Date: 2009-07-17
From: PA 94 (Mt. Holly Springs)

To: PA 174 - Boiling Springs
Miles today: 8.8

In the early morning, Guernsey and I woke up, turned on Good Morning America and just got a bit frustrated with the ¢un-reality¢ of news in today¢s world. The newscaster would go back and forth between a huge bombing that took place in Indonesia and cheeseburgers. It just didn¢t seem as if you could equate the two, but I guess the question that should be raised is: ¢What else are they going to talk about?¢ News has to sell and maybe this is what they were trying to do¢¦Anyway, being young at heart, we decided to switch over and watch some cartoons. John and Alan were well on their way and, since Guernsey and I had a few brews last night, we decided that it would be too much for us to push on north and have my cousins pick us up. Instead, we would just pack up our things and prepare for the 9-mile slack pack day. We headed up to the reception, where John and Alan came out of the door, smiling ear to ear. I was too. It had been since Christmas since I last seen them, so it was a great reunion. We loaded our belongings into the car and headed off to the grocery store to pick up some energy bars. John had planned on calling a taxi to take us out to PA 94 so that we could walk back into Boiling Springs, but it was going to be a good 20 minutes before it arrived. When we popped into the ATC office, I saw that most of my friends had just arrived that morning. I asked Phoenix Rising if she would be willing to drop us off down the trail and she immediately said, ¢Of course!¢ It was great, as it made our plans much easier. I introduced my cousins to the crew and then we hopped in the car and made our way out past Mt. Holly Springs. Fortunately, John was in the car and had some idea of direction, as I was a bit lost with my own whereabouts relative to where we were going. Phoenix dropped us off and we scampered off into the forest. Since we arrived late - maybe about 10:45 am, we had to make some good time as there was still a long drive back to Lancaster and they had to get to the wedding rehearsal dinner for their sister Laura, who was due to get married the next day. We headed through the woods and I tried to tell them some stories about the trail, while they would ask many questions trying to get a good sense as to culture and the way in which we live while out on the trail. Both John and Alan have been great supporters of me doing the Appalachian Trail, rooting me on at every opportunity. It¢s great to have this support and I¢m very thankful that they are my cousins. We hit a few tough climbs - especially the first one. Talking while heading up a steep climb is rather difficult, so at times, I told them that I would tell them at the top. While walking, Alan also told me about his new job - working for the Pennsylvania Housing Authority. John is in his last year at the University of Michigan, hoping to write his PhD thesis while do research while teach this coming fall. He was recently published in Science Journal for a new pliable TV screen nano-technology discovery thing. It's obviously a bit more complex than this, but what I'm trying to express is that he is doing very well in his field of study. Talk about a driven young man¢¦At one point, I was talking to John and I heard this thing moving off to the trail. I stopped and listened and ran on over in the woods and the animal turned out to be a box turtle. It¢s great to see wildlife while we were out there, as we¢re able to appreciate and to celebrate the ¢life¢ that exists all around us. A little while later, I was leading in front and we heard this rattle just 10 feet in front of us. It shook us up a bit, but we focused our eyes trying to see where what we presumed to be a rattlesnake was. Then, we saw it slithering its way up towards us and then across the trail. It was a good 3 12 to 4 feet in length, thick like a baseball bat. This one was a bit different than the giant one that I saw up on Pond Flats in Tennessee, as it¢s head was much smaller. I suppose that the body was so large because it had just eaten a small animal - most likely a small bunny rabbit. We watched in awe as it slithered all the way down the embankment. John and I jumped down, trying to get a few good photos of it. Just as John was snapping photos, he saw a huge beehive directly beneath his feet. It was just great to be out there - and in nature. We then made it to Alec Kennedy Shelter, where I showed them the trail register and explained how it is very important for thru-hikers out on the trail, as it is the best form of communication and everyone can see everyone¢s location, morale, thoughts, etc. We had to make up trail names for John and Alan, but decided on Mad Scientist for John as a result of his PhD research and Cheesesteak for Alan being a city of Philadelphia resident and an avid lover of cheesesteaks. We finally descended down the mountain and into the cornfields. John was making a few videos at the time and I was third in line, just casually walking behind Alan and Guernsey. Out of the corner of my eye, I just saw this small thing lunge at my leg, John capturing it all on camera. It turned out to be a small snake - I think just a small garter snake - but it really had went for my leg. I took the small stick that I was carrying and put it right in front of the snake and it just continued to lunge at and bite the stick - maybe about four times. Understanding that we were larger creatures, it slithered away. Thankfully, it was just a small one. We made it back to Boiling Springs in a light drizzle of rain, but with a very fulfilling day. John and Alan were able to experience life out on the trail - in all of its glory: sun, humidity, heat, clouds, rain, tough climbs, fields, turtle, rattlesnake, small snake, cornfields, raspberries, shelter, and two fortunate thru-hikers. It was a great memory and I will carry it with me forever. Phoenix was back at the ATC and we said goodbye to everyone, hopped into the car and were off. I said my goodbyes to Guernsey, as he will most likely be pushing on (he has to make it to Katahdin by September 21). We got along just so well, but I do hope that I¢ll be able to make my way over to the UK or the mainland of Europe within the next little while. On the way back home, John and Alan commented on how badly I stank or how badly my clothes stank. I was surprised to hear it because I just couldn¢t smell myself. John had even called his girlfriend, Katie, to warn her that some ¢Steve residue¢ may still be on them when they arrive at her house. All in all, it was a great visit from the Hensslers.