Date: 2007-06-30
From: Eckville Shelter

To: Ashfield road, Lehigh Furnance Gap
Miles today: 19.8

Today is my 92nd day on the AT, 3 months and 1 day! It seems like a long time looking back, but when you love what you're doing, you don't want to see it end. I just wish I could share the experience with the people I love right on the AT, rather than through my trail journal. Most of us left the shelter at 6:15 am to walk a short distance up the road to the AT. The seven of us stayed fairly close together until the first shelter. Raincheck passed by, and was moving fairly slowly due to his recovering sprained ankle. The privy had a fake handle to flush the outhouse toilet, which we all found amusing. We discussed how it should be connected to a bin of mulch to be dispensed in the "hole", with every flick of the handle. Next to the picnic table was an old tree stump with orange day lilies in bloom and ferns growing in it. It was so pretty. I enjoyed getting to know Silver, age 54, who speaks 5 languages, is a college Professor and has been a Stock Broker. Her father was an A! mbassador so she has lived or traveled all over the world. Her parents now live in VT. I called Richard on my cell phone to tell him we were nearing our mid-point Trail Magic meeting spot. He handed the phone to Low Branch (at a gas station in Palmington, PA) and I was happy to speak with him. He told me to speed up because he was taking a zero day tomorrow, but we can not hike more than 20 miles. Richard and Skiman met us with Gatorade and water just before noon. Hundreds of motorcycles went by our roadside stop. It wasn't long afterwards that the famous rock scramble started. Some of us used both poles, others didn't use any poles. Sometimes we had to sit and scooch. We all had to use our hands. The boulders were as big as a car and sometimes small and tippy. None were flat! We couldn't look up at all. It was an intense day. I think everyone in the group has fallen except me and I am very aware it could be my turn at any moment. Thanking God for our daily hiking safety ha! rdly seems adequate. We can not imagine doing this hike in the rain or with full packs. Richard's slackpacking has been such a blessing to all of us. When we completed our hike at 4 pm, Skiman and Richard had pitched our 2 tents in a big area where we could all be together. Raincheck arrived an hour after the rest of us. Richard provided shrimp cocktail, peanuts and fresh fruit for us as an appetizer. After our own dehydrated dinners, we shared some bakery chocolate chip cookies and dark chocolate with cherries from Raincheck's family in the UK. Ziplock played the guitar for our nightly sing along in harmony. This has been a very special part of our hiking family this week. This was our last group meal with Richard and Skiman, since tomorrow night half of the group will tent and the other half will go to a motel. We have some packing and shifting to do in preparation for me resuming the hike with a fully loaded pack and the mens return trip to Wolfeboro, NH Monday morning. Skiman will assist Richard in packing 8 maildrops before he rejoins me June 8th or 9th in...NJ? 500 miles to NH!! This week was 130.6 miles, so I'll be in the Granite State before you know it!