Date: 2004-06-04
From: Little Irish Creek Campsite

To: Hog Camp Gap
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: moderate rain

Coke, Pepsi, Sausage, Rain, Cookies, Rain, Fog, More Coke, Burgers, Guitar¢¦sensory overload. Today had every marking of being one the nastiest days on the trail. The first 10 miles were almost all uphill, it was foggy and rainy, and I had night-hiked the day before. Somehow, though, today has been blessed since the moment I fell out of my tent after waking from a dream. ¢What were you dreaming?¢ one might ask. Well I don¢t remember most dreams, but I distinctly remembered dreaming of a shiny red coke can, one can, that was it, ¢¦and no I¢m not kidding. When I woke BearTracks up at 8:45 we both started the process of breaking camp after a night of rain. All was normal as I went to fill my water in the creek when I saw the shimmering of red. Transfixed, I walked toward the creek and reached toward the glow¢¦and what a reward I found. With my right hand I pulled out a creek-chilled can of coke that had been trapped beneath a rock for who knows how long. I nearly passed out in shock¢¦and then caffeinated myself with red goodness.I was wired from the unexpected source of caffeination as Beartracks was finally ready at 10 a.m. :-) . The first 4.7 miles were flat and the rain had let up. We passed a large reservoir and dam¢¦slowly BearTracks awoke. We talked about the fact that he is leaving the trail at Harper¢s Ferry :-( (money), along with 300 other things. The morning was pleasant and we passed Spiderwort, Columbine, and Phlox (so nice). It was noon as we entered a shelter¢¦4.7 miles down, 16.9 to go¢¦HA, HA, HA (Why do I set goals?) Our goal: Catch Boo-Boo! (who was supposed to be 16.9 miles ahead). The climb: Bald Mountain at 4,200 feet, some 2,900 feet in 4.5 miles. The first 2 miles were fairly mild and we covered them quickly before a 2nd blessing¢¦trail magic. We had reached U.S. 60 where we stopped to see Jaberwockie, Yippie, and Jabberwockie¢s dad emptying from a van. They had taken 4 days off but we remained on par due to our overabundance of zeros. It was nice to speak with them and they told us of the cooler awaiting as they hiked out. We followed 2 minutes later and soon came upon Pepsi (still not coke, but free :-)) and water¢¦AHH! The rain and our climb started after the beverages were fully consumed. Normal hikers see a big rainy climb and push on¢¦We decided to play ¢Ghetto Jeopardy¢ the game of urban sub-culture. The first mile flew by to questions such as: ¢This is an Easter candy and your best friends¢ & ¢This means really cool and could describe an angry insect.¢ (Peeps, Mad Fly). Jabberwockie, Yippy, and dad may have thought we were insane as we walked by ¢¦but, oh well. As we ascended we became a part of the cloud¢¦it grew wetter and colder. It seemed the top of the mountain would never come, but at 3 p.m. we made it¢¦BearTracks , however, was wearing down. After 1 mile the sign for a shelter was too alluring and BearTracks submitted to its charms. I pushed on through worsening rain alone and I prayed. After a mile I reached the top of Cold Mountain, a mount drenched in foggy mist with a mile-long field atop it. (Timeout Bald Mountain had no grass (called a ¢bald¢) but was rocky and cold. Cold Mountain was covered with a huge grassy area but not particularly colder¢¦WHAT? Maybe it¢s like that whole ICELAND/GREENLAND thing. (End timeout). Cold Mountain was the most billowing wetness since Big Bald in North Carolina. The combination of wind, fog, and rain left me drenched and cold: Oddly, I was having fun!I was flying as I hit Hog Camp Gap, 12.9 done and 8.7 to go¢¦or so I thought. Out of the foggy billows of Hog Camp Gap¢s pastures I heard a voice ¢BEATBOX STOP WALKING.¢ It was either a message from God or it was Booboo in the presence of food ¢ it was the latter :-), or maybe in a strange way it was both. At that point I entered a wet vortex of Trail Magic at Hog Camp Gap. ¢99 thru-hikers Bop, Arrowhead, along with friends had set up a tarped wonderland that could barely be dreamed of by most hikers. Already trapped were Bucket, Lyndsey, Achilles, Booboo, and Catdog. We met Kate and Amy (the wives) Chicken John, Argus, Shag, Shag¢s Dad, and others. As I looked at the worsening rain and the cloud we were in as well as my drenched pack and gear, I knew I was done. The whole group was 28-30 years old and awesome. I drank my second coke of the day & had 2 hotdogs, (dream fulfilled). They had more food than some small supermarkets. I had 2 hotdogs, 2 sausages, 3 (ish) cokes, carrots, hummus, cookies, and more. Three days ago I decided to not drink: I was good although about 8 types of beer, rum, and Irish whiskey were available. Who needs alcohol when there are massive caffeine and pork products? AHH! :-) . We all jammed on guitar and I beatboxed. We sang ¢Lean on Me¢ as one group and it rocked. The atmosphere was so relaxed, the fire huge, & the tarp dry. Shag lent me a fleece :-) and we all just sat and chilled. It was past midnight as I finally headed to my tent. This has to be the finest trail magic I have every seen¢¦some people talked about 29.8 miles tomorrow, HA! I¢m not doing 30 miles if I¢m awake now (1 a.m.). My day was awesome in the middle of the rainiest day so far. Sometimes the stopping is as much part of the experience as the walking. Goodnight, BEATBOX   ttt