Date: 2008-05-16
From: Rausch Gap Shelter PA

To: 501 Shelter PA
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: moderate rain

Day 89 ¢ Friday May 16 ¢ 501 Shelter PA ¢ Miles Today: 17.4 Total Miles: 1181.6Today's terrain was extremely flat. That¢s the good news. The bad news is that it rained all day and was bone chilly cold! It was barely 50 degrees, if that. It was too chilly to take breaks and too wet to take pee breaks.   We were drenched - our rain pants no longer keep us dry.   By the end of the day it felt like we were wearing wet diapers. We had a bit of the infamous Pennsylvania rocks today, but 95% of the trail was clear and we sailed up the trail making great time. I think we set an all time record of leaving a little bit after 6:00, hiking 17.4 miles and arriving to the road to secure our hitch at 2:30! 17.4 miles by 2:30! That's what happens when you¢re cold, wet, hiking in diapers and have Conneaut Lake in each of your shoes. This was by far the most uncomfortable day so far on the trail.We had 2 creek crossings that were ever so slightly wet crossings but we managed to get across in our hiking shoes. On one creek, we spent some time searching for a better area to cross, which we eventually found upstream. Then, the unexpected happened ¢ when Brakeman was one step away from getting all the way across, his hiking pole became stuck on the creek floor and he could not get it loose. Drats. So in the pouring down rain, in the middle of the creek, he knelt down on some rocks, pushed his rain jacket sleeve up to his elbow, reached down to the creek floor and moved logs and rocks until his hiking pole was released.   Not what he needed to be doing in the middle of a stream in the pouring down rain when it was already freezing cold. How unusual! Always have to have some sort of excitement out here in the woods!Later in the morning, we passed a couple section hiking southbound. It was difficult to pass each other, as we had to find a spot off the trail that was not full of poison ivy, where we could step to the side. Luckily the south bounders backtracked until they found a safe spot to step off the trail. We passed on the news about the upcoming creek crossing and how to find the better place to cross upstream.To say that poison ivy is everywhere would be an understatement! It grows along side of the trail as well as in the middle of the trail.   It grows between, around and over the rocks on the trail. Just look at any spot around you and there is poison ivy. So far, we haven¢t had any allergic reactions to it. We try very hard to avoid it. We try not to touch the end of our sticks and we try to stay on the trail and away from any poison ivy that is growing in the trail. These Pennsylvania rocks are already challenging enough and then to have poison ivy all around them as we boulder hop makes it even more of a challenge!While crossing a rocky section of the trail today, Brakeman¢s foot got stuck. He called out, ¢My foot is stuck!¢ Grasshopper giggled and kept on going, as it¢s normal for a foot to get wedged between the Pennsylvania rocks.   You just pull it out backwards and keep on moving. Well, apparently, it was not such a simple case, this time. Brakeman ended up having to move some rocks to get his foot unstuck! Grasshopper was a good 20 yards or so up the trail before she realized that Brakeman was no longer hiking behind her. Oops, guess he really did mean that his foot was stuck! So the next week or so, we're going to have to watch these rocks and make sure we come out of Pennsylvania with our feet, toes and ankles all still attached.Today we had the challenge of scoring a hitch into Pine Grove Pennsylvania, which was 3.7 miles down the road, for a resupply. We were afraid that nobody would pick us up because it was drizzling and we were soaked. Where the trail intersects the road, there was a parking area. A SUV had just pulled in when we arrived. Our minds thought, ¢Yeah, perhaps this is our hitch. Oh no, wait; he¢s taking a leak. Guess we should not ask him quite yet.¢ We waited until he finished his nature call and then approached him to ask him for a lift to town. Our hearts fell when he responded, ¢No, no, I can¢t do that.¢   We walked to the edge of the road and stood, with our thumbs out and the best smiles we could muster on our faces. Thirty seconds later, the man having rethought his answer hollered over, ¢C¢mon guys, I¢ll take you to town.¢   YES! He was just passing through the area on his way to his mom¢s in Lancaster for a barbeque weekend. So we scored a ride into town, but not being familiar with Pine Grove, our Trail Angel could not find a grocery store. We had him drop us off at a small convenience store hoping that we could resupply there. We took a peek in the window and realized that doing a 4-day resupply at this store was going to be a challenge. A lady headed out of the store and we inquired as to the location of the nearest grocery store. When she responded that it was a mile or a mile and a half, our hearts fell again. Not being bashful, we immediately said that we've already walked 17 miles and wondered if perhaps she could give us a lift. After clearing out the back seat full of bags of clothes on their way to charity, our second Trail Angel of the hour not only gave us a lift to the grocery store, but also waited while we shopped and then drove us back to the trail!   We were so excited with the kindness that we actually ran through the parking lot to get our shopping started. We did not want to hold up our sweet Trail Angel longer than necessary! Her house was on the way back to the trail but we went about 3 miles past her house to get dropped off. We almost scored a night in her camper trailer out of the rain! She said she would have let us sleep in her camper but several dogs that she rescued currently occupy it. We decided to take advantage of the trashcan in the trailhead parking lot before heading on the short distance to the 501 Shelter. Because we rushed our grocery store trip, we did not do our normal repacking of all the food into our baggies. We were wet, cold and shaking, so once we got the glass containers and cardboard thrown in the trash, we headed up the trail, getting a bit confused with all the side trails. Upon finding the shelter, we decided it was too good to pass up! It actually had 4 walls and a roof! Gosh, this is like a Hilton to us! The 501 Shelter is a huge shelter with a big hexagon skylight, which is probably 10' in diameter, 6 sets of bunks, a 10¢ long picnic table, a fire pit outside, and a real pit toilet - one of the blue rooms. It's the second time on our entire trip that we have voluntarily decided to stay in a shelter. The first time was just inside North Carolina because of the strong, 70 mph winds. We were bone chilled cold and the shelter was too sweet to turn down. The only thing missing was a Franklin stove. We could actually see our breath although the thermometer was reading 50 degrees. It was chilly. It's now about 5:30 and we're cooking up a Backpacker's Pantry Louisiana red beans and rice dinner that we scored yesterday from some casual hikers. When we stopped to talk to them, we mentioned that we were headed to town tomorrow for food resupply. The next thing we know the one guy is hauling food out of his pack, holding it up to us and asking, "Here, do you want some of this?" He had packed too much food and was tired of carrying it! First he offered us Oodles of Noodles but we said that we didn't eat them. Then he offered us a Backpacker's Pantry dinner ¢ an expensive item of $4! Score! Then he offered 2 envelopes of flavored oatmeal. Score! And then finally he offered us some dehydrated fruit but since it was home bagged, not store bagged, we passed. We try not to eat anything that could be contaminated by others, as we really don't need the flu or a stomach bug. Nice guy. We lightened his pack a bit for him.We¢re hearing that tomorrow the Pennsylvania rocks are to start. We laid out our schedule so that the next 4 days have slightly lower miles - between nearly 15 to over 17 miles. We're trying to make sure we get through these Pennsylvania rocks safely with our ankles, toes, heels and feet all still attached. At 6:30, we found Chris, or more accurately, Chris found us! He arrived at the shelter, cold and wet, dropped his stuff just inside the door and exclaimed, "Man, now I know what it feels like to be old! I know what you guys feel like everyday when you hike." His 28-mile day in the cold rain had finally pushed him past his comfort zone and into the pain zone that most of us older folks feel to a certain degree each day. He always has a great sense of humor. We laughed. He was drenched and cold. He was hiking in just his shorts and rain jacket. I don't think his rain jacket keeps him dry either but he averaged 2.8 mph for the entire day including his breaks, so he was hiking fast enough to keep somewhat warm. He told us about his break huddled under a bridge. He cooked soup for lunch and for warmth. After the soup lunch, he burned his trash for more warmth, holding his hands over the flame and saying to himself, "I think I'm one step below a bum now." A very good point. At times, there is not much of a difference between a long distant hiker and a bum.   So very funny, I never thought about how close to homeless people we have become and the conditions they have to endure.After getting warm and into dry clothes, Chris shared with us his latest adventures. Yesterday a bee stung him on his ankle and his ankle swelled. Since he's slightly allergic to certain bees and wasps, he took some Benadryl and rested for a little bit. Apparently he took a little too much Benadryl, as he just couldn't get going again, so he pitched his tent by a creek, and slept off the drugs. After sleeping he tried to catch some trout with his new fishing line attached to his crooked $15 Wal-Mart hiking pole. No luck. Well, no luck on his own fishing attempt. Two hikers also at the creek, who happened to be the same hikers who gave us the Backpackers Pantry dinner yesterday, caught a trout and gave it to him! So he had a great short day, napping, fishing and eating somebody else's trout. Remember that stream that we crossed today by hiking 20 yards upstream to find a shallower place to cross?   Well, the southbound hikers, that we had shared the information with as to the best place to cross it, also shared the info with Chris when they passed each other. They told Chris, "There's a stream ahead and it¢s impassable." Well, that was all Chris needed to hear. The first thing that went through his mind was, "Yea, right, watch me." The challenge supercharged him to get to the so-called impassable stream and go across it. Right across the little falls he went to the other side of the stream. He said it was mid thigh deep but since his shoes, socks and shorts were already wet, he had nothing to lose in getting more wet. Not sure if we mentioned this the other day, but Chris would like to sail around the world as his next great adventure. He's never sailed before so he has to learn how; he doesn't have a sailboat so will have to buy one; and he doesn't know anything about navigation so will have to learn all about that, too. But he has a great sense of adventure and a free spirit and who knows, if there is a person who can figure out how to get it done, it's him. His parents are not amused.We did not learn much news from Chris on the injured hiker other than it appears that he continued on! Hopefully he does not have a stress fracture and is feeling 100% soon.The ranger who upkeeps this fine shelter stopped in to meet us. Very nice young guy. We learned that being a ranger in charge of maintaining an AT shelter has quite a few challenges, being two separate bureaucracies. He said it took nearly two years to have a broken window fixed. Gotta love it.The biggest news for today is that the number of miles remaining is now in the 3 digits! Woo Hoo! Yep, just 994.6 miles to go. Good night!