Date: 2008-03-13
From: Still Waiting to Leave...

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

¢¦and yet another verse of my Appalachian Trail Song. So, who can play the Theme From MASH on an instrument? ¢¦and is there not one intrepid soul who¢ll volunteer to sing this with me for the Trail Days Hiker Talent Contest??? *lol*VERSE:Oh Mama, Mama, help me please,        This shelter¢s full of mice and fleasThere¢re EWOKS living in the trees        It¢s cold tonight, and I might freeze¢¦REFRAIN:A North-Bound hike is painless        It brings on many changesAnd I can take what comes for six more monthsThis verse, as you can see, is all about the little community that forms each night, mostly around a Shelter, but this can also happen at Campsites (and Stealth Campsites as well).In this case, however, this particular trekker is obviously experiencing this phenomenon for the first time, ever¢¦¢¢        It¢s Early Spring¢¢        I¢ve made it the seven or so miles to the Hawk Mountain Shelter¢¢        This is my first night ¢in the woods¢ and darkness is closing-in¢¢        This is also my first night trying to sleep ¢at altitude¢¢¢        I¢m trekking alone, but a group of total strangers has quickly formed around this three-sided structure¢¢        Although I¢ve never encountered any, it¢s easy for me to imagine the fleas¢¦¢¢        Mice actually own this shelter and by 2:00am they¢ll prove it with the nightly ¢Mouse Olympics¢¢¢        Some trekkers are hanging hammocks on nearby trees¢¢        Tents are also going up on level spots around the shelter¢¢        Stoves are firing up and the smell of Ramen Noodles is everywhere¢¢        Boots are coming off and most folks are wearing foam shoes in camp!¢¢        Feet don¢t smell too good when the boots come off¢¦¢¢        Everybody is introducing themselves with what they¢re calling Trail Names¢¢        At least several trekkers are treating me like a long-lost friend¢¢        The wind has picked up. There¢s a little sleet in it, and the bottom is dropping out of the thermometer¢¦WELCOME TO EARLY SPRING ON THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN TRAIL!NOTE: In case you¢re not familiar with the term an EWOK is a trekker who chooses to sleep in a hammock instead of a tent. These were the mythical teddy-bear-like creatures who lived in the Forest of the Moon of Endor in the movie, Star Wars. This reference comes from the fact that they lived in the trees (and in a primitive state¢¦). For an extensive and ongoing discussion of the benefits of hammock-hanging on the Trail, please refer to my good friend, Certain¢s 2007 Trail Journal¢¦ *laughing to myself*I¢ve slept in hammocks in the tropics. In fact, my very first purchase in Honduras was of a hand-woven nylon double-wide hammock to hang (to get me off my Army cot while inside of the compound and off of the ground while out on the countryside on ¢missions¢).These, however, have been taken to a whole new level thanks to the Hennessey Brothers [ http://www.hennessyhammock.com/ or see their displays at Trail Days and the upcoming 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, among others]. Some backpacking hammocks now sport easy-access floor openings [just open, sit down, and it closes automatically under you]; no-see-um netting; various overhead canopies; special shielding to protect the bark of the poor trees that must bear your weight; accessory fittings to hang your belongings; and who knows what else.¢¦and for ¢hanging¢ in foul weather, folks such as the Two Jacks [http://jacksrbetter.com/ ] now offer down quilts in special sizes; custom-designed under-quilts; and even weather shields for your hammock (that which is very necessary when the wind whips up under the thing¢¦).SIDE NOTE: ¢Peter Pan,¢ one of the ¢Two Jacks,¢ sold me a marked-down Large Biker Quilt (in Harley Davidson Orange and Black...it's also my Emergency Distress Marker, if required) that had been fitted with their optional hook-and-loop fastening system ¢ AND I LOVE IT. It¢s filled with prime goose down, is very light, and is good to at least the mid-forties (see the Gear Section for more on this and my Appalachian Trail Modular Sleep System). Thanks, guys, and I¢ll see you at Trail Days¢¦As I told the Hennessey Brothers, although I currently have a World War II-vintage Jungle Hammock stuffed into one of my many duffle bags of military gear *sorry Honey -- I¢m working on it*, it¢s not as easy to use nor as comfortable as the modern ones. If one happened to drop into my mail box, however [hint, hint], I¢d most likely make the switch from my MSR Twin Peaks Hybrid Shelter¢¦Sorry, but you¢re reading this stuff and I have nothing better to do but to sit here at the computer while the ¢Tile Crew¢ is tearing out three bathrooms worth of the stuff¢¦Regardless, it¢s a whole ¢nuther world, and one would be well advised to relax, watch how it works until comfortable with the system (Shelter Etiquette, etc.), and then to jump right in and participate. Yes, there will be outside individuals and groups who¢ll show up and refuse to follow the rules (either in ignorance or willfully). You¢ll learn to either co-opt them, ignore them, or move to another shelter¢¦MORE APPALACHIAN TRAIL COROLLARIES TO MURPHY¢S LAW:- Trail Dogs are simply another ¢pesky varment¢ to folks along the trail in West Virginia (no lie, my friend).- Trail Designers hate level routes and those that tend to lead straight into a Trail Town¢¦- One tends to meet the most interesting people when one smells the worst.- The capacity of the Hostel¢s hot water tank is one less than required for your shower.- A ¢Gap¢ doesn¢t always indicate a low patch of trail.- Fog rolls into and around the very spot one would prefer to take pictures- EWOKS are convinced that everybody else has it wrong... *winking at Certain*