[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[at-l] Re: Strange Hikers



a woodelf wrote:
 
> Hey Felix you never said anything about hiking in Md. How was your trip?
> Did you "find" any good gear?

Well, you axed for it:

Mrs F. and I left last Wednesday for a corporate meeting at Black and 
Decker. I was pushing some of my ideas regarding the new workbench having 
umbrella stands, ducttape dispensers and a built -in water purifier. 
After the meeting we were supposed to go directly to Harpers Ferry and 
start hiking north. Well, they were so enamored with my ideas that they 
told me on the spot that they were going to incorporate them in an 
upcoming prototype. I was elated. To celebrate, we stopped off at a 
Tattoo parlor in Sunbury, PA and I got the "DOGS OF DOOM" tattoo to go 
along with my "Snakes Can't Wave" (that one is really cool). Mrs. F got 
the standard Pink Panther and the lawn mower.

We stopped at the grocery store (Bull Sheets, or some such thing) to get 
some eggs and bread and hotdogs to go along with our other hiking 
staples. When we got back to the car, everything was gone. Our packs, 
already loaded, were gone. My rope, my boots, my fleece, the dog, gone. 
Well, as any of you who have met Mrs. F. know, she is quite a trooper. I 
wasn't going to let a little thing like having no gear stop me from 
thru-hiking to Maine from Harpers Ferry. So, we parked at the Hilltop 
House and slept in the back of the car. About 2:30, Mrs. F says she can't 
sleep and she wants to hit the trail. I was chomping at the bit my 
ownself.

We headed down the hill to the bridge across the Potomac. I had on my 
dress shoes from the corporate meeting and my black leather jacket. I was 
almost glad we were leaving town with a cloak of darkness. Once we got up 
the cliffs, the hiking wasn't too bad. Mrs. F is notorious for taking a 
long, green switch and smacking my calves with it while I hike. I love 
that woman.

Anyway, we get about 28 miles under our belts and Mrs. F has her switch 
worn down to a drumstick. She says she's tired and wants to stop. I 
explained that we had to make it to the shelter since we had no tent. 
"You didn't bring a tent?"
"Well, yes dear, but it was stolen with the other gear" I explained.
"Great"

We pull in to Hemlock Hills shelter at about 7:30. There was another 
thru-hiker and a woman who had the look of a nucleic acid facility 
manager. Both were very nice. The hiker let me use his stove to cook me 
up some weiners for dinner. He loaned Mrs. F. his fleece, as the temps 
were getting cold. I didn't sleep much that night, wondering who had 
stolen my gear. We got up the next morning and the thru-hiker let me use 
his stove to boil my eggs. We took off after the others, as it took 
longer to pack up nothing than I thought it would. We made it to Boiling 
Springs the next night and then Duncannon. Mrs. F said she was getting 
tired of doing the big miles and that she wasn't hiking her own hike. We 
decided to hitchhike back to our car and head home. (Mrs. F. has a trick 
for getting rides easy.)
All in all, it was a good trip. 


-- 
Felix

Now with FICTION!!! http://members.tripod.com/~Felixhikes/index.html

* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List | For info http://www.hack.net/lists *

==============================================================================