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| Longshanks and Bean |
We
all knew it was going to be tough getting up and out with our full
packs, knowing we wouldn’t be coming back to Big Meadows. But I was
looking forward to a full day of hiking (and burning off some of that
restaurant food).
Dave called his friend Kathy, who is going to pick up five of us in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. She's renting a van in order to transport all of us and our packs. Should be fun!
Left at 11, which is not my ideal time – but at least it wasn’t really hot and sunny. Oh, at the lodge, before we left there was a couple outside who started asking questions. "What are those things around your ankles?" "Do your clothes get wet?" "Aren’t you cold?" Then the man said, “What do you do, one or two miles a day?” When Bean said 18-22, they almost died. The woman kept saying, “Oh, my God,” “Oh, my God.”
Then they mentioned Greensinger, who they knew started in Georgia. We said we did, too. “Oh, my God. I wish I had my camera,” the woman said. I should have taken a picture of them. I had to look away because I was laughing so hard and didn’t want to seem rude.
“How do they even know where they’re going?” the woman asked, as we were headed for the path that led to the campground.
The walk was pretty easy, though rocky at points. Tough to get back in the swing of things. My pack was feeling pretty good, though. I dumped a bunch of stuff at the lodge (pot and lid, bandana, shampoo, film canister, book, two sections of my Z-rest). It seemed to make a pretty big difference. Plus I’m not carrying very much food.
Hopefully when I get Dave’s sleeping bag I’ll be able to lighten his load. Took a lunch break, then walked on to Mary’s Rock, which is supposedly 1 billion years old. Not much of a view with the fog. Only a couple more miles to the shelter, or the hut, as they’re called in the Shenandoahs.
Oh, we saw a bear! It wasn’t very close, but it was definitely a bear. Bean ran up to get some photos, but I must admit I was a little nervous. She headed towards the road and was soon out of sight.
Got to the hut before 7:30. Only Illinois Coy was here. Assface and Thumper showed up later. None of us have seen many hikers around. A lot of people have dropped out, they said. Wonder who.
Dave called his friend Kathy, who is going to pick up five of us in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. She's renting a van in order to transport all of us and our packs. Should be fun!
Left at 11, which is not my ideal time – but at least it wasn’t really hot and sunny. Oh, at the lodge, before we left there was a couple outside who started asking questions. "What are those things around your ankles?" "Do your clothes get wet?" "Aren’t you cold?" Then the man said, “What do you do, one or two miles a day?” When Bean said 18-22, they almost died. The woman kept saying, “Oh, my God,” “Oh, my God.”
Then they mentioned Greensinger, who they knew started in Georgia. We said we did, too. “Oh, my God. I wish I had my camera,” the woman said. I should have taken a picture of them. I had to look away because I was laughing so hard and didn’t want to seem rude.
“How do they even know where they’re going?” the woman asked, as we were headed for the path that led to the campground.
The walk was pretty easy, though rocky at points. Tough to get back in the swing of things. My pack was feeling pretty good, though. I dumped a bunch of stuff at the lodge (pot and lid, bandana, shampoo, film canister, book, two sections of my Z-rest). It seemed to make a pretty big difference. Plus I’m not carrying very much food.
Hopefully when I get Dave’s sleeping bag I’ll be able to lighten his load. Took a lunch break, then walked on to Mary’s Rock, which is supposedly 1 billion years old. Not much of a view with the fog. Only a couple more miles to the shelter, or the hut, as they’re called in the Shenandoahs.
Oh, we saw a bear! It wasn’t very close, but it was definitely a bear. Bean ran up to get some photos, but I must admit I was a little nervous. She headed towards the road and was soon out of sight.
Got to the hut before 7:30. Only Illinois Coy was here. Assface and Thumper showed up later. None of us have seen many hikers around. A lot of people have dropped out, they said. Wonder who.
Whaddaya do, one, two miles a day?
ReplyDeleteYeah - and we expect to get to Maine in three to six years. :)
Shanks might have liked it that way :)