[at-l] pittsburgh 700pm 04/14/02

[hike-usa@pocketmail.com (hike-usa@pocketmail.com)]

pittsburgh 700pm 04/14/02

another good day.  skyline, granny (carter), yakdung (darlene), padre and myself inchwormed south.  met a number of other hikers.  most notedly, mongo (she) and weasel (he), northbound thru-hikers that started january 16th.  they have passed the young lady (margery?) that began january 1st, and feel they are the first coming through...

we met a retired fellow named dean, and his dog ginger, at an outcropping south of powell gap.  he lives just outside the park, where the trail skirts the boundary, about a mile and a half south of the outcrop, and he invited us over.  we sat and yakked and drank sodas and had a great time.  dean says that in his 25 years there, only 4 or 5 hikers have ventured to his house.  he wouldn't mind if others found there way over for a chat.  so, if you are heading north from simmons gap, after about a mile you'll see a large rock, with a smaller rock on top, to the right of the trail.  take the unblazed trail to the right, and go about 150 paces to his front door...

i took a power nap at simmons gap, laying in the soft grass roadside, with a bandana over my eyes blocking the sun.  one car slowed and stopped, and i figured it was someone curious about my condition, so i gave a thumbs up, and that must have been good enough because they continued on their way.  another car came by and blasted his horn.  i flipped him the bird.  a bit later i heard clippity cloppity clippity cloppity, and horse and rider came up a side road.  the fellow offered me a beer.  nice gesture, but i declined.  i'da taken a soda.  another fellow rode up, and he asked me all about my hike.  then another fellow rode up and asked me the same.  then another, then another.  the first guy took over the job of describing my hike to everone as a total of nine curious riders arrived.  nice group of folks...

i was the last to arrive at pinefield hut, our destination for the day.  another father/son combo are here also, which makes six of us.  as i was getting ready to slice up some pepperoni, timmy and peter pan walked into camp.  they are dear friends that had been on the '97 slackpack tour.  they had seen the itinerary i posted a few days ago, and took the chance that i would actually be following that schedule.  my jaw dropped when they arrived, it was so unexpected.  they met everyone, and hung around for a couple of hours.  what a nice surprise...

night is coming, we have a fire going, and padre is looking for his cell phone.  he fears it is lost...

pittsburgh

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