Date: 2011-05-18
To: Tyvek, Catfish and River 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Tyvek, Catfish and River So I've filled you in on how I met Catfish. His constant hiking partner is Tyvek, whom I've also introduced to you. I met Tyvek because I was absolutely, uncontrollably compelled to go up and introduce myself to the man whose tent had the Tyvek logo emblazoned all over it. I mean, how often do you see something like that? And he turned out to be an absolutely delightful young man. Tyvek is about 26 and he's always smiling. He's got such a creative mind. He's always looking for ways to improve the gear he's already made, and making plans for more. You know, his Tyvek tent is pretty amazing. It's not just a sheet of Tyvek that he threw together to fashion a shelter. His tent is well thought-out and engineered. He told me he likes to melt metal and fashion objects (what is the term for that?), and he hopes to fashion his own fork and spoon while out here on the trail. He carved the Appalachian Trail (AT) symbol into a downed log and somehow melted some copper and poured it into it as his cast. Who does that sort of thing on a wilderness trail? One night I camped in a clearing somewhat near a shelter. Camped there were a lot of the folks I'd been seeing for a couple of weeks. (You hike for hours each day, and you might encounter one or two other hikers as you actually walk, but you'll tend to see the others several times a day at water sources, logical places to take a rest, the occasional shelter for meal prep or sleep, etc.) Anyway, on this night I made my tent and retired early but was in earshot of the campfire that Catfish had built (everybody helps), and heard Catfish and Tyvek going on and on and on about their "discovery." They had been collecting sticky, evaporated pine sap and had tested it to find that it is a great substance for starting a fire. Their enthusiasm was so funny. It was as if they'd discovered the wheel! (Sorry guys, but you were so cute!)This area of the mountains is known for a root vegetable that sounds something like "rakes," a member of the onion family, but I have been unable to find any info on rakes. Perhaps that is not exactly the right term; somebody help me out here. At any rate, I have encountered several locals out here harvesting these root vegetables. Catfish and Tyvek decided to harvest some too. Now, the funny thing about this story is the fact that Catfish and Tyvek had been documenting their adventures using the video feature of Catfish's camera. On this particular occasion, Catfish apparently turned to the camera and said, "I'm one-hundred and ten percent sure that these are leeks." The two then proceeded to film themselves harvesting these "leeks/rakes," chopping them, sauteing them, and all the while making some sort of exclamations about how good they were going to be when added to their dinners. It was a fabulous Into the Wild sort of documentary. Unfortunately, there was no one there to film them when, a couple of hours later, they experienced "projectile vomiting" (their words) for hours afterward. It's funny, now that we all know that they're okay, but what a night. Poor boys! This is trail legend for the AT Class of 2011 by now.River is the third member of Tyvek, Catfish's and River's trio. Catfish and Tyvek are constant companions, and they travel with River. River seems sort of like a father figure to these boys, to me. He's always cheering them on, and the three of them make a great team. River is the kindest gentleman you can imagine, and he's quick with a joke or a word of encouragement. I know that River left the trail to have a cruise with his wife. I don't know whether he'll be back (I hope so), but I know that Catfish and Tyvek are several days ahead of me. I fear I may have lost them, because I'll have to leave the trail myself soon to spend a couple of days with my family (my son Jeremy and my niece Austin are graduating high school, and it's my 24th wedding anniversary), and since they're already ahead anyway, I may have lost these trail brothers. If so, I wish you guys all the best. You were a blast and I loved spending time with you (even though I could practically be your mom), and I wish you happy trails. Please leave me your contact info. I might like to have an AT Class of 2011 reunion.