Date: 2003-07-28
From: Mohigan Outdoor Center

To: Culvers Gap
Miles today: 17.9

This day will probably go down as my overall best on the trail.A little history might help explain. On April 17th as I was hiking through the Smokies I met a family who was vacationing in the park. I sat and chatted with them for quite a while and as I was starting to hike on he (Steve Weissman) gave me a small sheet of paper with his phone number. He told me to contact him when I got up into New Jersey and he would help out in any way possible. At the time it seemed almost too good to be true and besides, that was in April and I wouldn't be in New Jersey until late July. Well anyway, that's the history.While I was at the Mohigan Outdoor Center yesterday, I dug out the phone number and called the number Steve Weissman had given me in April. His son Jake answered the phone and then passed it off to his mom, Wendy. She sounded really excited to hear from me after all this time and asked if I could call back a bit later when her husband was there. When I called back, Steve answered the phone and he offered to come and pick me up. We agreed on Culvers Gap as the place and Steve said he would be there at 8 PM. He even said it was ok if I brought along another hiker. I mentioned it to a hiker named Gray Matter and he said he was interested. So that pretty much set the tone for the day.It was nearly an 18 mile day over some pretty rugged terrain so I started hiking around 8 AM. In addition to the stopover with the Weissman family in the evening there was one more priority . . . and that was to get to Culver Gap before 6 PM. The reason for that was the Worthington Bakery. Visited by countless thru-hikers over the years, this bakery was literally ON the AT.I managed to reach Culvers Gap at 5:15, plenty of time to sample the pastries. My favorites were the sticky cinnamon buns and I managed to wolf down 6 of them with a quart of Gatorade -- not exactly a healthy snack, but it sure tasted good!With that goal having been met, I noticed that the next building down was a "Bar and Grill." As I walked over I noticed several backpacks so I just had to go and check it out. Sure enough, it was a bunch of my friends. Within a few minutes I was sucking down a cold one and washing away all the day's pain.Shoartly after my second, or was it my third beer, I noticed someone approaching me at the bar. It was Steve Weissman. I tapped Gray Matter on the shoulder, made the necessary introductions, and we were out the door.What happened next was almost unbelievable. At the end of a 10-15 minute ride we pulled into the driveway of an absolutely beautiful A-frame home, directly on teh lake. Steve showed us around and then walked us down to the dock. He had a canoe and 2 kayaks and we were offered the use of them. My question was . . . could we swim in the lake, to which Steve answered SURE!! I had my shirt and shoes off in seconds and dove straight in. While I was swimming, Steve and his sons, Jake and Abe, brought wine, some beers, and snacks down to the dock. I snagged a tall glass of Reisling wine and went for a paddle in the canoe. Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, Steve indicated that dinner would be soon and we should come up to the house. Once inside we found out that dinner was going to be fresh broiled salmon, stir fried vegetables and corn on the cob. For a guy who's been eating poptarts, peanut butter crackers and Ramen noodles, that sounded pretty darn good. As if they hadn't already done enough, Steve's wife Wendy then offered to do our laundry.Anyway it was a fantastic dose of trail magic, and one I won't soon forget. I had to pinch myself several times during the evening just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. This is one great family with hearts of gold. Sometimes you hear about random acts of kindness and generosity and this experiences proves that they do occur.