Date: 2004-07-24
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero Day Number 40! Woohoo...I don't regret it at all. This is my second zero here in town and they seem to just keep getting better . Over the course of the day I reunited with numerous friends, was given 50 dollars, and the pi ce de r©sistance: I went to McDonalds. Now its almost 3am and I'm beat...but I feel wonderful!    I awoke at around 7:30 am as hikers arrived all around. Mad Scientist, Yoda, A-Dog, Sunshine and more pulled in as I roused to life. Instead of being social I opened my book and drifted away again. While I read both "Sherriff" and "Arms" arrived (to the delight of "The Dude). At around 10am I was hungry and I decided to join Yoda on a trip to "The Diner". On our way we passed a gorgeous woman with the cutest bassett hound puppy I have ever seen...Double Score! As we left her porch we both were smiling. There at the diner we joined "Arms" and "The Dude" for breakfast. Yoda tied his dog Lucy up and we strolled in. I was delighted to see that we had the same excellent waitress that "The Dude" and I had yesterday .    Despite our waitress breakfast was cool. While we ate, Sunshine (the guy) arrived at the table. We were all laughing and joking as Yoda and I convinced "Sunshine" to try scrapple. While we waited for that pork delight, Sunshine read the letter he received from his sister. I quote: "Sunshine, you know that 75 pounds you lost, I think your ex put it on..." So harsh, but somehow so wonderful. As we laughed the scrapple arrived. Sunshine tried the meat and with a disgusted face decided it was "pretty nasty". Yoda and I just laughed more and then I finished the scrapple. It was pretty nasty.    After breakfast I returned to the hostel and again immersed myself in the fantasy worls of Narnia. As far as I was concerned I was actually on a ship approaching the very ends of the world...ahh! Journey fantasies of any type are so much more real to me on the trail, I love this book! My false world though was interrupted by Gordy, who came in following her mother just leaving. She handed me a birthday card from her mother. Her mom gave me an extremely nice card thanking me for watchin out for Gordy. Inside the card was 40 dollars. I was so shocked and touched. Gordy's mom has been so nice to me. After recovering from that awesome surprise I returned to Narnia. It was 2pm before I left my fantasy world as Sherriff and I decided to hitchhike to Stroudsburg 5 miles away in order to reach the library. At that point I only had one chapter left in "The Vouage of the Dawn Treader".    When Sherriff and I started trying to hitchthe prospects looked rough, but then a man I met at dinner Thursday, Jim, picked us up. Jim was awesome and drove us to the library. He told us all about his job as a planner, told us all about town, and then gave us 20 bucks to help with food and the ride home. I was again shocked, and we thanked him numerous times...Wow (I may never leave this town )   In the library I solidified my plans to send my journals to transcribers. I was also able to update the rest of my email and check my friends tj accounts. I was smiling as I finished, but Sherriff looked rough. Apparently a close friend of his passed away. I tried to cheer him up as we walked on to lunch to satisfy my craving: we were going to McDonalds. By the end of the meal Sherriff apeared to be lightening up. We fed ourselves with cheap grease...yay. I had 2 Double Cheeseburgers, 2 McChicken Sandwiches and a coke. So bad and so good all at the same time. After our meal I could barely move, but my craving was sated. We hit a CVS and then went to hitch back.    Prospects looked dim for a while, but then a cool couple picked us up. The driver was a jazz major at the University of Toronto. He told us how Delaware Water Gap is a jazz hot bed of sorts due to its proximity to New York. I played the trumpet with my mouth and beatboxed for the couple. They loved it, and we thanked them for the ride. As we re-enterred the hostel I had a date with with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. 30 minutes later I had finally completed my sweet adventure.   With my head still recovering from the fantasy world of Narnia I joined Yoda, Mad Scientist, and A-Dog to buy supplies for a low cost hot dog dinner. For a total of 3 dollars I purchased my portion of hotdogs, rolls, and coke....sweet! Before I returned to the hostel, I ran into 2 very ill versions of Gordy and Sunshine. Apparently they had a "pie contest" and had split 3 and a half full sized pies between themselves. Both were waddling around and looked as though they were with all of their strength to avoid "ralphing". I helped them get to the church gazebo...in the end no one would ralph.   At the gazebo, us 4 hot dog eaters dined like kings. We ate doritos and hotdogs. I had mayonaise and mustard on one hotdog; and hot sauce, mayo, and red beans and rice on another. Though this might sound disgusting, I loved it. After all I am a hiker. (Why do I eat such nastiness?) At the point when I was about finished my hotdogs I saw Gordy and Sunshine looking near death, both sprawled prostate on the gazebo floor. Apparently that is what happens after 3 and a half pies. The funny thing is that they both claim to be the "winner" of their pie-eating contest...HA! (I think Sunshine won ...but don't tell Gordy).    After a while Rider and Doc joined us and we chilled at the gazebo. Mad Scientist and I beatboxed and Gordy and I sang . We all joked, talked about hiking, and relaxed. We smoked a couple of cigars together as we reclined there. The funny thing is that the gazebo is behind the police station and based on a few peering looks I wonder if they were confused as to what we were smoking....oh well!   Finally as the evening ended hikers slowly started drifting to bed. Eventually only A-Dog, Sunshine and I remained. A-Dog and I gave Sunshine horrible advice on girls and stared (not dirtily) at the random girl in white pants who went to the pay phone near us 4 times. We were bidding on when her 5th call (very upset) would come...but she never returned. In the meanwhile Sunshine and I chilled and talked. He's cynical, funny and we laughed a lot. Hopefully we will hike out of here together. Tonight was an awesome time of relaxed chilling after a day where I received even more unbelievable trail magic (rides and money). I saw Gordy along with a bunch of other friends...what a relaxing day. I love this town! Goodnight, Beatbox   ttt