Date: 2015-06-23
From: Kempton, PA

To: Kempton, PA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 8:00am to a beautiful smell making its way downtairs from the kitchen above. We all hobbled up to a spread of fresh, local fruits (blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and watermelon), cherry-fired bacon, 3-egg omelets smothered in cheese, and freshly-squeezed OJ. I wouldn't be surprised if a healthy portion of butter found its way into the making of the meal either. Matt would leave immediately following breakfast in order to return to NYC. He plans to try and return to the trail in a couple of weeks so hopefully I'll see him again if still in the neighborhood of Burnsides come then.With food babies on board, we eventually made our way out into one of Jonathan's woodshops, a 4-story barn converted into work and living space, a simple ~100ft walk from the house. We spent the next ~2 hours watching Jonathan work his craft creating not only wooden spoons, but a large variety of other cutlery items as well. He even designed us a handful of spoons with an AT logo in the handle. Afterwards he designed ~2" AT cutouts with our trail names etched in each. Super cool and super nice of him to take the time to do it for us. They'll definitely be added to my future AT-related collection.Next we hit the road in another white-knuckle ride to his other woodshop where the majority of his employees work. He gave us a tour, showed us the process, and even created a wooden spatula for Moosehead and I in under ~15 minutes. I will be sending it home along with the spoons, but look forwards to enjoying them in the future. We returned to their home to pick up Julia before heading in the direction of Port Clinton and Hamburg. We stopped by the post office where I finally got my new boots. Jonathan offered to ship my old bolts, as well as some other belongings, home via his business which was very nice indeed. I later packed up my blown-out 1,232.3-mile boots, thanking them for their service, before sending them out to pasture for the last time. Once again, well done, Keen.We next drove to Hamburg to grab lunch at Five Guys. We all enjoyed burgers, fries, and soda which we were treated to by Jonathan and Julia. We then quickly ran into Walmart next door and grabbed the supplies we'd need over the next several days as we make our way towards New Jersey. Before returning to their home, we drove up to Hawk Mountain and enjoyed the view overlooking a valley below and the ridge we'll be hiking along starting tomorrow, lightning dancing across the sky as storms rolled along nearby. When light rain began falling, we retreated to the van and returned to their home for the evening. Jonathan would leave a couple hours later to take Julia to the airport so she could travel to Dallas, TX for a show. Before they left us in their home for the evening, Julia prepared another dinner for us including chicken, homemade coleslaw, and mashed potatoes. I couldn't thank them enough, but I did my best and hope they could tell how appreciative I was of having the opportunity to meet them.This evening was spent simply relaxing, preparing my gear for my return to the trail, and watching a little TV. With a 2-liter of Cola in my stomach and it approaching 12:00am, it's time to wrap this entry up and try to grab some sleep. Moosehead has already retired to his hammock on the porch and Burnsides is chatting with his girlfriend. We plan to hit the trail by 9:00am and get back to heading north. Only ~3 more days until New Jersey. Hopefully the transition to my new boots is a smooth one.Here's to a full stomach, sleeping with AC, and the kindness of Jonathan and Julia.