Date: 2004-07-27
From: un-named campsite

To: Culver's Gap
Miles today: 11.1

It poured all day, we did not make K-less birthday party, were staying in an overpriced dung hole hotel room, and still I'm having an unbelievable night. Thank you Charlie and Aleen! We justed hopped out of Charlie's Cadillac Escalade to return to our room after a fun, but not reckless, night at the bar. Charlie owns "Bud's Pub atutde.nd Sud".    Sunshine and I awoke at 7am (the plan was 5:30) in the pouring rain. When we set our tents in the dark last night, exhausted, apparently we did a hoorible job. We both woke up wet due to the rain infiltrating our tents. Soaked we finally set out at 7:30. Both of us were basically walking in our sleep. We barely talked for 4 miles. The walk was rocky and slippery with wet grass lining the trail and brushing our sides like a drive thru car wash. I nearly killed myself on a rocky climb when I fell backwards due to a slip. Then we started a fun game: "TRIP". The game awards one point for a trip and an extra point for either a full fall or blood. So if one were to trip, fall and bleed they could score a full 3 points. I scored first as I slid on a rock, dropped my hiking pole and promptly plopped onto my backside...WOOHOO 2 Points!   As we walked on we saw Yoda camped nearby. We told him we were hiking 25 miles...he laughed at us. Yoda would prove to have the correct attitude. We pushed on, confidently, with 20 miles to go. After 2 more milesof grasses and rocks we crossed "Rattlesnake Mountain", thank God we encountered no actual snakes...(Pennsylvania had enough of them for me thank you). Soon thereafter I stopped on the side of a mountain to dig a hole. As I squatted in discomfort it began to rain again...DOH!    Sunshine had passed me during my pit stop and I hiked on alone. I prayed and sang in the pouring rain. It was tough going, but I was determined to be victorious over the rain. It was almost 3 miles later when I caught up to Sunshine. I had tripped 2 more times with another fall...at this point I was winning..the new score: Beatbox-7, Sunshine-2. I'M A WINNER! The rain had indeed finally woken us up and we pushed together toward Culver's Gap. We tried to ignore the miserable weather, unrelenting grass wetness, and rocks, as we pushed to the road. At one pm we reached the gap with 11 miles down. Though poor, we decided we deserved lunch: on to Gyp's Tavern.   The tavern was great and made an awesome 4 dollar cheeseburger. As we cheaply dined Yoda arrived. Soon we were all enjoying the dry refuge. Sunshine and I mustered up the courage to leave. As we did the rain worsened. We walked out the doorway with all the resolve in the world...then we stood and stared...we stared some more...we turned around...and we walked back into Gyp's (note yoda laughing). 14 more miles was clearly not happening. Sunshine, knowing I am broke, offered to get a hotel room. I quickly obliged and yoda said he would join us and chip in as long as he could sneak in Lucy (his dog ). Within 5 minutes our sweet bartender had called the hotel to give Sunshine and I a ride. To top things off she brought back Black Tea to warm us up...ahh. Within 10 minutes our ride was there.   Our ride spread out newspapers to keep us from getting his van wet. Then he drove us to the less than high quality "Cobman Ridge Motel". For 62 dollars we walked into a rat hole. The room was tiny, only sort of "clean", and had hair in the shower...yuck! Whatever, we still needed showeers. We both hung our sopping clothes and cleaned up. Then yoda arrived. He and Mad Scientist ran in with Lucy. Immediately the owner accused us of "sneaking them in", when I had already warned him we would probably have 2 more guests. I informed him that the shower was filthy and that I hd already told him about 2 more guests...We haggled..We lost. For 30 more dollars 2 more guest were allowed in: 92 dollars for the Dung Hole...DOH!   As we sat in the hotel Sunshine had an idea: "How about we go to the bar". I continued to write. Another 10 minutes and Sunshine said: "Anyone want to go to the bar?" He continued "I'm not an alcoholic, I just really enjoy bars." Yoda and I decided to join Sunshine while Mad Scientist decided to relax and chill with Lucy. While we walked the 500 feet to "Bud's Pub n Sud" a truck picked us up not allowing us to walk in the rain. At around 6pm we walked into the bar and sat down by "Kendall", a gentleman drinking his "Kendall Jackson Wine".    As Kenall saw Yoda he said (quite tactfully I might add): "Boy you stink". Then he said: "You smell like 4 day old dead chicken." I nearly died laughing. Then Yoda turned to him and said: "If you say I stink one more time I'm gonna give you a big hug." An immediate friendship was struck. While Kendall joked with Yoda I wrote in my journal catching up on my 3 zero days from Delaware Water Gap. As I wrote I did catch the following quotes from Kendall:"Im not cool..I'm the total f-ing guy""Write this in your journal...fuhgetaboutit""I'm only 15% gay but your not getting any tonight""I'm an f-ing coook""That guy on jeopardy (Ken Jennings) is crazy, he knows the size of soem King's balls"(upon being turned down asking for a shot) "I guess one bottle of Kendall Jackson is enough"Despite all of these quotes he was a nice guy and chilled with us all night. When he left he gave all of us a big hug (haha). I was not fully comfortable with the way my head was shoved into his breast, but Kendall had certainly made the night humorous.    All night I had been nursing one beer, but Charlie fixed that. He bought us all drinks after Kendall left. We chilled with Charlie and Aleen (the owners...they're married and quite fun) and we joked together. Charlie made it clear that "Kendall" was indeed an "f-in kook" and Charlie drank with us. Aleen chilled too and gave us chocolate bars and chips. Everything they said was hillarious and they made us laugh over and over. They even stayed open late and let us stay while the yankee game was on. As an Oriole fan I can solidly say that Charlie is the coolest Yankees fan I have ever met.   Before we left for the night they offered to go on a trip with Sunshine to Vegas. They gave us all T-Shirts and even through in shirts for Mad Scientist and Lucy (the dog ). They gave us part of a 30 pack of beer to go and just generally hooked us up. It was a great time! Charlie told us: "It's nice meeting you guys and a pleasure buying you drinks". The pleasuire was all ours. Before I left I gave Charlie my journal address and he gave me the web address to the bar: www.-budspub.com Every hiker should come here! After Charlie dropped us off in the Escalade I went to bed still relatively sober, while my friends drank the free beer. What a fun night! Until Tomorrow, God Bless - Beatbox   ttt