It was going to be a beautiful day. And we passed the 500 mile marker! Well, there isn't any sort of marker, but we came to the landmark at 502 and realized we could sing the song... La da dat daaaahhhh! La da dat daaaahhhh! Lun dudda dun dadda dun dadda dun dadda dun da dah... It was a great feeling of accomplishment and such a great place to enjoy.
We made it to the Old Orchard shelter for a lunch break (beautiful), and a guy named Dwayne hustled in 20 minutes afterwards. Apparently, Dwayne had never hiked before, but he had left April 28 and was pounding out 30-40 miles a day since starting. He was crushing this trail! (and he could totally pass for Joe Dirt's cousin...)
After lunch, we all took off on our own pace for the next 14 miles. I was feeling really really good, the flowers were blooming, and I wasn't far behind the boys. Achilles the Red was somewhere ahead of all of us. We had planned to stay at the Trimpi shelter, which would've made it a 20 mile day.
About a mile before I got to the shelter, I heard some strange noises up ahead. It sounded like someone was beating a tree with a wooded stick. Real loud. Then it stopped. As I got closer, I assumed someone was breaking wood or something, but no one and nothing was around. I stopped on the trail to listen and soon realized that a tree 10 feet up the hill from the trail was creaking - like as if it was coming down. Yikes! I ran ahead as small creaks and snaps continued. Found a safe distance and figured out which tree it was. In my first week I had wondered if any of us would see a tree fall in the forest. I knew that I was a few seconds from witnessing this very event! My phone was dead (which is why I'm so behind on the blog) and my camera memory card was filled up yesterday. I had no way to record it, so I stood there and watched it happen. Less than a minute after passing it, the tree (about 2 feet in diameter...?) fell right across the trail in a giant thump. It took out two small trees, too. Wow. I walked over to it after I figured all was settled and cleared space on my camera to take an [unexciting] "after" photo. No one was around!
I left to meet everyone at Trimpi with wide eyes and an extra spring on my step. What a cool thing to witness! Got to the shelter and told my story to about 10 hikers. They were kinda wowed too. Xan, Neutron and Achilles the Red were going to push on another three miles to a bonfire someone had heard about. I was game. Left five minutes later.
Got to the road and there really wasn't a bonfire going. But there was an old guy named Loon there with two friends. (Mom - I met Loon!) This guy has walked the trail a few times and was mentioned in the book On the Beaten Path. He was pleased that I'd heard of him and shared Ginger snaps and peanuts with us.
Our new plan was to camp as soon as we found a decent space. We walked a bit and thought about one spot. Then we decided to keep going to find something better. Then we all thought about the next shelter, seven miles away from the road we'd just passed. The next shelter was Partnership and you can order pizza to get delivered there. We stopped at the next possibility for a campsite and made the collective decision to go for it at Partnership. We weren't sure what time the delivery stopped, but we could probably get there by 9:30pm if we hustled. And it would be a 30-mile day. Xan and Achilles the Red took OFF. Neutron and I shouted our orders as they began their 6 mile sprint (they weren't actually running, but they're both very fast). Neutron and I were kicking it in gear, too, because we knew it would be dark before we got there.
Long hike. Good thing the hills weren't too bad. We had pizza on the brain... Oh, and this shelter has a shower! Coldish water, but very do-able.
The next hour+ was a blur. Neutron stubbed his toe twice (he was walking in his Tevas) and I was afraid he'd lose it, but we made it there by 9:20. Achilles got there at 9:05!!?! He and Xan had ordered three pizzas, cheesy bread and soda, and the place didn't close till ten. We'd made it!!
Gorged on pizza, and I took a coldish half shower. Goofed off with a bunch of fun kids we'd caught up with, including Chopsticks. He's hiking for charity: www.joegrubb.com. Very cool.
Great day. 500 miles. Gorgeous landscape. Big miles. Pizza. Fun friends. Good times...
(30.6)
-- Posted from the trail...
Location:Partnership Shelter
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