[at-l] Intriguing journal entry

[Ryan Crawford]

I couldn't resist this under the circumstances.  Hopefully, the person mentioned, in particular, will forgive me for this, LOL!!!!!  Sorry, I can't help it.  I didn't get chased out of very many shelters by another hiker...in fact, I think it only happened once.

And yes, I did pretty much a 'factually' based journal versus a touchy-feely based journal when I thru-hiked.  Quite often I wrote in it as things came to me so at times things can seem a bit confusing/out of order.  I tried my best though.  I'm coping it straight from my journal even though where the particular hiker in question doesn't live in FL or MA anymore he had recently moved from MA to FL, or was it the other way around.

March 10, 1997

I woke up about 7:15AM and got on the trail about 9:15AM.  It was an easy day with fairly flat hiking compared to the hike up from Amicalola.  Long Creek Falls was very nice.  Kinda wish I would have spent more time there.  I should of went on instinct and not emotion.  I had decided to continue on with Mala instead of staying at the falls.  I got to the shelter around 1:00PM and found four college girls out on spring break from Susquehana College in PA.

Briar another would be, 63 years old from Connersville, IN.  Another couple came in, Doctari, from Cincinnati.  He is a real character, 42 years old, with 9 days off from work and he decided to come out even though his family didn't want him to.  A while later, Trip, from Charleston, WV and a '96 thru-hiker, Gutsy, came in.  About 4:00PM Quiet Bear came in.  A few minutes later in walked Easy Strider and Wiseguy.  Easy Strider was from around Pigeon Forge, TN.  He's a retired army man.  His wife wanted him to only hike to Harper's Ferry.  He asked her if she wanted to put up with the same 6 months of training and hiking again next year.  She agreed that he should get it out of the way all at once.

About 6:30PM two more hikers came in and went down near the water to camp out for the night.  After supper Trip, Quiet Bear, Mala and I sat around the campfire until 9PM and chatted.  It definitely was a different experience.

We finally attempted to hit the hay about 9PM.  The only problem was Slyman, from MA(now living in FL), snored louder than anybody I've ever heard.  He came into the shelter with Doctari.  Doctari is a paramedic.  Wiseguy, Quiet Bear and I kept laughing and poking fun at Sly until about midnight when Quiet Bear and I got up and went outside to sleep.  Wiseguy left about 1-2AM.

After another nice day, 70 degrees and partly to mostly cloudy, fortunately the evening ended with clear starry skies.  Mala says the locals hate this weather.  When it gets and stays like this their is going to be a big change.  Mala says he's always heard and seen that there are 2 major cold snaps that last 2 to 3 days a piece in the spring.  One is after the dogwoods bloom and the other is after the black berries bloom.


March 11, 1997

I got up at the 6AM wake up bell.  The bell created by the voices of Sly, Gutsy, Doctari and Trip when they decided to start talking and complaining to each other at an hour before any normal individual would even think of getting up.  The talk in the shelter was of nothing but how loud Sly snored.  Doctari and Trip started warning that Bear, who they was hoping would make it to the shelter that night, snored three times louder...............

MEANT 2B
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