Date: 2008-05-29
From: Bangor, PA

To: Bangor, PA
Miles today: 0.0

Awww yeah...a zero day after 7 straight days of hiking and hot weather. It gets no better than this really. I slept in till my creeky and stiff body forced me out of bed. Scribe was also pooped out, so we got up and she made us some french toast with REAL maple syrup....mmmm.Scribe does scrapbooking, and I got to look at her awesome scrapbook that shemade from her and Gadget's hike last year. You know Persistent and I met themfor the first time on our way up (and their way down) Springer Mt. Scribeasked us if we had trail names and at the time we didn't. After that, we justkept ending up in the same places (and of course who could forget the infamousWoody Gap incident on nite #3) and we've all been friends ever since. Herscrapbook had pics of all of us and even that horrible snow storm in theSmokies where they got caught at a shelter an extra day and it had like 500people inside. It almost seemed like another era of my life, but to think itis physically connected to what I'm doing today, right now is amazing really.Then we sat around and we talked about Scribes awesome school that she'sattending out in AZ. It's an experiential education school and they do allsorts of outdoor things (hiking/white water rafting, etc.) and I'm so jealous Ididn't discover this school. I'd love to teach at a place like this actually.Oh, before I forget, there's a few bits of info I've learned. First off, thewater situation after Lehigh Gap is pretty scarce, it's 10 miles before thefirst possible water source, so at Lehigh Gap is that used car place D & JAuto, and they don't mind if hikers come across the street and get water there.Also, Gadget told me that the way PA marks the state game lands boundary in thewoods is with big white paint blobs on the trees. Remember, I was thinking itwas the work of a 4 year old attempting to paint AT 2 x 6 blazes on the trees,so that explains why I'd see blazes in front of me and then white blobs of tothe left and right of me too, so be aware of this in PA.Then I went upstairs and made my resupply list, and looked at the rest ofScribe's maps (mine are mailed ahead) to try to estimate where I'd be when. Weboth took naps this afternoon (well, I didn't sleep but I relaxed) and afterGadget come home from work, we went back to his farm to see the BRAND NEW (bornlast nite) baby miniature horse! Oh my gosh...it was SO CUTE!!! I also met his grandmother and her dog.They took me to Dick's Sporting Goods because as the temps rise at nite, I havenothing to sleep in but thermals, so I picked up a pair of shorts and tank topfor warm-nite sleeping (meaning in the 70's or higher at nite). It always getsmy goat to see a price tag of $28.00 on a freakin pair of shorts JUST becausethe Nike swoosh is on it. I mean really? So if you want the cheaper stuff, gotowards the back of the store.Then we went out for Chinese food and Scribe and I both love crab rangoon, andthis place had great crab rangoon. We sat there (the tables were super closetogether) and had to endure listening to a 1st date of a very young couple. Itmade me sick really, the mating and dating habits of the human species is really sad. All of the things that predicted a miserable relationship was in store were hit upon (she's starving herself so she doesn't gain weight, he baited her by saying the 2nd best thing in the world is eating...and she fell for it and asked, "what's the 1st?" and of course a young man is going to saysex..ridiculous conversation like this). It's just a silly dance between menand women (especially when they're young and trying to act like grown ups).Scribe and I were trying not to laugh at some of it and I asked Gadget how hemanaged to avoid ending up like the guy next to us. He said it was because hewas raised on a farm, and I think there's some merit to that thought. We all 3had really positive fortunes in our fortune cookies, so that made it all happyagain.By this time it was almost 10:00 p.m., and we were beat so I decided to forgogoing to the grocery store today, and we went home and discussed tomorrow'sslackpacking plan. I'm doing 20.7 miles from Lehigh Gap to Wind Gap so I needto get an early start. Even slackpacking, my pace isn't tremendouslydifferent, so it will be around 10 hrs of hiking + an hour or so worth ofbreaks/lunch, etc. Long day ahead and that climb is going to be something Ithink. Well..gotta get some zzzzzz's, it's so great to be around friends youknow?~Certain