Date: 2017-08-09
From: AMC Mohican Outdoor Center

To: Wolf Rocks
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Since I¢ve been on the trail I¢m not sure which I¢ve heard more from northbounders, ¢Pennsylvania¢ or ¢Rocksylvania¢. Like the Munchkins telling Dorothy, ¢Follow the Yellow Brick Road,¢ NOBOs have told us Pennsylvania is rocky. Very rocky.Today was a day of views. I don¢t think I¢ve had so many since I was above timberline, on Mt. Moosilauke, a good month ago. I actually lost count of the view spots today, but I¢ll bet there were 15 to 20. (I¢ll just leave the bare fact sit without comment that I could have that number of separate, good views on the PCT or CDT in an hour.)  But I loved the views we had today and lingered at many. Here are two of the views from today:  http://www.trailjournals.com/j... and  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...I think it finally happened. The great NOBO die-off is upon me. I saw only seven today, and spoke with almost every one. Here are Turbo Turtle and Cheese (which is the answer to the book title ¢Who Moved My Cheese? (Frodo: Not sure which is which.) http://www.trailjournals.com/j... With access to my bounce box at MOC, I restocked my supply of custom AT tattoos. I am tired of having to feel parsimonious. I want to be profligate. So when I came across a backpacking summer camp group today, 8 middle schoolers and 3 counselors, I didn¢t have to think, ¢If I give out 11 I won¢t have any for tomorrow.¢ They were so earnest and eager, I asked them, ¢Would you sing me a camp song?¢ They debated and first came up with sad ones, including ¢Dona, Dona,¢ which is real sad, about a calf bound for market for sale and slaughter. Of course the CIT girls at our camp changed the chorus to ¢Donuts, donuts, donuts, chocolate covered, jelly and plain¢¦¢ I led the 11 in a repeat-after-me silly camp song, and then I gave their counselor the 11 temporary AT tattoos. It seems Journey¢s End Farm Camp was founded during World War II for European refugees. Here¢s the group and me: http://www.trailjournals.com/j...Ten miles along I entered my 8th state. It was on a bridge with semis whipping by a few feet away from me.I am now 10 miles into the Quaker state, in a Pennsylvania state of mind. The trail is more rocky, but not all the time, and I can still move at a decent clip. The border was at Delaware Water Gap. Why ¢Delaware¢ is attached to a feature dividing New Jersey and Pennsylvania, I don¢t know. (Frodo: Umm.. well, maybe it¢s because you just walked over the upper part of the Delaware River, that flows down to Delaware and empties into the Atlantic?  Sometimes, Scout, you really set me up to be snarky!) Right after we entered PA we had our first stiff 1000-foot climb in a week. The last one was on the day with the zoo.Finally, another funny ¢fess up. My bounce box has a baggie of tiny toothpaste tubes for me to swap out when my trail one runs out. Frodo had found a couple left in the hiker box at our house, after our hiker hosting season and added them. One was in German. I put a dollop on my toothbrush at the MOC. What is this, axle grease? I tried to spit it out of my mouth. Turns out it was denture adhesive. (Frodo: Oh, no.  Oops.  I was the one who assumed it was toothpaste.  I mean, it had ¢dent¢ in the name, what else could it be? Now I know. Sorry, Scout!) And on that note¢¦.