June 30 - Clark’s Creek (Day 103 – milepoint 1136.0)

We said good-bye to everyone this a.m. as they all moved on ahead. AquaMom and I walked and talked for about 3 miles and found another good overlook and took a long break. Once we got to walking again, we came upon a stick in the middle of the Trail with a piece of paper on it reading: “STOP! Rattlesnake on log, 15 feet ahead to the right -Achilles.” I inched forward and Mom followed CLOSE behind.

She saw it before I did – a nice fat, 4-foot-long timber rattlesnake on a log just a few feet off the Trail. I stopped to take a picture and eventually caught up to Mom who had covered a good distance before stopping to wait.

We set up camp at Clark’s Creek and we both took a two-hour nap. The heat is pretty draining. I started cooking dinner when Small World and Devin walked up and stopped to chat. I hadn’t seen Small World since Damascus (mile 450) and hadn’t seen Devin since way back in Georgia around mile 40! Great to see them again.

It is now late (after dark) and I am thankful to have the tent where we are safe from insects. As I listen to the peaceful sounds of a light breeze in the trees, crickets chirping in the distance, and Mom snoring next to me, I am no longer worried about whether she will be able to adjust and find comfort in camping. I am so happy she is here.

Aquaholic

June 29 - Peter’s Mountain Shelter (Day 102 – milepoint 1130.0)

After breakfast, we went through Mom’s pack and got rid of a few things: shampoo and conditioner, skin cleansing lotion, nail clippers, bug spray. She wanted a change of underwear for each day. Sorry. We cut that in half. Reduced her six T-shirts to three and her four pairs of shorts to two, and a few other minor things. Minor to me anyway. I assured her that she would thank me later.

I have my tent and my purifier back and we have plenty of food. Jamie dropped us off at the Trail. Couple of photos, and we were off. Excellent, flat terrain for day one on the AT with Mom.

We walked for about 2 miles and found a nice overlook where we relaxed in the sun and enjoyed a nice breeze for an hour or so. Then moved on and arrived at the shelter, no problem. I am happy to have underestimated Mom’s abilities.

We are joined by Achilles, Walkie Talkie, Pancake, Supertramp, Saint, Yote, and a new face – Boulder Dash.

A nice evening. Mom relaxed while I set up sleeping space, fetched water, cooked, washed dishes, and organized our packs. I’m enjoying the role reversal. We played cards ’til dark. A trail name seems to have already latched on to Mom, “AquaMom.”

Aquaholic

June 28 - Clark’s Ferry Plaza Motel, Duncannon, PA (Day 101 – milepoint 1118.3)

As we ate breakfast at the Plaza restaurant, Go-Go came in and sat down with us. She started telling us how terrorists had kidnapped her walking stick and were holding it for ransom.

“What should I do?” she asked, worried.

Achilles replied, “Well they sound pretty serious. What do they want?”

“Ice cream,” she said.

To which Silence replied, “In my experience, these kinds of terrorists can be unpredictable and often harsh. For all we know, they may have bound and gagged your stick to a chair!” Go-Go gasped.

“Serious, indeed. I think you should pay the ransom,” I concluded.

We all agreed and Go-Go thanked us as she rushed away. We returned to our room a short while later and a knock on our door soon followed. With bandanas over our faces, we opened the door to find Go-Go with what she claimed to be the ransom for her walking stick. She handed me a cup filled with ice and on top of the ice was a small packet of half-n-half dairy creamer.

“Iced Cream.”

Not what we were hoping for, but Go-Go got her stick back on creativity points alone.

Mom arrived today to hike with me for a few days. “My idea of roughing it is a Motel 6 without a remote control,” she says. Mom has never been camping and has not been 2 days without a shower, at least not during my lifetime. We shall accomplish both.

Sister Jamie is here, too, and will head home tomorrow. She has a broken thumb and I asked her about it. “I went out for a beer with a friend…” she began. And she woke the next morning with a watermelon sized thumb, and pain to match. “…It must have been when I fell off the bar,” she concluded. Hmm, well yes, I can understand how that can happen, poor innocent little thing…

We had a good group dinner, also joined by Saint and new faces, Pancake and Supertramp. I watched Pancake put away an unbelievable amount of food. Looks like Achilles has some competition.

Aquaholic

June 27 - Clark’s Ferry Plaza Motel – Duncannon, PA (Day 100 – milepoint 1118.3)

A beautiful, patchy-cloud-filled sky with no humidity and we rolled into Duncannon later than anticipated due to multiple stops for wild blackberries and mulberries. We made it to the P.O. before it closed and, after stuffing ourselves with pizza, we walked to the other side of town and got a room at Clark’s Ferry Plaza Hotel.

Ran into Smiles, Go-Go, Ladybug, and Otter who had just returned from a day of rollercoasters and chocolate at Hershey’s Amusement Park.

This evening, as Silence, Achilles, and I were relaxing and watching TV, there was a knock at our door. Achilles answered the door to find no one there.

Girls can be so immature.

So we went up to their room, found a walking stick that had been left outside their door, brought it back down to our room and bound-n-gagged it to a chair. We then crafted a ransom note on a pizza box using snippets of newspaper print.

It reads: “if U want to C your stick again, Deliver Ice Cream to Room No. 7. No FBI Agents or the stick gets it!”

We added a picture of John Travolta firing a machine gun and slid the note under their door, then spent the rest of the evening playing a cops and robbers video game at the nearby truckstop.

We have not received our ice cream…and the stick does not look comfortable bound to that chair. Pity.

Aquaholic

Scott’s Farm Tee Pee (Day 99 – milepoint 1102.9)

Ishmael took us to breakfast this morning and then dropped our packs off here at Scott’s Farm so we could bareback it for 10 miles. (Achilles carried his pack. He’s a “purist,” which makes him better. Silence and I are just smarter).

We had planned to go further today until a thunderstorm rolled in and “Big John,” the caretaker here, offered to let us stay in the Tee Pee for the night and also offered us some good beer.

So here we are.

Aquaholic

June 25 - Boiling Spring, PA (Day 98 – milepoint 1092.2)

We passed the halfway point (mile 1080.1) this morning and continued – with labor – in the heat and humidity. Probably not the safest weather for backpacking, but we are invincible after all…

As soon as we hit Boiling Springs, a fisherman offered us a couple of beers. Although neither of us really wanted a beer, we honored his gesture and I forced mine down during light conversation.

Trail Rule #2: Never turn down an offer for a food or beverage that you do not carry in your pack.

Half-buzzed, we arrived at the ATC building and met Silence (20, Danville, KY). He told us about a local trail volunteer, Ishmael, who offered to put him up and anyone else who rolled in before he returned. Achilles and I ran over to the Italian Restaurant and grabbed the pizza and salads we had been talking about for most of the day.

Trail Rule #1: Satisfy all cravings.

Ishmael, who thru-hiked in ’96, showed up and took us to his home up a mountain out of town. A beautiful and unique log cabin he built himself and Achilles, Silence and I are crashed out in his Trail-replica-shelter out back. Class act is Ishmael. He shared with us some strong, Hungarian beer, which I didn’t like, but drank gratefully.

Aquaholic

June 24 - Iron Masters Mansion Hostel (Day 97 – milepoint 1073.0)

Hiked with Achilles today: “A real ladies man who can fill his shirt.”

We made excellent time and conquered the 17 1/2 miles by 2:30, arriving at Pine Grove Furnace State Park poised and ready to join the “1/2 gallon club.” We each bought the required 1/2 gallon of Hershey Ice Cream (Achilles – mint chocolate chip; I – chocolate) and sat down for what we anticipated would be an easy task.

Achilles‘ 1/2 gallon quest went like this:

• 10 minutes: “Man this might be harder than we originally thought.”
• 20 minutes: “I am definitely going to finish this.”
• 35 minutes: “Remember when I said I was definitely going to finish this? Well, that’s right back up in the air.”
• 40 minutes: “Maybe if we sit here long enough, it will evaporate.”
• 50 minutes: “I hope they don’t make me drink the melted stuff at the bottom.”

Well, we did it, but I was not proud. As a reward we were given a tiny, little wooden spoon declaring us Members, and we got to sign the “members only” register.

In less than an hour, Achilles was talking about dinner. I was talking about conspiracy.

We hobbled over to this hostel/mansion and checked in. I caught a much needed shower and we are about to pick out a couple of 80′s movies to zombie out to. My intestines are not happy.

Aquaholic

June 23 - Quarry Gap Shelter (Day 96 – milepoint 1055.4)

It’s the p.m. I just walked up to this shelter from Caledonia State Park where I went swimming in the public pool with four more new faces: Honeysuckle, Boy Wonder, Frodo, and Saint.

The temps have been in the 90′s and humid the past several days, so the swim opportunity was a real treat. Achilles is also here.
We seem to have lost Cheesehead.

Aquaholic

June 22 - Campsite next to a creek (Day 95 – milepoint ???)

Bulldog and I stopped for breakfast then set off back to Pen-Mar. He’s planning a week off to go to the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland with his sister, Mush, and friends. We ran out of gas taking the scenic route through Gettysburg and ended up seeing a little more of it than we planned, but we got a couple of rides and met some nice folks in the process.

Back at Pen-Mar, I ran into Cheesehead and a new face, Achilles (24, Rye, NY) and hiked with them into the evening. Camped near a creek where I took a much needed bath.

Aquaholic

June 21 - Day off in Port Clinton, PA (Day 94 – no miles)

All day party with the Fleagle family and friends. Great music, food, beer, horseshoes…and even greater folks.

The conspiracy in my favor continues.

Aquaholic