Date: 2006-08-18
From: Delaware Water Gap, Pa.

To: Warwick, N.Y.
Miles today: 0.0

The Camel and Little Billy Goat Gruff passed the 900-mile mark sometime day, having survived six states, bear and rattlesnake encounters, rocky paths in Pennsylvania, 90-plus degree heat, an angry gardener and so far 77 days away from home.The hikers check in from Warwick, N.Y., on Friday. They were staying at the Warwick Hotel, 58 miles from New York City and 38 miles from their final destination of Bear Mountain.They hadn't planned on staying at Warwick, but decided to get off the trail for a night, because, as Mary said, "I couldn't stand being dirty any longer." They got a ride to the hotel from Gordon, a former thru-hiker who takes care of one of the shelters near by.They plan to hike 11 miles Saturday, 10 on Sunday, 13 on Monday and five on Tuesday. Then they will be done.Warwick is near the New York-New Jersey state line. Hiking in New Jersey for the past week was a breeze compared to the previous state, Pennsylvania."New Jersey is our favorite state so far," Mary said. "Compared to Pennsylvania, it's wonderful. There's not a lot of rocks. It's just a nice trail."Now for the best stories of the past week, as told by Jeff:"Coming out of Delaware Water Gap, we traveled 10 miles to the Mohican Outdoor Center, a campground with a lake and cabins. Thru-hikers get free camping. We paid four dollars, two each for a shower and towel. We're sitting out front talking with Mac, who we met earlier, who's doing a section hike"There's a little garden out back, this vegetable garden, a few tomatoes, with a fence around it. I say, 'Mary go ask if I can have a tomato.' She goes ask Mike, who has a cast on his leg. He says, 'The guy who does the garden isn't here. I don't think I can give you one.' After we're heading back to the camp site. I think I'm just going to take one. I grab a tomato, and we head back to the campsite and we're getting ready to eat dinner."Two minutes after I get to the campsite, I see this guy running to me, a litte skinny guy, probably 24. He said, 'Did you take my tomato? Then I say in an apologetic tone, 'Yes, I'm sorry.' He said, 'You took my tomato? You stole my tomato? You're a thief!' If he had a posse with me, I probably would have been strung up from the nearby limb and hanged.'i give him my tomato and he say, 'You'll be out of there first thing in the morning. He was mad. He was psycho. Then he comes back a few minutes later, and he says, 'You're out tonight. Pack it up and get the hell out of here.' Poor old Mary and i packed everythring up and headed out of dodge. We hiked another mile and a half down the AT. Hiked and camped in some blueberry bushes. This guy was scary. It wasn't even a good quality tomato."Then the insect story:"The second story happend last night (Thursday) at Pochuck Mountain Shelter. We had hiked 17 miles and we went to bed about 7 or 8. Sometime during the night -- we sometimes get bugs in the tent -- anyway I feel this crawling thing on my left arm. I go and feel it, and it's this big round thing. Oh my god. I say Mary turn the light on. What the heck was there. We're looking around, and there's under the sleeping bag this big millipede, about three inches long. They look like big turds. Nasty. But I had killed it. We threw it ou the front tent."