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July
19, 1983 Tuesday (961.6 mtg) From
Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal
Inspired
by last nights announcement by Mark and Marcel's plan of getting
up before light and hiking as soon as you were able to see, we all
decided to do the same in hopes of hiking the majority of the miles
in the morning and then relaxing as the afternoon heat set in. We
got up at 4:30 am and I set out with Mark and Marcel, but soon Marcel
and I dropped back as Mark moved out. My knee was still giving me
some problems, so I began popping aspirins in large amounts in hopes
of relieving the pain. Marcel said his ankle was hurting as well.
Was the rock monster responsible for this? Would it claim another
two victims? Time would tell.
Three miles beyond the shelter, I stopped at Pulpit Rock, which
provided a good view, but for some unknown reason, I passed on the
view from the Pinnacle two miles later. The Pinnacle was only 80
meters off the trail, it wasn't that far. The heat must have gotten
to me and impaired my judgment. The trail began a long five-mile
descent toward the town of Ekville from that point. Just after the
Ekville road crossing, I encountered a rattlesnake on the road in
front of a local ladie's residence. I killed the snake, which she
was grateful for, and cleaned the reptile using water from her garden
hose. She gave me a bottle of rubbing alcohol to put the skin in
to preserve it until I was able to send it home.
The trail then went back up to the crest of Blue Mountain, and followed
it once again. I passed on the side trail to Hawk Mountain, a place
I would like to see during the hawk migration, and continued on
to Allentown Shelter. I bopped into the shelter early (as expected),
and walked the long, but fortunately not steep or too rocky path
to the spring to stocked up. I filled the water sack that I carried
so I would not have to return tomorrow morning before setting out.
After everyone else arrived, I fried up the snake and its large
size allowed everyone to have a piece. That evening Mike showed
up and brought a case of beer, and then decided that he would meet
us again at the next shelter tomorrow, with a real picnic. A large
group of youngsters came by and camped somewhere near the spring.
Much later some southbounders stumbled in accompanied with the sound
of clanking bottles of beer, and woke everyone up. They had been
drinking at the Bavarian Inn that we would pass in the morning.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
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