Thru-Hikers: Who's On; Who's Off?

These are thru-hikers I have met along the way that I believe to be:

Still on the trail:
Hermes
The Red Team
Rambler
V8
OTT & Battle Cat
Inchworm and Sprocket
Shoofly & Nero
Charlie
Peanut
NoCello
Dog Brain
Coney
Optimist
Stop Watch
Snifur
Bamboo (Tiger Lilly)
Wobegon
Shepherd
Juke Box
Malarky
Burley
Maniac
The Colonel
Estero
Pace
Deva
Porter
Crop Duster
Cayenne
Upstate
Crazy Goose
Ducky
German Shephard
The Maine Boys
Snifer
Tattoo (Section Hiker)
Thin Mint & Lizard
Berky
Ginger Snap
Indie
Ensted
Helmet
Steady (Wrong Way Steady)
Pegion
Spartan
Blue Moon
Fire Fly
Ryan (Blue)
Sherpa
Padre
Dead Man
Gypsy Girl
Schmuck
Bean Pole
Dayman
Loner Boner
Super Dave
Hazard
Scavenger
Skippy
John Wayne
Green Light
Shorts
Six Strings
Tree Frog
Cornell
Mamoth
On the Trail Perhaps But No Recent Record:
Giggle
Sargasso (likely still on)
Mammoth
Redwood
Bolt
Raspberry - haven't heard of late but have to believe he is still on
Restless - haven't heard for a long time
Six Strings
Disco
Just Dave
Stretch
Off the trail I believe:
Mountaineer
Hellian
Proof
Tree Thug
Valcor
Coyotte and his girlfriend (can't remember name)
Shenigans
Finn
GG2
Tork
Moonshine
Fuzzy Navel (rotator cup injury over Mass Pike)
Caboose
Many others that I can't think of or know of!

Wondering:
U-Haul
Tatter
The Bundies


I am sure I am missing a ton of hikers - but this is just at the top of my head and for the record - and it's only those that I have met along the way.

Who am I missing?

Where Am I Now?

I am a Bear Mountain, New York at mile marker 1,394 with about 786 miles to go.  The stretch from Delaware Water Gap, PA to here was about 110 miles traversed over a period of six days (average of 18 miles a day).

This little stretch was a welcome relief from the rocks of PA.  It's true, NJ had it's own rocks but they were the "rounder, gentler" kind.  I mentioned this observation to Pajamas and Sherpa and they told me that there was a good reason for this.  They said that the glaciers ended right at the Delaware River (at Delaware Water Gap) and in the process "smoothed over the rocks" in NJ while the frozen tundra of PA "fractured" the PA rocks and made them sharp and pointy.  I thought this was a pretty interesting tidbit.

Each state seems to be different as soon as you cross the border.  NJ had smoother rocks but the mosquitos got real bad - guess it's because of the "swamps".  As soon as we crossed into New York the terrain changed as well.  While challenging due to lots of ups and downs, it comes with some very interesting "technical hiking" up the rocks and you are nicely rewarded with some terrific views.  Yesterday we climbed up to Western Mountain and had a great view of the NYC skyline 30 miles away and the Hudson river down below (with West Point along the banks).

I know that I was down during my stint in PA but the terrain, the beauty and the weather seems to be looking up and I look forward to making my way toward New England.  I have lots of New York to do yet but I think I am beginning to feel like we are close to our ultimate hike through the mountains of New England.

I did a few calculations this morning and determined that I am about 101 days into my journey, averaging just under 14 miles a day when you include zeros.  Excluding zeros, it's closer to 16 miles a day.  Average mileage of late is closer to 18 but I am finding that I have to do more zeros.  With about 800 miles to go, averaging 14 miles a day (with zeros) I expect to be making my way to Kahtahdin between the 2nd and 3rd week of August - or about 55-60 days from now.

One step at a time....thanks everyone for your great support!

Ice Cream Alley is a Wonderful Thing on the Trail

After my successful attempt at the half gallon ice cream challenge I continue to have a craving for ice cream.  I have been able to satisfy this craving quite nicely over the past several days because the trail has come across some great haunts:
- Another ice cream store served up a hot fudge sundae and a milkshake as we came into Delaware Water Gap;
- Village Farmer & Bakery made up two milkshakes for me during my stint at Delaware Water Gap;
- the General Store in Unionville provided me with ice cream before dinner, after dinner and in the morning after breakfast as we hit the trail again (Upstate, Caboose, Fire Fly and I illegally camped out at the town park);
- Heaven Hill Farm whipped up a terrific, and I REALLY mean terrific blueberry shake during our lunch stop;
- Bellvale Farms has a creamy right off the trail that provided us with a milkshake and sundae made with homemade ice cream (I am told it is made fresh every day).  Bellvalle Farms is a 9th generation farm that dates back to the 1700s. 

Ice cream is big in the Northeast and I know it's even bigger in New England.  I have always enjoyed a good ice cream cone and knowing that I need to try to get my weight up (still at about 160-164lbs) I can enjoy the stuff as much as possible! Aren't you jealous?

You Know You are in New York When....

About 10 miles into New York, Helmet, Fire Fly and I were picking our way down a steep trail to a creek when we came across a man standing on the rock in the middle and pointing a handgun into the water.  I came to realize that it was Spartan and soon saw Blue Moon sitting on a boulder close by.  It didn't seem likely, but I was wondering whether he might be trying to shoot a trout for dinner (you just never know around here).

It turns out that the two of them were sitting on a hill just above the stream when Blue Moon noticed a faint outline of something that looked like a gun in the water.  Spartan agreed and navigated through the water to fish it out.  When we caught up with him he was in the process of cleaning up a 45 Magnum. It's not every day you come across a weapon like that at the bottom of a stream...but maybe so in New York...not to far from NYC.  We all agreed that this was likely a gun that someone wanted to see lost permanently and was unaware of the AT traffic in the area. 

Spartan and Blue Moon jumped off the trail to deposit their find with the State Forest Police.  Will be interesting if anything comes of it.

P.S. I found no other evidence along the way, like dead bodies, etc.

Rocket Rick Re-Launches On the AT

Some of you may remember that Rocket Rick was one of the unexpected and early casualities of the trail, having to step off after about two weeks due to a hairline fracture.  It was surprising because the duo of Fire Fly and Rocket Rick quickly became known for their ability to do big miles early.  The two are serious marathon runners (I believe Rick must have been nationally ranked at some point) and seemed to be a good match.

Anyway, good news is that he got back on the trail two days ago, starting out of Poughquag, NY - at about mile 1,432.  The notion was that he was going to start off slow and Fire Fly and I would catch him along the way.  So far, this seems to be nothing else but a notion because he has decided to do two 13 mile days back to back (versus 7-10).  Hope we can catch him by Katahdin!

Best of luck to you Rocket Rick - you should be bumping into some of your old friends along the way.  Hope I can get acquainted on the trail and talk xc with you!

Skid - if you are still around you will note that Fire Fly hasn't squashed me yet! She may be an old man killer but I am survivor man!

Fire Fly's Guardian Angel Gives Me a Little Relief...

Many know that I have been doing much of my hiking with Fire Fly these past 1,000 miles or so.  As the ranks thin out there are fewer and fewer "mature" thru-hikers that seem to match our pace.  On the upside, it's great to have company and she is well-versed in CPR - a good thing for this old 58 year old man.  On the downside, she happens to be convinced that she has a guardian angel looking out after her. 

It seems as though this has been true.  I am constantly hearing of "bad boy" animal sightings like bears, rattlesnakes, copperheads, etc., but I have yet had the pleasure of experiencing these beasts in person.  On numerous occassions we will bump into a hiker who will say, "did you just see the huge bear down the path?", or, "did you step on that rattler also?" Nope. The only thing I can admit to is seeing a bunch of "girly-girly" beasties such as a baby bear, a baby bunny ready to eat food out of our hand, cute little sunfish coming up to us to nibble on our fingers, a deer approaching us like she wants to be petted, etc., etc. 

Bird told me that if I didn't see a bear before New Jersey, I would be sure to see at least one in this fine state.  Not so...not one.  Sherpa, who was within one-half mile of us on his hike, came across a huge black bear in the field and got some great pictures to prove it.

On the good news front, Fire Fly and I were hiking with Helmet the other day when her guardian angel must have let her guard down because we came across a den of four copperhead snakes (thanks to a previous hiker placing a sign on the trail, noting, "snakes this way").  So not all is lost. Perhaps I need to find myself a "guardian devil" so I can see some of the cool stuff on the trail:)

At Delaware Water Gap - Ready to Move On to NJ

After sitting at the Dear Head Inn bar, chowing down on a steak, sippingand a good bootle of wine and listening to a live jazz band (hardships of the trail), I got a good nights rest and continue to push forward, at mile 1,285 with less than 900 to go. News of the trail is that the Mosquitos are as thick as the humid air in NJ. Will soon find out.

Happy to be out of PA but realize it may not get fun again until New England. Spirits are ok to good. Feel like this is the third quarter(always the toughest in a race)of a long race. Need to get to 550 miles to go and will feel much better.

Thanks everyone for encouraging words...helps a lot, especially now.

Renewed Respect for Lightning

Was in my tent two nights ago at Outerbridge Shelter when a T-storm started to roll in around 3:30. Not too concerned...tent holding up to the rain and counting the time between flashes and thunder figured I was fine. Not so.

All of a sudden there was a big flash followed directly by a huge crash and thunder clap. This strike was VERY close! Talking about it to the guys in the shelter, one said they saw the lightning strike the tree and start on fire while others said they just saw a orange glow.

We've been in lots of T-storms but this was the closest I've been to having Carolyn collect on my insurance policy!

Vultures Circle in For Thanksgiving Meal

We've seen our fairshare of turkey vultures along the way but it didn't dawn on his that we might be their next bag of bones to pick at until we crossed Lehigh River and edged up to the base of Lehigh Gap. As we looked up toward the massive boulder field (a mountain top ravaged by mining and now a major Superfund site) we spotted a few vultures circling overhead. As we heaved our way over car-sized boulders while trying to keep our footing we realized those buzzards were circling in hopes of yet another thru-hiker making a fatal wrong step and becoming a tasty meal.

This must be a common occurrence because when Fire Fly and I reached the top there was a huge dead tree with turkey vultures peering down on us from every limb. We felt like we were in a Clint Eastwood western. We were happy to get off the rocks alive and hike on through the poisonness wilderness of the stark and barren zinc oxide Superfund site...better to die of cancer from than get picked over by a vulture!

A Funny Kind of Trail Magic: The Scent of a Day Hiker

This is something I have kept to myself because I thought it was kind of wierd...until four young women came up to our shelter the other night. They were recent grads doing an overnight and were concerned about getting too close to us because of the way THEY smelled. I think it was Crazy Goose that said, "we love day hikers because of the way they smell when they walk past us."

I realized I wasn't the only one that picked up on this and we all talked about the wonderful experience of walking past day hikers just to get a little whiff of soap - or maybe even perfume!

One can only imagine what they must do when we walk by them. One little girl held her nose when we were near her...kids can be brutally honest!

Too Little, Too Late PA, Hello NJ

So I know I have done a nice job in earning my trail name, being cranky about PA. I almost started to feel better about the trail as we were finishing the last few miles of our 20 mile hike. The pointy rock trail turned on to a nicely maintained forest road, for nearly two miles. Fire Fly and I enjoyed this trek so much that we debated whether we should give PA a second chance. It took us all of two seconds to conclude: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE!

Poison Ivy Alley Adds to PA Misery

Can you tell how much I love PA? There was stretch of the trail a couple of dAys ago that was completely overgrown with poison ivy. There was no way to avoid it and as such numerous hikers are suffering through the misery. We've had poison ivy all along the way, but PA has been particularly littered with it for some reason.

Good news for me? I continue to have success in visualizing that I am immune to the nasty stuff...so no itching for me.

I Gots the AT Trail Blues...

I can't deny it, this is a major low point for me. Between the heat, humidity, bugs and rocks it's been a slow tough hall. It doesn't get any easier over the next 75 miles as we get to hike through a major Superfund site where the waste from zinc mining leaves the trail barren and exposed. Probably not as bad as it seems but, thought I would never say this, can't wait to be in New Jersey!

Feels like a huge breech between here and beautiful New England. As they say, one step at a time...

Fire Fly's Wings Clipped by PA's Rocky Trail

I have had my fair share of head bashes, face plants, but Fire Fly has been steady on her feet for 1,200 miles...until the other day as we were decending down a steep and very rocky incline into Duncannon.

We were about 50 yards from the trail head, having to navigate around a small tree surrounded by boulders used like ill placed stepping stones. Swinging around the tree, Fire Fly's shoe must have caught an edge of one of these stupid point rocks because before I knew it she was falling downward into the rocks, bouncing down the sloop. Fortunately she ended up on her back and her pack took much of the impact. Otherwise it could have been a trail ender for her (Twigs lost his front teeth in a similar crash).

Final result: a badly gouged and bruised hip, elbows beat up and black and blue bruises in places where you might expect...but still on the trail. A major wake up call as to how quickly things can change on you.

My problem on this hike has been less about my ankles (my poles seem to be saving me more than my boots)and more about crashing my toe into rocks due to the weight of my boots. Therefore I purchased a pair of trail runners yesterday to see if that will help. Shepherd says that a pound on your foot is equal to 5 pounds in your pack. Will let you know how it goes.

It was a trail ending fall bu

Deadman Still Walking

So I have heard about this 68 year old man but thought he was long gone. The other day Fire Fly and I were toward the end of a difficult day dark in the rocky woods of PA. Up ahead we saw what appeared to be an old stooped man walking slowly with his head down. We approached him cautiously and as he looked up at us you would have sworn we just found our grim reaper. He has big droopy eyes that can scare the heck out of you.

Turns out that this is Deadman...a great man with tremendous strength and fortitude. I don't have time to tell the whole story but he began his hike on March 7th - right in the middle of the horrific storms I just missed when I began my hike. He was a top candidate to bite the bullet from hypothermia after two days with little protection. When he finally made it to Neels Gap he passed out in a bunk and Pirate thought for sure he was a deadman (hence the name).

I had very little time with him and it was cool to see Padre partner up with him - two very fine men I hope to spend more time with on the trail.

Why Did I Decide to Tent at the 501 Shelter?

Prior to the 24 mile hike into Port Clinton there is a very unique shelter called the 501. The shelter is fully enclosed (less bugs), has a solar shower and a water faucet. A caretaker lives next door and you can order pizza and have it delivered (it was great!).

So why would I tent given the quality of the shelter (and there was only German Shepherd, Fire Fly, Blue Mtn Edward)? Because my tent was wet from the storms the previous nights, the evening was beautiful and the tent sites flat and soft (a rarity).

As I settled in for the evening I kept hearing a deep rumbling sound off to the west and assumed it was from trucks on I-81 crossing a bridge (501 shelter is very close). Not so...the rumble was from a very fast and powerful storm suddenly raging through the area. The sky went from blue to black to a deep orange as the still air changed to a raging wind blowing the sidewall of my tent halfway in. The rain came in massive sheets and the hail pelted my tent. Water was streaming off my tent like a river as I tried to hold it in place hoping it wouldn't collapse. As I watched the trees around me bending 45 degrees it occurred to me that I should not be here and I should make a run for the shelter; however, I concluded that we'd all die from a tornado whether in a shelter or tent and I did not want to lose my tent.

The storm was the most intense I have been in but it was short lived...and my tent did pretty darn well;however a stream of water found one of my boots, making the 24 mile hike the next day all the more miserable.

Bushy Bearded Boys Man Week Update

Bushy bearded boys may not be so manly afterall as a group of us more mature hikers happened to bump into them as they were taking a zero in Hamburg. Looking a bit sheepish, Shepherd said they determined to modify the plan. Details were sketchy but it seems like the combination of the PA rocks, an injury or two and the Yuengling Brewery tour calling out to them might have had some influence on their wise decision to spread the big miles out.

I must admit that the trail has weaken my resolve of late and seeing these boys taking a break helped steer me, Fire Fly and a few others (thin mint and lizard) to a zero as well.

You never know what the trail has on your agenda...will have 98 degree heat on the rocks over the next two days...

Message to Rooster (Ben)

Read posts to see where everyone is...hope you can catch us...

Half-Gallon Ice Cream Challenge a No Brainer for Crank Daddy

Okay, I know this blog is suppose to be about the beauty of the trail but there is a tradition of the trail at the halfway point for hikers to take on a half gallon of ice cream within an hour. Sitting down with the Colonel, Burley, Malarchy, Juke Box and Shepherd I foolishly felt compelled to join them in this folley. Selecting Mint Choc. Chip I dove in with my camp spoon and 44 minutes later and a very delicate stomach I matched the younguns' in mutual stupidity, earning my wooden spoon. Juke Box looked like he was ready to recycle what he had taken in at about the halfway point, green drool soaking his beard but he powered on to take the prize. Malarchy turned three shades of white but still finished while the Colonel nearly lost it all over everyone while drinking the remaining foam from the box.

Life can be tough on the trail...

The High Society Life on the Trail

Visualize 12 skinny bushy faced men in their 20s, dressed in ratty T-shirts and tattered running shorts showing up at the Rep Theatre for a day time performance along with all the local retirees then you know what happened at the Allenberry in Boiling Springs,PA, as we all decided to take advantage of the $10 tickets to watch a great musical performance about the Andrew Sisters...quite a show - both on the stage and in the audience!

Due to high heat, humidity and storms about 18 of us decided to take a zero, see the show and enjoy the pool (massive noodle fights ensued)

Badly needed break from a hell week of weather...nice call Bird!

Bushy Beard Boys Take On Man Week! Crank Knows Better...

Burley, Juke Box, Malarchy, the Colonel, Shepherd and Maniac are kicking off "Man Week" today out of Duncannon...needing to average 30 miles per day for the next 7 days. Crazy, huh? This cranky old man chooses to leverage my wisdom and stick with 15-20 miles a day...stay tuned on the status of this crazy challenge and the carnage it leaves behind.

PA: Hot, Humid, Buggy and Now Rocks From Hell

No offense, but PA is my least favorite state so far...doing a resupply in Duncannon at mile 1138...headed to Port Clinton over next four days. Been slow going due to incredibly hot and humid weather; much better now, but now into pointy rocks that jump out at your feet, tripping and twisting with every step...think we have at least another 75 miles of this!