'05 AT Thru Hike

“Same here. At 60 I'm not much about rules or having to check out at 9:00 a.m.”

“i tented the two nights i stayed there. they have a rule if you tent, you have to leave the house at i think 10pm. they didnt enforce it really all that hard, but the second night they did ask that anyone tenting please go outside now. to me, thats inhospitable, even if i am only paying 5 bucks. its the attitude more than anything. and it is slightly inconvenient to have to leave from 9a to 5p. but i understand. to them, its just a job, why should they be expected to hang around 24/7. its a youth hostel first, hiker hostel second. theyre not doing it for the love (they aint no miss janet). we need to be really thankful for the miss janets and the grateful greenpeace guys and the bob peopless of this world. they are the true trail angels, and they spoil us”

“the next must-stop place is quite a ways for you now. make sure you stay the night at the graymoor friary in new york, just after the zoo, and get there before 4p. everyone raves about their meals. unfortuneately, i did new york state last, well after thru season, and they were not cooking for hikers anymore. but it is still a nice relaxing spot.

after that, your next must-stay is upper goose pond cabin in mass. if i ever go thru again, ill zero at ugpc. pancakes, a loft, swimming, and canoeing in a gorgeous remote setting for three measly bucks. its a fair hike to the road in either direction, so youre unlikely to run into any namby-pamby weekend warriors or dayhikers (just in case youve started looking down your nose at them ;-)”

“Look out for the rocks in Pennsylvania. But other than that, you should make good time, as it's mostly ridgewalking with the occasional dip into and out of a gap.

Be sure to check out Duncannon (the trail goes right down Main St) and its legendary Doyle Hotel. There's supposed to be a cool hostel in Delaware Water Gap, too, that shuttles hikers to nearby Stroudsburg, a bigger town that provides just about any type of service you might need.

Then it's on to New Jersey and New York, which are often grouped together because the trail weaves in and out of both for a while as it traverses the border. Kittatinny Ridge has some spectacular views of Pennsylvania's Pocono Mtns, after aptly crossing into NJ on the pedestrian walkway of a freeway bridge. There's supposed to be a secret shelter just past High Point in NJ which is more like a hostel in that it has a shower, bunks, etc., etc. Then up in NY, there's Harriman/Bear Mtn parks, with it's frequent and steep, but short ups and downs, and at only 124 feet above sea level, the Bear Mtn Bridge is the lowest point on the AT. Also like CB said, the Graymoor Friary on NY's east bank is definitely a must do.”

“There's supposed to be a cool hostel in Delaware Water Gap, too, that shuttles hikers to nearby Stroudsburg

there is a church hostel on the way to the post office (look for the gazebo), but its the outfitter that does the shuttling. or maybe they both do, but im pretty sure its just the outfitter”

“Why are you in such a hurry to finish? If you are enjoying what you are doing, why not stretch it out? If you aren't enjoying it, why continue?”

“he is stretching it out. do you know how long it took him to get to this point? huh? huh? well do ya? three weeks more than it took me. yea. uh-huh. thats right stumblepants. have fun with those pa rocks yea uh-huh.

halfway to big k! woohoo!”

“you could do one mile a day and stretch it out for 1165 days--”

“i imagine hes back on the trail by now and wont be to a computer til probably duncannon, or sooner if he runs into a town library while re-supplying

that means we can talk about him for a real long time now!”

“Good point Ginny - I just did 25 into Duncannon and my dogs are barking. I haven't taken a zero in awhile so I'm taking one tomorrow. It's that type A side of me that says I need to compete, even with myself. I have just told it to go to sleep and ordered another beer...I'm at the Doyle.”

“Kewl! Having fun, dude?”

“Congrats on passing the official half-way point! Did you eat the half-galllon of ice cream?”

“wow, you're in my neck of the woods now. I am about 40 miles away from Duncannon. The trail is about to get a whole lot rockier and watch out for rattle snakes, they love the rocks.”

“dag! you were the exact same point i was when you walked into harpers ferry, and now youre almost 4 days ahead! i assume that you did not zero at hf like i did?

if they havent already, the rocks are about to get very, very bad. watch out! i almost stepped on a rattler coming out of duncannon”

“I accelerated out of Waynesboro and cranked it up again out of HF...the nonsense of finishing in August. Ginny's comment hit me between the eyes and from now on it's going to be 15 or so and tent when I wish. I was taking the fun out of my own hike. Currently I'm posting with a beer at the Doyle and will likely have another. I was right about me and hot weather, it's a #&%!$. I'm still here, though, and younger folks are dropping like flies (me dropping my fly is actually quite a bit different.

ENS if you want to hike a bit in your neighborhood, let me know. I want to apologize to Marko for "blazing" (relatively speaking) by his neighborhood without checking in. I was temporarily obsessed and will get back to the fun hiking starting tomorrow.”

“Hike on dude! Glad to see things are going well.”

“Yeah, I remember the infamous PA rocks really kicking in right around 501 shelter. Enjoy!

BTW, 501 is a nice shelter. More a cabin than a shelter. It was a potter's workshop. It's not in the wilderness but it has a skylight, also a shower outside. Make it a stop if you can.”

“I almost stepped on a Rattler near the 225 Moon Bridge this past Sunday. He was pissed and let me know it. I thought it was a black snake at first, but it held its ground, very un-blacksnake like and when it started to rattle, I got the hell out of there.

Nimblefoot, I am emailing you my cell phone number. Give me a call. I'll see if I can link up with you for a hike while you're still in the Keystone State. When you get to Lehigh Gap (Palmerton), you'll be in crazypace's neighborhood. Look him up. He's a very cool dude.

Take it easy in PA though and carry a lot of water. Many of the springs are dry right now. Make sure you have lots of water by the time you get into Lehigh County, all of the springs are dry there and many of them are a biznitch to get to, 'specially Delp Springs after Little Gap.

The elevation is low so you get no relief and it has been hella hot the last couple of days. The rocks suck 100X more in the intense heat. Also the rattlers are out in force this year. They love nothing more than a rocky out cropping drenched in the sun. http://community.webshots.com/photo/291210022/356981137XAtusW
last edited: 6/28/05 5:58:28 PM”

“Welcome to the neighborhood!

The rock thing ain't no joke, but it's not unbearable.

We're cheering you on.

Look down - watch for "sticks" on the path.”

“the Pinnacle is a really awesome overlook. You'll be there soon. That is a big time snake haven though.”

“I really like the William Penn Shelter which is about 2 miles east of Rt 645 and 5 miles east of the 501 shelter. I think the 501 shelter is privately owned and operated and probably has more ammentities. But the William Penn Shelter is one of the nicest in PA. http://community.webshots.com/photo/291210022/293911774UjvzWi”

“lol I am on a roll right now with this thread. There are three things it seems thru hikers remember about PA most: the rocks, the snakes and the heat. But I think overall, it is the friendliest, most hiker friendly state on the trail.

BTW snake eyes, you got mail
last edited: 6/28/05 6:23:09 PM”

“I hate rocks. Lately I've been looking for some miracle insert to put under my superfeet to ease the pressure. Cast iron, stainless steel; weight doesn't matter. I'll try anything. There are a couple of items I'm carrying in my pack and I'll try them when the time is right. Probably won't work but at least I'll know I tried. The main thing for me to remember is that the rocks aren't forever and they do stand between me and Katahdin.”

“I used to wear combat boots on the rocks. They are HORRIBLE for that. I think I removed the metal inserts in them previously.

Bought Montrail Torre GTX Wides for the rocks. It's like walking on a carpet. No joke.

Oh, and Superfeet of course.
last edited: 6/28/05 6:45:05 PM”

“Nimblefoot - You're doing great.”

“superfeet rock the house”

“I posted a few more journal entries for Nimblefoot in the last couple days. There two new long entries, and a lot of entries where he didn't anything, or not much to say. But he is still moving and that's what counts.”

“Thanks Bit!”

“Alright, moving at 1.0 Nimblefoots Per Hour???”

“Thanks bit - it's fun following this.”

“Hi everyone,

I'm in Palmerton, Pa, just 40 miles shy of Delaware Water Gap. Heading out in the a.m. for the worst of the rocks. Took a spill yesterday and banged up my hip, knee and elbow but I'm still walking.

Bit - I checked trail journals and can't find much of what I thought I sent you...just notes that were to be fleshed out at a later date. Could it be that I didn't send you what I thought?

ENS - I never did get your email.”

“Perhaps, but there are more entries that I haven't typed in yet from that last mailing. Maybe they're mixed in there? I'll look.

P.S., I have three photos that Creek Dancer sent me, but I haven't scanned them in yet. I'll try and get around to it tonight. Things have been nuts around here what with the holidays and all.”

“"Took a spill yesterday and banged up my hip, knee and elbow but I'm still walking."

speaking of tumbles, i just did the section from daleville to trout creek, which includes mcafee knob and dragons tooth, and did not hit the ground once, tho there were a couple of close calls. i am still shocked as hell”

“OK, I've looked through the journal entries you sent me, and I have complete entries for 6/9 and 6/10, 6/11 is missing, and notes for 6/12-6/25. Then, complete entries again for 6/26-6/28. That's what you sent me.”

“I've finished entering all the journal entries in that last batch.

Also, unfortunately, I've searched high and low for those pics that Creek Dancer sent, I and cannot locate them where I thought they would be. I'll keep looking.”

“What's your NJ/NY schedule looking like? Maybe I'll head up to the trail sometime next week; perhaps next weekend and bring by a few cold ones and what not...”

“Haven't heard from Nimblefoot in a while, but from reading his guestbook, it seems he was at Graymoor about a week ago.”

“i zeroed at graymoor. nice place. if he was at greymoor about a week ago, he should be well into vermont and getting really close to nh. i think i went across vermont in 8 or 9 days”

“He is a bit north of Kent, CT right now and doing well.”

“wait. greymoor, not greylock. duh. yea, that would put him in connecticut right now”

“i heard the food at greymoor is awesome. i got there too late to partake. dude, youre gonna LOVE new england”

“Hi,

I've hit a snag. I'm presently in Salisbury, Ct and have been pretty sick. The first night out of Kent I was attacked by diarrhea and vomiting. I took a zero day on the trail, made it into Cornwell Bridge (?), got a room and that night the diarrhea and vomiting got worse. Managed to get to Salisbury and the vomiting has diminished and, happily, I have only the diarrhea. I started eating some solids yesterday and they've been staying down. My electrolytes are so out of whack that my legs are cramping up and, though I don't feel real sick, I'm weak as a kitten. Fortunately I'm staying at the private home of a lady named Maria Mcabe and getting lots of rest. She (Maria) rents rooms in her home to hikers at a small fee and is taking care of me. I'm hoping this will go away because it's impossible to hike without power. My plan is to stay until I've got some strength back and then one more day for stability.

Got new shoes in Kent. My third pair since starting. The previous lasted only 2 months...the rocks of Pennsylvania (?)”

“Man, sorry to hear about that! I think almost every thru-hiker gets something like that at one time or another though.

Take your time and get really better before you start hiking again.”

“Good luck to ya Nimble! I know thats discouraging, but you will definately come through it and be back on the trail in no time.”

“Ahhh, that stinks (literally and figuratively). Sorry to hear it. I hope you feel better soon.”

“Get well soon Nimblefoot!”

“Soon you will back to your blistering pace of 1.0 Nimblefoots Per Hour, my friend!!”

“Hang in there, Nimblefoot. I know we're all proud of you.”

“Good morning. Here's my update. I can successfully fart in the morning, then it sort of gets to the risky part of the day. Still weak, but with slightly more energy than yesterday. Had a bowl of cereal with bananas, english muffin and coffee for breakfast. At a little past 11:00 I'm already feeling weak, tired and ready for a nap. My attitude seems to be getting better and I've at least started to think about my hike again. Not that I'm close to being ready, but at least I'm starting to think about "when" rather than "if". I only get sick every other year and then only for about a day. Usually I don't figure out I was sick until I'm over it. This time there is no doubt. Never had anything like this before.

The good news is that I've finally lost my "handles", something I couldn't even do in the 80's when I was in my mid-30's and ran 100 to 200 miles per month. I weighed between 150 and 155 then, so Lord knows what I weigh now. Started out at about 180. Giardia and Lyme disease have occured to me so I think I'll google for some symptoms. Later.”

“Take it easy, man! Hope you get to feeling better soon.”