Date: 2004-07-18
From: Lehigh Gap

To: Little Gap
Miles today: 5.0

Is it illegal to receive a home-cooked meal two nights in a row? Some people imagine that every night of a thru-hike is spent in a tent or shelter. While thru-hikes are challenging, sometimes you receive special magic; unless a hiker is insane, he will accept that magic. I am not insane! For this reason, I am sleeping in a wonderful home for the second night in a row...aaah!I cannot personally fathom or begin to describe the wonderful kindness I have experienced this weekend. I woke up and shot a little pool downstairs. I miss my pool league. Then, I was greeted with coffee and eggs...Wow! I said good morning to a sleepy Amanda and Todd gave me clothes for church. I felt so nice in real clothes. By 10:00 am Michele returned from her early morning work-shift and we all left for church - my first time to a Catholic church service.As I walked in, I had no clue what the bowl of water was for and while I believe in the Trinity, my hand motion for it was quite made up. This country church was a modest, mostly wooden structure, very different from my impression of all Catholic churches being overly ornate. There was a lot of tradition and memorized responses, but I enjoyed the service. A clear Bible message was read (the story of the sheep and the goats), and I knew two of the songs; "How Great Thou Art," and "Just a Closer Walk with Thee." You'll never believe what the priest spoke about - Hospitality!!! He even talked about, "taking strangers into your home." Todd and Michele just looked at me and smiled...I was beaming! Amanda passed out asleep and I think the priest noticed (he,he). At the end of the sermon the entire congregation held hands for "The Lord's Prayer." By the time I left, a great number of my stereotypes had been challenged.While I personally am more comfortable in a contemporary Protestant church like I attend at home, I have really had my eyes opened. At home I know many "cultural Catholics," folks who claim Catholicism but show little faith in action. On the trail, however, I met Walk Safely, a deeply religious 18-year old. Now I have been to a Catholic church that was kinder, more Bible-based and more alive than over half of the Protestant churches I've attended while on the trail. I flash back to Atkins, VA, where I was trying to hitch a ride to church, and car after car passed me by - driver and passengers dressed in their Sunday best with their Jesus 'fish' sticker proudly displayed on the bumper. It all just hits me as to how important our actions as Christians are as a sign of our salvation by faith. I'm sorry if this seems overly religious, but it was an awesome realization for me as I reflected on the service.After church, Todd and I quickly prepared for our 5-mile hike. It was raining and he insisted I keep my clean clothes dry. Only minutes later I was adorned in Todd's hiking shorts, hiking shirt, socks, boots and even a daypack. I felt so light with a daypack holding only my camera, 2 jugs of Gatorade and a water bottle. Before we left, Michele asked, "What you do want for dinner?" I tried to be differential and said I would eat anything, but Michele insisted, "No, I want to know what YOU want for dinner." Stunned by the amazing hospitality, I said, "Sausage and red sauce over penne with pepper cheese!" Michele looked stunned and I was afraid I had gone too far. Michele explained, "Penne is Todd's favorite!" She not only had penne, she already had the sausage and sauce. She had made the exact same meal two weeks earlier for Todd. Wow! It seems that Crazy Pace and I have a number of the same tastes. Minutes later, Michele drove us to the trail head where Michele took pictures of us including an adorable shot of Amanda under the sign.The climb out of Lehigh Gap is famous for a tough rock scramble. Todd (Crazy Pace) knows the area well and was like a tour guide. He seemed so pumped to be hiking. After 1/4 mile, we reached the rock scramble in the rain. The rocks were big and I had to tie my hiking pole to my pack to keep both hands free for climbing. I felt like a climber as I pulled myself over boulders and up the facade of the mountain for a half-mile. Crazy Pace moved as quickly as I did. The next 1/2 mile was marked by smaller rocks leading to the top of the ridge where the terrain changed dramatically and I sighed, knowing the worst was finally over.On top of the mountain, we traversed a section with many burnt trees. Crazy Pace explained that the terrain is already rocky, with minimal vegetation, and lightening strikes can easily cause fires. A short while later a gravel road path becomes the trail. Grasses and shrub-like trees sprout on the roadside and it feels as though we're in Africa. Crazy Pace pointed out the "superfund" site on the mountain across from us. "Superfund" was an environmental disaster a couple decades ago by irresponsible zinc mining. I was deeply intrigued by the area having studied it in college (geography major). Suddenly, my attention was diverted....Blueberries!We gorged on blueberries, then hiked on engaged in conversation about...what else, hiking! I gave in-depth descriptions of specific sections of trail and we discussed many topics. I could barely feel how quickly we were moving. After a while the terrain became slightly more normal and we took a break at an awesome campsite on the left. We dined on Reese's Peanut Butter, crackers and Reese's Bites...yum! By 4:00 pm our fun little hike was over as we reached the SUV at Little Gap. We threw our stuff in the back and hit Dunkin' Donuts for a caffeinated treat.At the house, the wonderfulness (is this a word?) continued. When I met Todd I was low on food supply and my tent was ripped. Over the course of 3-hours, Todd had loaned me his hammock, scrounged up and packaged 5-days of food, and offered to contact Henry Shires of TarpTents first thing tomorrow. My low rations problem was taken care of and I will be okay well up into Connecticut because Todd and Michelle are sending a mail drop to Arden, NY. And to top it all off, Todd patched my tent and Michele called us for dinner.The dinner was perfect! Michele made my requested meal along with a Caesar salad and we talked over dinner. Todd and I received "the look" for neglecting to bring home any blueberries. Oops! After dinner I read my journal entries to the family and they were so receptive; they made me feel like a trail-celebrity! Not to be outdone, Amanda told stories of, "milking 'a like' thousand year old cow." Ha! By the time I finished the peanut butter pie I couldn't move ~ the food and the laughing were too much.Shortly after dinner, I was beat. I finished final prep for tomorrow when I will wake up at 6:30 am (beggars can't be choosers!) to begin a 40-mile, two-day hike, returning Tuesday to spend the night here again. From that point I will hike on, having covered all of the miles from Georgia to this point. I can't wait to see my "adopted family" again soon.Tonight I played a couple games of pool to unwind. I am so relaxed and blessed right now. My stay here has been more than I could ever have dreamed. If you're reading this: "Thank you, Todd (Crazy Pace), Michele (Moose) and Amanda (Monkey). You have been a wonderful blessing to me.To everyone: GoodnightBeatbox ttt