Bubbles Day 40 (Friday, May 6th, 2016)

Today we woke up to rain. So much rain it felt like it was coming from all directions.  It's hard to get up and pee when Mother Nature is peeing on you.  And it's cold.  We got ready and had coffee with our new friends Karma and Mountain Man.  We are heading to Eckville shelter.  It rained so hard that I had to just laugh.  Man it's crazy hiking in weather like that.  

We were excited to see the view from the pinnacle, but the rain prohibited us from seeing anything but fog.  I really feel close to karma after our hike today.  We had a heart to heart about life and family and it made me feel like she understood me better as a person.  And I felt like I know her a lot better.  It was a conversation that I won't forget.  Sometimes it's crazy how connected you can feel to someone you just met. I know we will have a long friendship. She is an amazing person.

When we arrived at the shelter we were so happy to get dry and warm. We tried calling about 20 different places to see if we could order pizza.  We had run out of hope and were about to make a dehydrated meal when Mick (the caretaker of the shelter) asked if we wanted to get pizza.  He saved the day.  The warm pizza was so good it.  Thanks Mick. I've heard he can he grumpy, but I thought he was amazing!!

We met some hikers today who started in Georgia.  Some were great.  Some were not so great. Thank you Dad for teaching me about the Appalachian Trail and for instilling in me the respect that the trail and everyone on it deserves. Some thru hikers think they own the trail.  They think they deserve the best spot in the shelters and some special treatment.  My dad taught me that the trail is for EVERYONE! Not just for thru hikers! Section hikers, day hikers, weekend warriors, people from overseas, EVERYONE has a right to be on the trail.  It's not just for us.  We aren't special.  We should not expect trail magic or special treatment.  Some hikers act as if they do deserve special treatment.  It's people like that, that give all of us a bad name.  Almost everyone has been great, but a few bad eggs can ruin the whole batch.  I hope they learn that we ALL belong on the trail.  I also hope that the NoBo’s who started in Georgia are nicer to Flipflop hikers, weekend hikers, and day hikers.  This also makes me wonder how much my dad ran into this type of behavior when he was hiking with over 20 Boy Scouts!

Yep, we need to climb up these rocks

Sprout Day 34 (Saturday, April 30)

I set the alarm so we could get up early and get down the trail. I didn't really need an alarm because the Saturday crowd was out early today.  We were camped by a big stream and when I got up I saw fishermen all over the parking lot and some fishing within eyesight.  They started rolling in around 5:00 a.m. I didn't get out of my tent until 6:30. I slept so good last night and didn't wake up one time.

10.8 miles to go!

Smudgy Cheeks took off before Bubbles and me.  We made coffee and had cookies before we took off.  We were about to leave when I saw a car pull in and a couple of hikers got out.  I got a closer look and realized it was Tricks!  He was dropping a couple of SoBos (south bounders) at the trail!  We were so happy to see our friend again so we ended up staying until 9:30 talking with him and some other people in the parking lot.  Tricks is one of the coolest, nicest people we've met out on the trail.  He always has food for hikers (today we had a banana and some danishes).  I had a Coke to wash everything down! Listening to some of his stories and chatting about the trail was a great way to start off the day.  I can't wait until we run into him again down the trail.

This was fun to walk over

The rocks are everywhere!

Bubbles on the trail

Trail today

Another part of the trail today

We did 11.3 miles and got into camp at 4. There were a ton of people on the trail today.  We passed a Boy Scout group with 28 scouts!  I felt like I was passing a parade of hikers!  There was a small hiking group, some thru hikers, and section hikers out too. Bubbles and I took our time and stopped at a nice camp spot for lunch, it didn't rain, all in all it was a good day.

The shelter was packed when I got here but there was a perfect camping spot close to the shelter.  It's supposed to start raining at 1:00 am.  We had no choice but to set up the tent. I'd rather sleep in our tent, especially when there's a lot of people packed in the shelter.  There was a perfect branch to hang our food so I didn't have to worry about waking anyone up in the morning when we are getting our stuff together.

It's the first day of turkey season!  We didn't see any hunters off the trail and I hope it stays that way.  We did see a mouse right next to the trail eating nuts. This little guy was chowing away not worried about us video taping him.

Overall, It was a good day.  We made good time once we started hiking.  I don't want to feel rushed out here.  Part of the experience for me is taking time to experience all of the different views and meeting and talking to new people.  I was hoping I'd see one of the fishermen pull in a big trout today but I wasn't there at the right time.  I’m laying in the tent now and can hear the sound of the stream down the hill below us.  It feels perfect when we camp next to a big spring it puts me right to sleep!

Day:  34

Miles hiked:  11.3

Total Miles hiked on the trail:  314.3

Bears:   0

Butterfly:  8

Chipmunk:  2

Cows:  24

Crawfish:  1

Deer:  20

Horses:  12

Inchworm:  1

Really Big Dog:  1

Mouse:  2

Nest of bugs:  1

Rabbit:  1

Skunk:  1

Snail:  1

Snake:  1

Squirrels:  11

Toad:  1

Trout:  2

Turkeys:  4

Turtles:  107

Vulture:  6

Woodpecker:  1

Bubbles Day 6 -- Boy Scouts Fiasco (Saturday, April 2)

Hiking is getting easier every day.  I am getting stronger and faster.  My pace is still at a steady snail's speed, but I am enjoying myself and spending the time to take in my surroundings.  When I want to rest, I rest.  The freedom to hike how I want is amazing.

I have great hiking partners and we work well as a team.  We did 11.5 miles and arrived at Rock Spring Hut. There was a Boy Scout troop setting up camp all around the shelter.  I’m talking tents and hammock galore.

Getting ready to make dinner

After we got our packs situated I sat down at the picnic table to filter water and make dinner.  Ten hungry Boy Scouts slowly swarmed me.  They all began cooking their dinners.  I always take the opportunity to talk to new people and these kids were no exception.  I asked them about their earned badges and the Boy Scouts in general.  

The first Boy Scout to join me... many more followed!

After dinner we got the fire blazing and sat down to enjoy.  A little bit later the kids surrounded me again. I decided it was time for me to hit the sleeping bag.  

Robby starting the fire at Rock Spring Hut

Robby and I woke up a few hours later to hot coals flying everywhere.  There was a huge storm and the Boy Scouts didn't put out the fire!  Robby got up multiple times to make sure the fire was out.  It was a long night for me.  The wind was raging and it looked as if the trees in front of the hut were going to snap in half!

In the morning we learned that two of the Boy Scout tents blew away in the wind and all of the hammock sleepers had bunkered in with their fellow comrades.  They said they had five scouts in a two-person tent!! Hahaha!

The morning was super-super cold and pretty miserable.  We decided we needed some cowboy coffee and I started making it.  I noticed a small Scout over in the corner of the shelter quietly crying.  I asked him what was wrong, even though I could already tell he was cold.  He had on a thin hoodie and a pair of jeans.  I asked him if he needed a hug. He said, “no.” I hugged him anyway.

He probably thought I was nuts. I made him wear my rain jacket. I knew that still wasn't warm enough when he continued to shiver. I huffed as I handed him my warm puffy jacket. I told him to jump up and down to get warm and put his hands under his armpits to get warmer.

Slowly, other Boy Scouts started to enter the shelter.  I asked them to all stand around their cold friend to shield the wind.  After a while someone came over and said the only person they were waiting on to leave was the cold kid.  I asked them to try to go get his stuff ready for him so they could all leave and warm up.  They went (most looking unhappy).  One of the parents said I was a mother hen.

It's probably true.