. 501, is fully enclosed with a solar shower and porta-potty. The guides say the caretakers, George and Jean Shollenberger, have sodas and ice cream! Maybe town won't be necessary. Only about 16 miles to walk today. It'll feel nice after about 25 yesterday.
Once I climbed away from I-81, I got into a 'nostalgia zone.' I was remembering two past Boy Scout hiking trips over this section of Blue Mountain.
When I hit the rocks, I found it easy to quickly step from 'knife blade' to 'knife blade,' a maneuver I described to Crash. Crash thought it was a painful, difficult, and dangerous idea to go rock hopping on the 'knife blades.' It was as easy as I remembered. The 'knife blades' are like icebergs stuck in a sea of sharp marbles. Walking between them is unpredictable.
I felt my feet loosen up, the two nylon liners and greased up gauze pad over my healing blisters on the right heel worked well with the single Smartwool sock. My right foot is size 12.5 while my left is size 12. This is not new; I've always had a half size larger right foot. I realized this back in high school as well. What this means is that 2 pairs of socks on my left foot worked well, while two pairs on my right foot caused some increased pressure on the heel, resulting in a blister.
Now the boot has stretched slightly. My foot has molded to the boot's shape, and the blister has started healing. With one pair of wool socks and two nylon 'washers,' it feels like I'm wearing driving gloves. I will need a new pair of Superfeet insoles, as these are squashed into a thin, solid piece of plastic, with no shock absorbency left.
As I mulled all this over in my head, I dreamed of ice cream and soda waiting at the 501 Shelter. I climbed to the top of the boulder patch and stopped to find the next blaze. I saw it nest to my left foot. I also saw, between the rocks upon which my right and left feet were planted, a 2-1/2 foot long, greenish rattlesnake. I swear I'm not making this up: I saw three rattlesnakes in four days.
My third rattlesnake was sighted and straddled at 10:50 AM today. It was just before the blaze in the middle of the boulder field. It did not flinch as I scrambled to the right about 10 feet. In fact, it held its position long enough for me to return to normal ventilations (10 minutes), sketch its location and position, and record a detailed description. I'm furious that I forgot to buy more disposable cameras at WalMart!
I will scan the sketch, as poor an artist as I am, when I get home. The snake had a green body with black markings surrounded by a very light green border. Except for the rattle, the last six inches of the snake was black, like the splotch pattern. The splotches were oval shaped at the head, but connected by the end of the tail to form a few hour-glass shapes, similar to figure-8's with the circles filled in black. Its eyes were a solid, glassy green. There were two pits, 3 mm in front of the eyes. The pits were each 1/2 mm in diameter, spaced 5 mm apart from each other. Two large lumps bulged from the end of the tail, presumably a recent meal still being digested.
To test a theory about scaring these reptiles off the trail by "tapping poles ahead of you on the rocks." O smacked my poles all over the rocks. Not a flinch. I smacked them hard, near its position, with no reaction.
Next, I proceeded to throw larger and larger heavier objects at the rock next to it. There was no reaction until I accidentally caused a large boulder to tilt, making a very loud rumble. The snake perked its lack-of-ears and looked right at me. My next rock was quite heavy, and shattered on impact, next to the snake. The rattler quickly slipped between the boulders. I quickly vacated the area.
My observations lead me to conclude several things: The "tapping poles on rocks" method of snake repellent is ineffective. The snakes prefer NOT to strike when they can avoid conflict. Walking on the knife edges is the safest mode of transport through the boulder fields, but only if one moves slow enough to observe the terrain. I am a snake magnet.
The last part is really a hypothesis, but I will test it over the next few days. Part of me hopes to see a rattlesnake when I have a camera. Another part wants to walk quickly without fear of serpents leaping out of the cracks in the ground.
Tomorrow, I will try to hike 29.8 miles to Windsor Furnace Shelter, so I can spend most of the 15th at Maurice's cabin. That day will be only 9 miles of hiking. The next morning will be 11,5 miles to Kim and Harley N's house. This will put me at the Delaware Water Gap, PA post office on Thursday, May 18th. [Transcriber's note -- a paragraph of future plans was omitted here because they changed the next day.]
I want to thank Dave and Bill for letting me use their water faucet in Boiling Springs. It made lunch much better, since I was already dehydrated. I also want to thank "Peak Watcher" for pointing out the Dwarf Ginseng plants along the trail at Caledonia State Park. This retired surgeon says he has a need to know about everything along the trail that walks. I found him with tripod and [---] keys, jotting down facts. He talked about medical school with me.
Cindy and her dog, Setka, were doing a southbound section hike. She was trying to think of a trail name for Setka. Since the dog is part wolf, very tame, and had blisters from the pack, I thought "Sir Gentle Pits" would work.I'm not sure if she disliked it or didn't hear it. I didn't repeat it, but the name has grown on me. Hopefully, she'll read this.
12 midnight -- Maurice C. picked me up at the Port Clinton Hotel tonight. I finished the 23.7 miles into the Phillips Canyon and decided I had had enough. The ski trip down the loose shale and dry leaves wore me out at the end of the day. To top things off, I hiked an additional mile past the hotel (one block behind it) to the shelter at the opposite end of town. I returned, found the hotel, used the phone, and called Maurice just as he and the family arrived at their cabin.
I'm staying with Maurice, Donna, Matt, and Claire. Donna made a lasagna for dinner. I'm in heaven. Maurice brought two gallons of ice cream for me to devour. I'll be staying here tomorrow night as well.
I encountered my eighth snake on the trail. I thought it was a copperhead, but was mistaken. The copper color and aggressive attitude from this snake startled me, but its absolute refusal to move was its demise. I threw larger and larger stones. The 25-pound boulder that landed on its mid-section had an effect: The snake promptly submitted.
After showing the snake to Matt, it was decided that this was a Bull Snake. I never heard of this kind, but I'll look up the pattern when I have more time. [I looked it up on 5/21. It WAS a Copperhead. Page 146 of the ALDHA Companion.]
RiderDude and Shmoopy Galore met me at the Allentown Shelter today. Shmoopy brought Entenmann's chocolate chip cookies! We hiked back to RiderDude's car where he proceeded to take the simple directions to Harley's house and process them in a global positioning system satellite downlink computer with mapping software, voice nagging, and every other doodad necessary to start World War III, short of the warheads.
World War III touched off inside the car as the pilot of the vehicle insisted that the computer screen was more effective than the windshield at seeing how to steer.
We finally arrived at Harley's house. Of course, it looked different. There were less windows, doors ... boards, shingles. After fiddling with the computer some more, RiderDude admitted that Harley probably did not live in a cornfield and we continued down the road to his house.
Kim, Emily, and Harley took all three of us in and fed us. RiderDude and Shnoopy Galore drove home (using the modern technology to replace road signs, I imagine.) I ate a nice turkey dinner and am feeling comfy in my nest on the floor.
Emily helped me bandage a new blister on my right heel. I should have kept wearing my nylon liner socks.
Scott D. nailed several email messages to the dirt near Hawk Mountain Road. Thanks, Scott! It's good to communicate in so many ways. I'm sorry I missed him at the preserve. I stopped on Friday night with Maurice, but they were already closed. Scott is out of town this weekend.
3 AM - I'll be headed out the door to the Smith Shelter in a few hours. It's been an exciting visit for me these last few days. I met Kim's father, George, who worked as a DO into his 70's, making house calls, practicing medicine "the old fashioned way" where you actually knew your patients and their environments.
After listening to Kim and George describe his practice, I realized he had experienced the career that I hope to develop. We talked about my dreams of practicing in rural Alaska.
We stopped for ice cream at the end of the night. This is some heavy ice cream! Much more dense than the store-brand 1/2-gallon buckets!
I was able to make an appointment for an interview with the National Health Service Corps for Friday in Philadelphia. I hope Shnoopy Galore can drive me home tomorrow, after we camp at the Smith Shelter. That way I'll have a day to prepare for the interview.
2 AM -- Shmoopy Galore and I made it to the shelter trail at the same time. We found the shelter as the last glimmers of light were drowned by rain. It rained for the last three hours before dusk, just in time for her to start hiking.
We squeezed into the shelter with 6 other hikers. Two more stayed in tents. I guess college has let out for the summer. So much for the empty shelters during weeknights!
I climbed over Bake Oven Knob, and up the north side of the Lehigh Gap. The rocks were plentiful, but fun. I enjoyed my first vertical ascent of the thruhike. I decided to climb straight up the rocks instead of following the cushy painted path. I decided this after I found the cushy painted path 30 feet below me. It was fun, but did delay my arrival at the shelter.
I'm glad I lugged the 1.4 gallons of water up the rocks. I was thirsty at the top, and there were no springs until the shelter. I'll get more water tomorrow morning, but tonight we're enjoying the cycle of late night bathroom visits by the other hikers. The rain keeps pouring as they walk out of the shelter.
I can't wait to see my dog! She'll probably tear the chain out of the house when she sees me. I would love to have her with me, but it wouldn't work well. Besides, I don't want her getting hurt on the trail.
Rest, NHSC interview, and Mom-cooked meals break.
9:30 AM - I'm back on the trail again! It's nice to be back. My interview with the National Health Service Corps went well. Hopefully, I'll be able to attend medical school without going $300,000 in debt (including interest). They may offer me one of the scholarships in which they pay for all 4 years of school and I owe them 4 years of service, after finishing a family practice residency. All I have left to do is wait and study - and pay the (?) bills.
While I was home, I renewed auto registration, transferred my insurance to Missouri (at half the price), bought a 3-pound tent for $25, replaced my hip belt, shoulder straps, insoles, socks, and sleeping bag, visited my wolf, read my online journal guestbook, visited friends, ate 2 gallons of ice cream, and took a couple of long, hot baths.
My mom dropped me at the AT near Wind Gap, PA at 7:30 PM last night. It was raining, but I hiked about 3 miles toward Delaware Water Gap, PA. I stayed in the new $25 tent and am happy to find it is a roomy, dry, well-ventilated tent (for the money). The only problem is that it is still pouring down rain, I've had breakfast, and I cannot make myself leave the tent. Thus I am writing in my journal to procrastinate.
When I feel a bit more likely to leave the haven of this nylon bubble, the rain pours. Just now thunder has started and the sky is almost as dark as last night. I want to get my mail drop at Delaware Water Gap today, but this will be a tough race if I stay inside much longer.
I've read the CampMor and Sierra Trading Post catalogs this morning. All the tents weigh significantly more and cost 3 to 4 times as much. My single fleece blanket weighs much less than the bags in the catalogs.
I spoke too soon about my tent's waterproofness! There is nothing like a lack of seam-sealer to get one moving in a morning downpour. The seams are acting like gutters, funneling the water onto the waterproof polyurethane floor. Fortunately, it's just filling a corner, since I chose a slight hill on which to camp. My gear is packed, except for the tent. I think I'll actually use my rain hat today!
9:00 AM - I stayed at the Church of the Mountain hostel last night. After hiking 13 miles in the rain, I got my mail and stayed here. I stayed with 'Spaceman,' 'Old Crow,' 'Hopper,' Hodag,' and 'Thumper.' We stayed up late talking and eating. It's nice and sunny today so it's hard to imagine the rain from yesterday.
I took a couple of pictures of two newts (not the politician). One was bright red and the other was more of a hunter-orange color. I also photographed the Water Gap from up high. It looked nice with the clouds. I hope they turn out.
These guys are very laid-back, but they do 25-mile days. That's more like my hiking style, so I'll probably see them soon up the trail.
Tomorrow, I'll take down my tent, pack it for a rainy day, and walk 31 miles to the second shelter. I should hit High Point Shelter on 5/27. The plan is to hit my Bear Mountain, NY, mail drop by noon on Saturday, 5/29. That's only 110 miles in 3.5 days. I'll try for 40 miles today.
My Danner boots have a new problem. Apparently the Vibram soles fall apart quite easily. My right boot's sole is separating. The laminated layers are splitting apart. I'll call them when I get a chance. These boots are only 2 weeks old! Maybe WalMart sneakers aren't a bad idea to finish this hike. I could add a pair to each mail drop. Hmm.
8:00 AM - The room was rumbling with the gurgling snores of 20 thruhikers and a dog. A flood of people stayed the night at the Church of the Mountain Hostel. The rules say only thruhikers are welcome to stay, but several section hikers figures they were 'thru' with hiking and crashed for the night. I lay on my mat, in the middle of the room, unable to sleep. The thought of the next shelter, 24 miles north, was irritating me. I would never get any sleep.
At 3 AM, I got up, packed my stuff, filled my water bottles, mailed my journal, and started walking to New Jersey.
Crossing the Delaware River on the I-80 bridge was far from the anticipated experience. The river was dark and gloomy, hundreds of feet below the short railing on my right. The traffic, mostly 18-wheeler trucks, whizzed past on my left side, blowing gusts of wind around me as the bridge bounced up and down. I focused on my objective: not falling off the bucking walkway. On the other side of the bridge, New Jersey lay dormant. No sounds, colors, or smells could be detected.
I reached the visitors' center at 4:30 AM, just as the first signs of dawn came over the hills. After reading the list of restrictions, I was happy to learn that I was still permitted to walk on the AT. With camping, cooking, sitting, straying, or "making of annoying noise" being outlawed, I decided to walk, and walk, and walk. I took many photos, as this has been the most beautiful section of the trail.
Most of the day threatened rain, but the skies stayed clear enough to let me hike and take some beautiful photos.
I finished the day with a whole lot of ice cream and goodies, thanks to Jerry D. Beautiful views, lots of photos, high mileage, and a big dinner - all the signs of a perfect day. It feels good to be back on the trail again.
I have a wonderful entertainment this morning. Three graduating high school senior girls are making pancakes on a propane stove. Patty, the future chemist, is calculating how many tablespoons of water is equivalent to the 1.5 cups of water. Soren, the "Practical Voice of Reasoning," feels they should gradually test the consistency while mixing in the butter, milk, powdered eggs, and pancake mix. I remember having been in a boy Scout patrol having the same debate before we discovered that Hungry Jack mix has all the eggs, etc. premixed.
I suggested that for future use, but they are using a gluten-free mix. I received a lesson on gluten intolerance, a condition much worse than lactose-intolerance, I imagine. Gluten, found in corn flour, forms a strong glue when mixed with water. That's why white bread is so spongy. The problem is when this glue binds to the intestinal tract.
The question of the morning, "How are we flipping them?" just came up while the first few started to smolder. At this point I offered a package of Oreo cookies to them. I'm impressed at how determined thy are to cook these briquettes. I think one of Voice of Trail Reasoning's suggestion is becoming more popular. Nora seems to favor that option.
The pancakes are all flipped! Off the stove, over the edge of the cook area, and into the dirt. Fortunately, they were stuck to the pan that flipped them.
They let me take a photo of their 3-cook concoction. I was surprised to see they look like pancakes. Mine would look like scrambled eggs and hash browns, if I had to work this hard. I'm so glad I left my stove at home!
Jerry D. met me on the trail, 3 miles before the Mashipacong Shelter. We walked north to the shelter, arriving at 9 PM. The site was dark, but I had no trouble finding every drop of ice cream residue left at the bottom of Breyer's Neopolitan! He brought ice cream, FRESH STRAWBERRIES, Snickers Bars, Apples, fruit and grain cereal bars, and Oreo cookies. I really appreciate the present! Thank You, Jerry! I also enjoyed our conversation about the hike, med school, loan repayments, etc.
I feel great this morning! I slept well in my tent, in the shelter, and don't feel any new aches and pains! After yesterday's 38-mile hike! I walked 37.9 miles, 37.3 on the AT, 0.5 of shelter trails, and 0.1 in the town of Branchville, NJ. I took many photos of what must be the most beautiful section of the AT on my way here.
Since I woke up at 8 AM, I won't be able to hike 30+ miles today. That means I won't hit the post office before Saturday noon. Therefore, they will hold my food and mail until Tuesday morning. I forgot about Memorial Day Weekend.
I have 72 miles before the post office and about 40 hours of daylight (starting at 4:30 AM). I won't make it. I'll send a forwarding request and have them carry it to Massachusetts for me. That's what they get for being closed on Monday!
After eating so much last night and this morning, I'm ready to hike! It's still overcast, like most of the day yesterday. The wind is gusty as if it is early March. I expect I'll walk through Bear Mountain, NY on Sunday, dropping my mail forwarding request in their outside box. I hate racing!
I do want to break my personal record of 38 miles and hike a 50-mile day, with full pack. I think the 100-mile wilderness may offer the best opportunity for a 50-mile day.
I just saw the two again, when they stopped at this shelter this morning. They figured out who I was while I chatted with them the first time we met, but I didn't recognize their trail names. This was as surprising as The Red Head telling me about her conversation with Jim as she gave me a ride in Erwin, TN.
9 AM - I only hiked 18.5 miles yesterday but I enjoyed the leisurely pace. Jim read me questions for another scholarship application two nights ago, when Jerry D. let me borrow his cell phone. I plan to dictate my responses to Jim over the phone so he can type it before the approaching deadline. I hope all these loose ends for school pull together neatly before classes start.
The water source for this shelter, a pump and well located at Wallkill Road, has been disabled by the US Department of Water or somesuch. It has a sign posted stating that the "well is contaminated." Although this happened last year, the ATC still published it as a water source in the Databook, as did the ALDHA in the 1999 Companion.
3 PM - It's been hot and humid all day. My thermometer read 87øF, and the sky has been bright and hazy. I must be in New Jersey. Today will be a short day. I'm finishing my scholarship application while I eat lunch/dinner at a table outside of this market. The prices are twice those found in town, but day-old bread is 80 cents a loaf. That and a head of lettuce makes a nice treat with a couple bottles of "Jersey Fresh" water.
11 PM - The last two days have given me some of the strongest emotional swings of the trip. After writing my scholarship application responses, I was unable to reach my regular contacts by phone. My decision to mail them to my mom via the manager of the Heaven Hill Farm has left me stressed about all the possible broken links. I feel helpless as I rely on so many others, including total strangers, for such an important document. I should have paid the 50 cents per page to copy the responses, but I let my pride prevent me from submitting to the hiker piracy rates that they wanted to charge. What's done is done. I just hope the manager mailed the letter today, as promised.
'Spaceman,' a thruhiker with whom I stayed at the Delaware Water Gap 2 nights, invited me to stay with him and 'Old Crow' at a former coworker's house. I took him up on the offer as we left the NJ Rte. 94 roadside.
I left several minutes behind the other two hikers. The Waywayanda Mountain stood ominously laughing as I approached its rock-faced vertical ascent. It taunted me from above with sticks and shale. I drove my stubborn body into the tangle of roots, brush, rock, and dust. With every yard of progress, another, more difficult obstacle would hurl itself at me. I felt like an ant being tortured by a tabby-cat.
Suddenly it occurred to me: no trail maintenance team in NY would make a vertical ascent if an easier route existed. I could see no more blazes in any direction as I held onto the rocks next to my shoulder. My choices were obvious: go up or go down. Since the ATC Databook actually included this mountain as a datapoint, I figured the trail must hit the summit. Therefore, climb up and look for blazes. I forget if I saw snakes that day, but the fear has been so ingrained that I carefully checked each hand and foothold before moving an inch.
At the top, it occurred to me that this technical climb should have included rope, harness, and a partner. Nevertheless, I lived. I opened the first 2-liter bottle of water and finished it. A quick inspection of my Databook confirmed that my one hour of climbing advanced me one mile on the trail. The trail blazes continued to elude me.
After a half-hour search of the ridge, I discovered a blaze. I retraced the missed blazes until I could see where I went up instead of north along a rocky patch. Now I had to hurry to the Waywayanda Shelter, "on the AT," 4 miles away, with an hour of daylight. No problem.
I continued up the trail. Up, up, up, and up. It did go down, but only to make me go up again. The heavy rain from early this week added to the size of the swamps. They overflowed onto the trail, making the night a battle with evil-winged creatures of the blood-sucking variety. A mosquito headnet effectively blocked the facial attack, helped hold my facial sweat close, and practically blinded me in the near-dusk pine-covered swamps. I lifted the netting once to inhale a mosquito. Five minutes of gagging, followed by an hour of coughing successfully brought the insect back to my mouth, permitting a positive identification. I kept the mask over my face until the tent was pitched.
This morning I enjoyed a relaxed breakfast of raisin bread, lettuce sandwiches, and water. I highly recommend Heaven Hill's day-old bread rack. I lowered my bear bag, ate, broke camp, and packed. As I finished, Spaceman walked by. Apparently the ATC Databook incorrectly stated the shelter location. It is on a side trail near the AT, and I walked 2 miles past it before my stumbling ordered a halt in the night hike. I safely crossed 2 miles of swamp and rocks before reaching a high cliff that screamed, "STOP!" from the rocks below. Since rocks rarely talk to me, I took their advice and camped. Old Crow soon walked past and I followed, a half hour behind them.
Two miles into today's hike, I crossed the NJ-NY border. While signing the trail register a 4-foot-long Black Racer snake scooted across my foot. They move fast when they're warm! A half mile later I almost stepped on two more basking on Prospect Rock. This was only a foreshadowing for the day.
All of today's reptiles were active and irritated. I encountered a total of 3 garter snakes, 5 Black Racer/Rat snakes, One adult copperhead, one Bull Nose snake (I'll confirm this later), 3 toads, and 2 salamanders. I took photographs of most, including a great shot of the copperhead poised to strike me after it slithered across my path to a nearby tree root. The copperhead, toads, Bull Nose snake, one garter snake, and a Black Racer were all waiting for me on the last mountain of the day - Buchanan mountain.
The climb over Buchanan was a 75-degree incline in many spots. 85degF temperatures, humid air, bright sun, rocky terrain, and lack of wind all combined to make miserable hiking conditions, similar to doing step-aerobics in a sauna full of serpents and mosquitoes.
I saw my first black fly of the thruhike. After my 35-bite introduction to them in 1990, I never wish to see one again. Spaceman confirmed seeing several today. The only truly effective escape from these creatures is to sit in a sealed tent with a fly swatter. Part of me wants to quit and part of me wants to run as fast as I can to avoid the onslaught of the hatching vampires.
Tomorrow's forecast is 92degF. I'll probably hike 15 miles after we return to the trail from Spaceman's friend's house. Carrying a full gallon of water, taking an afternoon siesta, and soaking myself at every stream crossing should make it tolerable, but I wish I never listened to all the idiots who thought January was too early to start. I would have missed most of the snow, had fewer bugs, and enjoyed a trail with less crowds of people. I'll just deal with it and push on.
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