Thursday, July 29, 2004

July 29th--Black Rock Hut-- Calf Mountian Shelter (13 miles)

The last full day of hiking. It will be a long hike but rewarding. This trip has now become 95% mental and 5% physical as the days get more difficult. We sat and apologized for not being more encouraging to each other. That was a breakthrough after the misery of this days hike. The small hill that we expected turned into one gradual mountain that never descended. By midway we were ready to quit as we sat on a stonewall overlook and ate lunch. It's the last push and I never dreamed it would be harder.
We reached shelter with hopes of solitude but found two women and a dog. After a brief conversation as we rested we were amazed at how enlightening this women's life was. A 40 year old science teacher who traveled the world more than once. She taught in Japan, trekked n Nepal 3 times, lived in Africa and worked with the peace core. She found Trax her dog when she began hiking sections of the AT. She will take 4 summers to complete the entire trail. Summer's story was compelling and ignited the desire to explore the hope in this world. It was a enjoyable ending to our last night on the trail. Other peoples' stories enhance our trail journey and leave an impression on us, shaping our lives forever.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

July 21st- Day of Rest -Top of Mountian Overlook-- Elkwallow Picnic Area- 5 Miles

We rose early to take in the beautiful overlook. Elizabeth couldn't sleep and found herself up early reading and resting on the rocks as the sun rose. Grace slept in for once, because she thought a bear would attack her the night before and therefore didn't sleep well. We ate breakfast and hiked five miles to the wayside. We stopped at the cabin, but thought we could find a better place further along so we continued on the journey.

As we walked on the wayside everyone stared at us as if we were some unusual creatures. All the picnic tables were occupied so we had to wait in the grass for a while. We washed our pans and clothes in the sink, all the while receiving funny looks. People finally began to warm up to us and asked us what we were doing and where we were coming from. We made many phone calls and planned out our next 1/2 so we could make sure we stopped at almost all the waysides -- and the music at Big Meadows. It got us excited and we energized for the days to come...

-We met Goat who was very fond of Grace. He has almost completed the trail (He did a flip flop over 2 years) and he took a beer and left.
-No Snakes

We waited till the place was closed and everyone left, including the English teacher and engineer on their motorcycles. Once everyone left we were just finishing up dinner with no destination and and nowhere to sleep. Grace walked along the AT and Anne and Elizabeth explored the picnic area.

With no hope on the AT, we sat on the ground to ponder our mission:

Mission #1 Hang bear-bags in the perfect tree (note: in the middle of the trail)
Mission #2 Prepare for bed, stash bags behind log and wait till all the cars are gone.
Mission #3 When dusk falls, sneak up quietly to find a spot to sleep
Mission #4 Make it without being seen (this failed as we stayed behind a tree and were mistaken for bears. Later the couple confessed )
Mission #5 Set up and sleep and don't get eaten by a bear or have the park ranger find us in a non-camping area.

We woke up at 5:30, grabbed our stuff and ate breakfast by the bear-bags. Mission accomplished!
(Car's drove around late at night without their lights on, and a unidentifiable creature was heard by our sleeping area at night)

Flora and Fauna: raccoon

Thursday, July 15, 2004

July 14th Part 2:


Flora and Fauna: We saw a deer pooping in the woods just like a dog. We had to stop and watch.
1.We met Dave from Des Moines Iowa. He was a politician, state senator and now a thru- hiker a the age of 64. He's finding a peace and solitude int he woods that you can't find everywhere.
2. Anne and Elizabeth reflected today on where our thoughts come from and how we process ideas in the long hours of hiking.
3. Anne wondered "It will be a sad day when Alex Trebek retires from Jeopardy." That was about as random as when she thought we should all be the 7 dwarfs.
4. Phone calls from Logan, Mom, Melissa, and Shannon lifted our spirits.
5. Anne thinks of Elizabeth as an older sister, especially in the way she gets teased.
6. Maryland and West Virginia are behind us and we will begin the roller coaster tomorrow.
7. Bill a thru-hiker of 84 and a man of many talents believes it is more difficult to section hike the AT then thru-hike.

Thursday, July 8, 2004

July 8th-Day Of Rest

Changes for Next Week:

-No Bisquick unless we want fried pancakes
-Leave a tent (not necessary)

We spent the morning at Tumbling Run and miserably attempted pancakes. The final product was a few 1/2 cooked pancakes and some uncooked dough with peanut butter that doesn't really sit well in your stomach.
We discussed communication, God's "messing" with matter and energy when Jesus died and rose again, and the bad things we learned from our parents.
We spent a good hour or longer with Saffron, Buck Wild, and Puck Fin. Our conversation was light and fun and only covering the content of miles hiked per day.
We enjoyed solitude until a freaky man with stonewashed black jeans and knee pads came into our space.

Sunday, July 4, 2004

July 4, Mt Holly Spring-Pine Grove Furnance 10.6 miles

10.6 Miles and feeling every inch..

Important Logging Notes:

1. The cheese was forgotten in the fridge after being transported 4 times to 4 different refrigerations
2. We discovered moldy bagels - Perhaps bagels without preservatives are not good for a hike.
3. The record of rainfall in PA's history was surpassed 4 times over. (to be debated)
4. We sang songs and laughed at the absurdity of this mess..
5. We created a scale to gage Thru-Hikers trailing scent, formal named Thru-Hikers Body Odor.(THBO)

After what seemed to be 6 miles of silence. Anne responded with "I feel like I'm sucking ass" with a snicker and a long pause Shannon said " I had to pray about the rocks because they break down and give our bodies minerals"