Date: 2004-03-30
From: Cheoah Bald

To: Hogback Gap
Miles today: 9.9

conversation of the day:wasn't exactly a conversation in the conventional sense, but a game called the alphabet game. only camp counselors and annoying children with no friends play this game, as you'll soon understand. also note the increasing dumbness.the rules of the game are simple. one person says, "i walked into a store and bought [something beginning with A]" then the next person says, "i walked into a store and bought [the thing beginning with A] and [something beginning with B]" fairly obvious from there.so, ross and i walked into a store and collectively bought:A an artboxB some bumblebee tunaC a candleD a dog leashE an eggF some fingerpaintG a gramaphoneH a hula hoopI instant coffeeJ jack in the boxK kellogg's corn flakesL lumpfish caviarM molded mingeN nectarine lip glossO an oval dish (ross did this one (?))P pickled pigs' feetQ a quick drying towelR a restaurant guide to cleveland, ohioS silk sheets made in the nubabi region of tibetT ten thin slices of maple-smoked gruyere cheeseU an ultraviolet tanning bed, bought from ned's hardware store on the corner of fifth and mainV victoria's secret lingerie in royal purple, worn by naomi campbell's drag queen doubleW whisky distilled in scotland 15 years ago, imported by the americans, then sold to the chinese, who gave it to the russiansX x-rated videos made in zimbabwe by amateurs at a juvenile delinquency facility, bought by mild pedaphiles in south africa, who then introduced them to the international black marketY yves st laurent eau de toilette illegally mass produced in french guyana, and stolen on a regular basis by the natives, who drink it as part of their cannibalistic ritualsZ zebra skin purses, each containing one of three pink, green, or blue faberge eggs, each egg containing a black pearl, each pearl etched with the initials of one of the three good fairies from disney's version of sleeping beautypathetic, huh? yeah, hiking can do that to people. anywho, we ended up getting rained on around 2am on chihuahua bald. ross had to jump up and bust out the rainfly. i probably would have helped had i not been retarded with sleep. honestly, all i remember is getting kneed in the back (ross getting out of his bag), hearing some kind of tapping (downpour on my skull), and faintly seeing ross's headlamp run laps around the tent. so...whatever. i guess.left chehaw bald somewhere around 11. shutup, it was cold and wet. stopped for water at locust cove gap. also peed at lcg, i believe. as we turned to continue, a shirtless man with long grey hair came down into the gap. he asked for some good news and we told him about the views he'd see in an hour. his name was boudreau and he was doing a solo sobo flip flop. he commented on our "sexy" streamline packs, said he'd see us in massachusetts and carried on south. we hiked on with smiles until we reached stecoah gap, where millie and her hikers were waiting for their ride. three other dogs were there, two hounds and a retriever. the hounds were tied by a foot of rope each to the fence. millie's hikers, on their way to their car, said they would notify the authorities in town. ross poured some water while i examined the bigger hound. she was shaking from cold and dehydration, emaciated, very attention hungry, had conjunctivitis in her left eye, evidence of porcupine spats, but not ticks or ear mites that i could detect. it seemed as though she had given birth fairly recently, as her teets were extremely enlarged. i couldn't get close to the retriever, but he looked mangey at best. we gave all three a cup of water before a pickup truck pulled up. guy got out, asked if they were ours, read their collars, said he knew the owner, and would go and call him. i said he should call the humane society first (ross gave me a look) but the guy didn't say anything further. goddamn f$@^ing hicks take better care of their f$@^ing guns than they do their dogs. damnit. i hate people.painful climb before the shelter, where we had some lipton noodles and later heard that the dogs had been picked up by a non-owner (phew) and checked on by the sheriff (double phew). so that's good. finished dinner and packed up as a bunch of hikers rolled in, including yoda and stumblebum, and much to their confusion, left at 6pm. we hiked another hour and set camp just before the rain. i believe we're on a ridge somewhere past hogback gap. fontana tomorrow so gnight.