6/13/01
Another beautiful morning got me jump started bright and early this morning. The birds were singing at first light at 4:45 a.m. and I finally got moving. I hit the trail at 6:36 a.m. in the cruise mode and kept the motor running for 6 hours without a break except a quick visit to a spring for water and a quick lunch. I was on a mission to catch up to the gang to participate in the half-gallon club challenge. I arrived at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park general store at 12:30 p.m. (17.4 miles in 6 hours, wow!) just in time to see the gang in the middle of their half gallons of ice cream. Sun Dial, Honkey, Reader and Ziti, Thru-Thinker, The King, and Wanchon were all laboring with their half gallons and having a great time of it, challenging one another to finish first. In eager anticipation I went inside the store to purchase my half-gallon and join in the fun. Disappointment and shock overcame me as I discovered to my horror that the last half-gallon of chocolate flavor had already been purchased. After anxiously contemplating the remaining flavors in the freezer box I came to the rather difficult conclusion that I would be unable to participate in the wacky mayhem occurring outside. Glumly I went outside and announced to my compatriots the bad news. Everyone seemed to take the news in stride as they continued their quest to finish their 1.89 liters of fat rendered delights. I politely sat back and watched one success after another while inside I was stewing over the atrocity that had just been thrown in my world. No chocolate flavored ice cream! What's the world coming to? After applauding their efforts, I hastily filled my water bottles then trudged the next quarter mile to the crowded lakefront where a zillion kids, who could care less about my plight, were busy splashing water and throwing assorted objects to and at each other in knee deep water.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing at lakeside on the man-made beach. It was hot, so I welcomed the shady protection of a large pine tree and visited the rather cold water often. The second challenge to be dealt with this afternoon was obtaining a cheeseburger and soda from the concession stand near the lakefront. The young lady handling orders had apparently never heard of a travelers check and was convinced that she couldn't possibly accept one as a means of payment for food. What transpired next was a series of educational lectures on the subject from yours truly about banking, finance, economics, currency exchange, and the fact that I wasn't going to take "no" for an answer to my inquiry about the exchange of food for travelers check. I was finally triumphant in my pursuit of fast food, and the poor girl got a free education for my efforts.
Late in the afternoon I struggled over the decision to hike on to the next shelter vs. staying put and enjoying a night at the Ironmasters Hostel. As I couldn't seem to make a decision I finally donned the backpack and began walking to the intersection where the decision would be forced. When I came to the intersection I just couldn't force myself to backtrack south even though it was only .2 miles so I began the northward journey to the Tagg Run shelter (since renamed, but I can't remember the new name). Before leaving the state park boundary, I passed Gypsy who was in the final stages of preparing her pack for the same northward jaunt. About a mile north I reached the official halfway mark of the trail between GA and ME and stopped briefly to sign the trail register and snap a photo. Gypsy caught up to me there, so we shared the brief moment of joy and sorrow that we had successfully reached the halfway point, yet we were sorry it went by so fast. Soon, I left Gypsy behind as I resumed a quick pace, reaching the shelter around 7:30 p.m. Inside the shelter I met Thrill Bill, a Fort Worth, TX retiree who was picking up his northward journey where he left off two years ago in his unsuccessful thru-hike attempt. Soon Gypsy arrived, then Thru-Thinker and The King followed suit. After dinner Gypsy and The King retired to their respective tents while Thru-Thinker and I listened to our personal radios in the waning light. Soon I was fighting sleep while listening to a medley of tunes. Finally I fumbled for the off switch and quickly drifted off to sleep. Here are today's stats: low 65, high 90. Sunny and humid. Today's mileage: 24.6; cumulative mileage 1,089.6.
