Date: 2017-07-16
From: Unnamed Campsite at 1262.2

To: Unnamed Campsite at Mile 1276.9
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

7/16Unnamed Campsite at 1262.2 toUnnamed Campsite at 1276.914.7 milesTotal miles:  1276.9First of all, Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife of thirty-four years, Sandy.  I miss you, and I so much appreciate your love and support over all these years, as well as your support for this crazy venture I have chosen to undertake.  It will be over in a few months, but our crazy venture will continue, hopefully, for many more years to come.  I woke up this morning feeling fine.  It amazes me how my body recovers every night to be ready to have another go at a long walk the next day.  The goal for today was a campsite 14.7 miles away.  Having no idea how challenging the trail would be, I was hiking before 8:00.  Mr. Hyde held the day for the first mile.  There was a very steep, very rocky ascent out of Little Gap, and it took me over an hour to complete the first mile.  I was a little concerned over my water situation but felt confident I had enough to get me to the spring at the next shelter.  Dr. Jekyll made a welcome appearance, however, and the next several miles went by quite nicely.  Granted, there were some very rocky patches, but the trail mostly consisted of relatively clear areasand areas that required disjointed jitterbugging.  I recalled an old nursery rhyme my mom used to recite that helps sum up Pennsylvania trail:There once was a little girlWho had a little curl Right in the middle of her forehead.When she was good,She was very, very good,But when she was bad she was horrid.Pennsylvania is home to a great deal of good trail, but when she decides to dish out the bad, it's with several exclamation points.  I got to Smith Gap Road before noon, with only about six more miles to go for the day.  I decided to make a side trip to see if I could meet Mechanical Man, who lives a mile down the road.  I stashed my pack and walked down a steep, paved road, following the blue blazes painted on telephone poles. Mechanical Man is a friend to hikers and allows them access to his water faucet at any time, as well as providing a hostel in his garage, sodas, fuel, and shuttling.  He is a section hiker who lacks only the section from Springer Mountain to Hot Springs to be done.  He is one of the AT personalities I hoped to meet. He wasn't home when I arrived, so I gave him a call. He told me to make myself at home, and he would be back shortly from shuttling some hikers.  I settled in by drinking several liters of water, leaning against the dome addition to his home, and watching the bees and hummingbirds feed on the riotously red flowers that surround his home. I tried to photograph the hummingbirds, but they would have none of it. I was able to reach Sandy on the phone to wish her a happy anniversary.  Mechanical Man soon arrived, and we had a good chat.  He has met and assisted many hikers, including Earl Schafer.  He shared photos of himself with many other AT notables, such as Ed Garvey. His son is an accomplished guitarist who plays in a band called Mojo, and I enjoyed watching videos of the band play Stairway to Heaven, Simple Man, and some other classic rock favorites. Then, Mechanical Man asked if I was familiar with the group, Heart, and played the song I have teased Sandy about for years, saying it is her theme song for me: Crazy on You.  Happy Anniversary, Honey!  I also purchased enough denatured alcohol to fill my fuel bottle for a dollar.  For another dollar, I decided to buy a soda.  Mechanical Man has a selection of bottled Cokes, the ones with names on them, and I shouldn't have been surprised when the one front and center was labeled Sandra. I obviously purchased it.  Again, Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart.  I visited with Mechanical Man and his Doberman, Guinness, for over an hour.  He then gave me a ride back to the trail. I thanked him again and headed back out.  I felt rejuvenated and made pretty good time to the next shelter.  The water was from a spring nearly a half mile down a steep trail, so I stashed my pack, got out my water filtering kit, and headed down the side trail. Hikers tend to look out for each other, and I had gone only about two tenths of a mile when I saw the words, H2O, spelled out in rocks on the trail along with an arrow pointing left.  Sure enough, there was a small, natural box spring that was perfect for filling my bottles.  Thanks to the unknown hiker who saved me the rest of that long walk for water.  I was pleasantly surprised to meet Pippi at the spring, and we had a great time catching up with each other.  I told her about the upcoming Bear Summoner video, since she played such a central role by requesting a Bear Blessing.  Pippi is another wonderful soul I have met on this journey.  I was soon back on the trail, where I met a southbound day hiker from the area, who warned me that the rock situation was very bad from just past this shelter and for the next twenty miles to Delaware Water Gap.  Sure enough, it appears Dr. Jekyll has turned things over to Mr. Hyde,  and the little curly headed girl has decided to be horrid.  I took my time and did the best I could.  Rocksylvania is part of AT lore, and all thru hikers must pass through.  I guess final impressions tend to be lasting, and jutting, pointy, painful rocks are the finale for PA.  However, I won't forget the enjoyable trail and the challenging rock scrambles that also comprise the AT here.  Pippi soon caught up with me, and we traded stories for several miles before she headed past me on her way to an outlook she wanted to check out.  She uses a hammock, which affords her much more freedom in where to camp.  Basically, all she needs are two trees.  I soon came to my intended campsite, which was large, open, and, most importantly, flat. I arrived at 6:30 and soon had camp set up.  I was cooking dinner when Gravity arrived. I made it to bed early, as tomorrow's agenda includes a 16.7 mile walk amongst Mr. Hyde's trail all the way to Delaware Water Gap.  The day after tomorrow, I should find myself clean, resupplied, and in New Jersey.