Date: 2004-06-12
From: Port Clinton, PA

To: Port Clinton
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Started at: Port ClintonEnded at: Port ClintonMiles: 0(I have a couple of bear stories that I"ll save until the end...so just hold on!)On the trail by noon we promised ourselves...yeah right. Somehow in the face of 250 deluxe cheeseburgers, cookies, cakes, pies, chips, milk fresh from the cow... we crumbled. We zeroed, and it was good!!Everyone was having so much fun playing frisbee, enjoying the first sunny day in ages, and basking in the afterglow of massive quantities of ground beef consumed. We were in good company. No Dog, No Beard, Satori, Ramblin Man, Midas, Nails, Flash, Bear Bag Hanger, Brief Hiatus, Poobah, DaveandMiranda, Giggles, 30-30, Seeker... and probably a few others I can't quite recall.Thanks again to the P.A. Dutchmen for the cookout!!! You guys are great!! These four guys hiked the trail in 2000 and have done a free hiker feast every year since. The food was spectacular: burgers, 20 gal of ice cream, cookies, etc. We played an English game like horse shoes called quoites (pronounced kwates), I think. Good fun! We decided to make the most of the day and saw our first movie in 3 and a half months: Shrek 2. Haven't laughed that much in a long time. You gotta love the pussycat.Ok, ready for the bear stories? About 4 days ago thruhiker Lucky Star was camping just a bit south of where we are right now. She was stealth camping before Eagle's Nest shelter somewhere. She appearently heard some sniffing around her bivy sack (which is a super small tent/sleeping bag) and then a second later found herself being dragged out of her bivy sack a good 20 feet or so by a black bear. It let her go and walked off eventually and did not maul her at all. Must have scared her to death though. I was told that she had not hung her food bag for the night, so it was in her bivy sack with her!! Ooops. Not a good idea.I have another if you are interested. Get this. Just a day after we stayed at Eagles Nest Shelter a section hiker named Flatbread ran into a black bear. She was coming up the blue-blaze trail to the shelter and saw the bear eating what looked like half of a birthday cake sitting in front of the shelter. Someone actually left food at a shelter!! Anyway, the bear noticed her and began to sniff the air. She was about fifty feet away, but that was close enough. Flatbread new that this was probably the same nuisance bear that dragged Lucky Star so she was nervous. She knew she had to try to intimidate the bear so she shouted out NO BEAR!!! and banged her hiking poles together. The bear did not back down, but instead started to approach her. Flatbread turned to move back away from the bear, but tripped on something and strained her already injured left knee in the process. She got up and started walking away (maybe not the best idea...you are supposed to stand your ground) at this point. The bear "stalked" her for a tenth of a mile down the trail before disappearing. But don't worry Moms and Dads. Travelling in a pair like we are, bears are extrememly unlikely to even stick around when they see us. And we ALWAYS hang our food bag. Safety first! Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net