Date: 2004-06-29
From: Deer Lick Shelters

To: Caledonia State Park
Miles today: 0.0

Good Evening! I write to you having just set up camp for the evening¢¦and it¢s 2:30 a.m. Rooster, K-less, and I had a fun night hike, but it did not exactly flow according to plan. OK, it did not follow ¢the plan¢ at all:-). We have currently just pitched tents near a road under power lines. We are actually on an old grass road, but I don¢t think people frequently use it. Now, for how we all managed to get here¢¦        I awoke at 6 a.m. to see ¢Scarecrow¢ and I-need-a-Hug¢ packing up. I was freezing as I quietly spoke with the couple, who was very impressed with how silently we had snuck in and set up camp last night. They were sweet. At about 6:30 a.m. I decided to crawl back into my tent for a touch more shuteye. I read and finished the last 30 pages of the book ¢1984¢ (Big Brother didn¢t get me!) and I fell back asleep¢¦when I awoke only Coyote and I remained. I packed up and walked past the shelter to leave¢¦there I saw a small Outward Bound troop. I answered questions about my trip, rapped for them, and explained that I started slow this morning . ¢What time is it?¢ I asked. ¢Noon¢ they replied¢¦DOH! With friendly goodbyes, I finally started my day.        My first 3 miles were flat to downhill, with occasional rocks, and more pine than I have seen in a while. The temperature was hot, but not too bad. I hiked and prayed, enjoying the refreshing scent of nature around me. In no time at all, I found that I had covered 3 miles. I crossed a bridge over a small creek and walked up to Antietam Shelter. At the shelter I saw an unexpected friend, SpiceMan. As I walked up he greeted me and asked: ¢Have you seen PartyGirl ¢ she seems to be missing.¢ I told him no and sat down to figure out what was up.         SpiceMan looked worried. He explained that she and Archeopteryx had been hiking together last night. He never saw them pass him, but they never arrived to meet him at the shelter. He made the same wrong turn we did, but did not figure they would have passed him that quickly since he is an extremely fast hiker. Now, he had been sitting at a shelter all day. I could tell that he was trying to hide his level of concern. I offered to help and decided I would not leave him there alone.         There was a nearby church camp and I walked to try to find a phone. It was like walking right back into my old summer job. I found the director and he gave me the phone to use. He also gave me tea and cookies:-). I checked the Quality Inn in Waynesboro, PA, the only hotel in the only nearby town. They had not stayed there last night. I copied numbers for police and hospital, not wanting to use them. I thanked the camp director, and returned to update SpiceMan. SpiceMan and I decided to chill for a couple of hours and wait before making any more serious phone calls. As we waited A-squared, Gaia, Rooster, and K-less would all show up. Soon Rooster, SpiceMan and I were playing a loud version of the Ghetto card game ¢ ¢Tonk!¢ Then K-less and I sat and sang a song using only shelter graffiti as lyrics¢¦"Oh, oh, oh, Mary smells like potatoes¢¢¦It was all fun diversion. SpiceMan was getting anxious again (so cute :-)) when a southbound section hiker rolled through and informed him PartyGirl was over 10 miles ahead. Thrilled to hear she was all right, SpiceMan quickly said ¢Goodbye¢ and sped off at four miles per hour. The far less ambition group of K-less, Rooster, and I set out minutes later. I had been there 2 12 hours.         The trail went up and over South Mountain. It was relatively graded, well shaded, and not overly rocky. We all hiked on in conversation. Over 2 hours that was mostly up, we talked about our past lives. Topics from alcohol to drugs to family were all discussed. K-less and Rooster are both about 30, while I am almost 25¢¦We had great discussion. In spite of a rough climb the miles were zooming by. Then, we switched to discussing our favorite trail foods¢¦YUM! After talk of Erwin¢s ¢The Elms¢ bacon-cheeseburger, the Mexican food in Atkins, the pizza at Partnership Shelter, and more, we were all starving. Then we hit a road with a possible 1.4 mile hitch to a tavern. Wait, a tavern might have food¢¦yum. Our guidebook warned the Tavern might not be ¢hiker-friendly¢, but our stomachs did not care. At 5:30 p.m. we were on our way.         No car would allow our smelly bodies inside, so we walked. We passed a pond covered in lilly pads as well as a huge building at the center of some type of campus. There at the campus we were afraid we were lost (that would come later). A lady informed us that the building was a juvenile rehabilitation center and that the tavern was just over the hill ¢ ¢the bacon-cheeseburger is awesome!¢ The Southmont Tavern is at the bottom of an old hotel. It does not even have a clear sign, but the locals know how to get in. Upon entering we shed our packs and my eyes soon perked ¢ a pool table! Upon sitting down I ordered a jack & ginger, which I would slowly sip, and a hoagie size bacon-cheeseburger with lettuce, mayo, pickles, and fried onions. I know I should be careful with my cash, but my stomach is weak¢¦plus I only spent 9 dollars total, including :-) a coke!         As our food arrived we pulled up the chairs closely to watch Jeopardy. We called out answers loudly while eating THE BEST BURGER I HAVE HAD ON THE TRAIL¢¦WOW! We were all stunned at how amazing the food was. At 8 p.m. Rooster and returned to normalcy as Jeopardy ended. The current champion is apparently very good and could have broken the all time record the other day. We may be the only 2 hikers trying to keep up with Jeopardy. At that point, I played a local who is clearly very good at pool. I stunned him however, by running 5 balls in a row. I barely missed a difficult game winning 8-ball out. While it was tough to lose, I played very well. Throughout the night the locals chatted with us¢¦They were so friendly! Wingfoot¢s guide said it was scary¢¦they probably just didn¢t like Wingfoot. At 9 p.m., with my craving for pool and food sated, a new friend of ours named Tim gave us a ride back to the trail in his truck. At 9 p.m. we started what we believed would be a 3 mile hike to Rocky Mountain Shelter¢¦ha!        In order to pass time quickly we played ¢The Name Game¢. We have all played before, but it was something. As we walked we battled ¢Mike Myers, Michael Moore, Mary Tyler Moore, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Mighty Mouse, Matthew McConnehy, Mike Martin, Mark Martin, Marky Mark¢¦Oh yeah¢. ¢Donald Duck, Daisy Duck Daisy Dukes, David Dukes, Dizzy Dean, Darren Daulton, Don Dreisdale, Dan Dierdorf, David Duehouny¢¦WOW. It was just after 10 p.m. as we reached a beautiful pile of large rocks with a moonlit view. We all perched ourselves and sat for over half an hour. Three manly bearded guys reflecting on the beauty of the night and the experience of the hike. Far in the distance we could see the large building of the rehabilitation center that we had started at close up just hours earlier. Our time out on the rocks was gorgeous¢¦little did we know that we would see them again.         When we finally left the rocks we descended a rock scramble. It was tough to find a blaze in the dark, but soon we were following blazes. We hiked and joked until we reached a turn that seemed to lead back up the mountain¢¦well, the blazes can¢t be wrong can they? I was sure was sure we were not on the same path and it had blazes. K-less said his gut felt that we were turning back around. We felt frustrated and lost and the rocks left nowhere to camp. We decided as a team to keep pushing through¢¦so we did. Almost exactly at midnight we reached a familiar site: The same rock outcropping with a gorgeous view¢¦BUT HOW? As we sat to take another break and process I cracked the puzzle. On sign we passed had referenced the ¢Old A.T.¢. We had managed to find the Old A.T. and hike it until we hit the new A.T. At that point, we made what looked to be the logical turn and hiked back up the new A.T. in the wrong direction ¢ DOH! My theory was correct¢¦but why was the old A.T. still marked. Annoyed and tired we hiked to retrace the same general area for a third time¢¦ugh.        As we walked I had a realization: the sign said 2.4 miles to the State Park. The shelter was 3.2 from the State Park.         We were almost a mile past the shelter¢¦DOH! I explained my observation to K-less and Rooster. We all just laughed. I swear none of us drank much at the bar:-). Though totally exhausted, camping on the rock side of the trail did not seem promising¢¦we would hike 2.4 miles to the State Park. At first I was ready to fall over, but my friends encouraged me. Soon we all caught a second wind. We hiked laughing at our scenario, then we talked about music (K-less used to be in a Christian Rock Band), and then we talked about the toughest stuff we¢ve been through in life. In respect to my friends I will not say what these answers were ¢¦but our conversation and stories were deep. It strikes me how the same situations that make me cling to God can drive another person away from Him. As I thought about this we reached Route 30. We were at the park! WOOHOO! It was past 2 a.m.         We have set up camp at the first place we found. I do not know if we are allowed to camp at this grassy road, but it is clear and we are exhausted. Through the whole of my experience I now feel I have 2 closer friends. Through the tiredness and confusion I laughed a ton. This day was strange but wonderful¢¦still I don¢t think I plan on beginning hiking at noon and hiking until 2 a.m. anytime soon. I¢m going to sleep now (it¢s 3 a.m.). Tomorrow I will recover¢¦in a swimming pool! Until then, have a good night.God Bless,BEATBOX   ttt