Date: 2007-06-13
From: Pine Grove, PA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 15.0

Yesterday I managed to make the 29, finishing in a thunderstorm 11 1/2 hours after I started. My longest break was waiting for a very unhappy rattlesnake to yield the trail.I stayed in pine grove at the comfort inn, eating a ton of mcdonalds and picking up my new shoes from rei. Sticking with brooks, the cascadia isn't far off the dyad, but with MUCH stiffer soles for rock protection. Another package with inserts didn't make it, so I asked the hotel to return it when it comes.I am now planing to skip spending the night in port clinton, just doing my resuply and returning to the trail. That way I'll be able to hit blue mountain b&b right when Jocelyn gets into town, make a few more miles and save a few bucks.Doing 15 today, starting at 11:15. I missed a turn while giving hitchiking directions, and the nice dude who was driving me, a fiber optics tester for comcast, turned around and took me back up a different hill. People are mostly awesome. Hitchiking is really really easy in rural america, by the way. The sign helps, but is not necessary. They all ask if I'm in school, which is flattering.A lot of people ask why I decided to do the trail, which isn't a very good question. A good question is "what are you getting out of doing the trail so far?" the answer to the former from pretty much everyone out here would be something rambling that more or less boils down to "because it was there." personally I like "because the law would never think to look for me out here."*****Another thunderstorm today, this time right on top of me. Just as it was really getting going a young guy, spence, passed me. There was lightning all around up on the ridge where we were. I counted the distance off. Flash-one-two-three-boom. Spence was about 100 feet ahead. Flash-one-boom! Then immediately the air tingled and Flash! Between Spence and I, not twenty feet off the trail, was a large lightning strike. There was a round flash at the ground, then the bolt wound up a chestnut tree like a corkscrew, excoriating the bark off the tree like an orange peel. Splinters flew everywhere. The crack of thunder was deafening. Spence sat down where he was, shaken up but ok. I ran up and he exclaimed what I was thinking: "holy ----!" The ground around the tree was steaming and charred, and the smell of sulfur hung in the air. Wood splinters were everywhere. We were still in the middle of the storm, so we gawked briefly and kept going. I picked up a splinter which smelled of burnt fireworks, but by the time I got to the shelter it didn't smell anymore. Hail started right afterwards, but the worst was over.That was officially the closest I've come to nature's wrath. One time in flamingo I remember lightning hitting a pier but I think it was further away. My position on the subject remains cavalier... If the big guy decides to take you out old testament style, lightning is better than the alternatives - boils, locusts, plagues, etc. Also you either die instantly or get super powers, which would be awesome.I am suffering for my mistake tonight without hot food on a damp night. Port clinton for resupply tomorrow, then back into the woods.I am impressed with really young guys who do this trip on a shoestring. Shoestring is liberal in some cases... think one dollar for every twenty five I spend. The mind boggles. I think of how much harder they have to work to pull it together out here, and would be pleased to buy them lunch.