My friend Jimmy, aka Flip, showed up to hike the Great Smokey National Park with me. We hiked the length of the park, some 72 miles, in 4 and 1/2 days, beginning well after noon on Monday and hiking out to a shuttle to get him to his car on Friday.
The first day was chilly, very windy, but at least it was sunny. On the second day the wind didn't quite, nor the elevation gain. Soon enough we hiked through swirling snow! But we still had good views - as well as making miles to Big K less than 2000!!
We stumbled into a shelter after 18 hard miles through snow and wind, over mountain tops - to find the shelter crowded with over 20 people. I set up the tent and we slept well. The group at the shelter was slow moving, doubtful we would see them again. The next day I crawled out of the tent to see a bear run past. Later we talked with a turkey and scared a wild boar away. The day turned clear as we acheived the highest mountain on the AT. We had a nice lunch and 11 more miles to go! After yogi-ing some water from a very nice couple we crossed Newfoundland Gap, as we did the sky clouded over suddenly and rain let loose! Torrentially. We put our rain gear on and climbed the 1000+ feet up to the shelter, the rain petering off as we arrived. Again the shelter was packed! We setup the tent just as night fell on a 21 mile day.
The next morning we wanted an early start, as I completed putting the tent away and Flip got water, the sky opened up again, this time with hail, gale force winds and lightening. We ran with our gear in disarray to the shelter and waited an hour for it to abate. This day rained multiple times, as well as hailed golfball- sized hail at one point. The Smokey's were testing us! The trail is just a stream, and poorly designed that. We arrived earlier this time and had room at the shelter. I made sure everyone that arrived had room in that shelter, we easily fit everyone from the last shelter plus a few more, 20+ people. But on a foggy wet night that loomed I couldn't be ok with turning people away!
The next, and last day, began with fog and dripping trees. Maybe another all day sogger? We left very early, wanting to make it out of the Smokey's! We made great time, by the third small climb the sun broike through. As we began plunging from 6000 feet to under 2000 the day warmed the sun broke free and it became a great day! We made 18 miles by 3:30pm! I'd called earlier from the top of a mountain and got a shuttle lined up for us at the I-40 highway.
We got shuttled to Hot Springs, a town I will be hiking thru in a few days. From there we drove to Asheveille. There are buffets, cheap hotels, and an REI I can return my ineffectual gaitors to!
All in all the past week has been a great adventure. My body is changing, I can see I have lost weight. My legs are much stronger. I have had some knee pain and shin pain - but nothing to slow me down much. The countdown to Virginia is on! Soon I'll be close enough for Cara and other's to come see me with some regularity!
Until next time!
-Johnny Walker
(that's right, I have a Trail name)
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Update
I've been on the Trail for 10 days - taking a zero today. This is my first time in town since the start. Having a great time and not really missing the internet that much!!
I have plenty of hand-written notes from my adventures so far. Needless to say I've been exposed to amazing people, great views, Trail Magic, and awesome times. I will be posting some of these highlights as days go by, but probably not regularly until I hit Hot Springs on the other side of the Smokies - I've been putting down the miles and staying out of towns!
I have plenty of hand-written notes from my adventures so far. Needless to say I've been exposed to amazing people, great views, Trail Magic, and awesome times. I will be posting some of these highlights as days go by, but probably not regularly until I hit Hot Springs on the other side of the Smokies - I've been putting down the miles and staying out of towns!
Pura Vida!
Arrival
Cara and I flew out of Reagan airport from DC after staying at my friend Jon's house. We had a a connecting flight in Miami that my parents joined us on out of Nashville. Together we all flew into San Jose Costa Rica and waited for a bit for Cara's parents to join us. We headed over to the rental car place and learned that the quoted price was off by half. There was mandatory insurance that more than doubled the expense of the cars. We decided to reduce the cost a bit by getting 2 economy cars rather than the SUV we were originally going to use. The car with my name on it was a POS! Things literally hanging off the car.
All hungry, and a bit mad at the rental process, we stopped at a place right down the road for a bite to eat. It was typical Costa Rician food, though not a very good rendition of it. After getting confused with Colones we figured out the bill and headed out of the Central Valley.
Costa Rican drivers are, to an American, completely insane. The pass without qualm. They merge with no blinker. They beep to thank you. And they don't get mad. There's no anger or short temperedness. People aren't yelling out windows or flippin the bird. They just GO! I felt harried and frazzled not being used to it. My dad was getting angry and driving a bit aggressively in response to their style of driving. After a few turns we got on a toll road and made good time out of the mountains. We stopped at a Fruiteria and got some awesome mangos, a red fruit with a spiky exterior, and some pina. On the journey to the house we missed the turn to get the key, turned around and found the place, we eventually made it successfully to the house, tired worn and ready to be out of the car!
The house is fantastic. There is an infinity pool in the back, a very large open living space, small - but well stocked - kitchen, 3 master suites, and a (unused by us) computer room. Cara and I got the up-stairs suite, as we didn't mind running up and down the stairs.
Jim, dad, and I went across the street to get some bottled water and beer in Esterillos Oeste. We found the grocery store after being unsure if the dirt road in lead to anything.
Saturday
We woke to no water in the house. This became an on going issue, though it really hardly bothered me at all. An afternoon dip in the pool and pool water to flush was all we needed. I won't continue with daily updates on this. Apparently one family living here blamed the cows escaping from the next property over on stomping the water line. The property operators said it was more likely a recent earth quake. Either way they had to dig up the street, find the leak, refill our cistern. We had water back on on Thursday, our Costa Rician 'camping' expirience.
We didn't have a plan for the day to begin with, so we decided to go to the closest big town araound - Jaco. Also billed as one of the premier tourist towns in the country. We parked on a dirty busy road, and walked around town. There is a Red Lobster as well as some other American chain restaurants. After we all exchanged money into Colones we walked down to a dirty beach and ended up at a highly recommended Soda - Soda Flor. I enjoyed my plain meal, but the others were not terribly impressed. It didn't help that the loud music blaring was throwing a discordant vibe into the meal.
We went next door and picked up some grocery supplies. All of us hated Jaco and were quite ready to get out. We traveled back south towards Esterillo and stopped at an ocien view over-looking Jaco. The distance made the town prettier. We also checked out some macaws hanging out in the trees above us. We pulled into the beach of Esterillo and walked the beach. My dad knew there was a Geocache up the beach and we went beyond the giant mermaid statue in the surf to find my dads first international cache! He was very excited to leave some travel bugs and take some too. After the cache we stopped and had a beer at Lowtide Bar, run by some Americans.
We heard there was a man named Rafa: Father of the Monkeys that was supposed to take people on a boat ride to Damas Island, a mangrove studded peninsula. Cara called Rafa and he is a VERY odd guy on the phone, messing with Cara and giving her the run around, but in a friendly, though obstinent way. We reserved 6 spots for 8:30am the next morning.
Sunday
My parents went to Sunday Mass in Esterillos Oeste as Janet, Jim, Cara, and I went in search of the Father of the Monkeys. We were to meet him at a gas station almost an hour south, just north of Quepos. Rafa was waiting. He sent us across the street to get some coffee from a place called Rancho Leon, we were so impressed with the people and the nice setup we decided we would come back for lunch.
All others of the group had since arrived, so we followed Rafa to the boat launch, just down a gravel road just up from the gas station. We all climbed into a flat bottomed boat and set off up the estuary. We saw many birds around, on the shores and flying about. Once we got close to one particular shoreline Rafa started yelling 'Come on babies!!' As well as some stuff in Spanish. Not seeing the monkeys he turned into a narrow track up into the mangroves. On our way I saw several 'Jesus lizards', known for their ability to run across water. Towards the end of the waterway the troop made itself apparent in the tree tops. We were excited to catch a glimpse of the monkeys. Little did we know that they would soon get woed to clamber onto and into the boat. One licked banana from Janet's hand.
The monkeys were fantastically cute and well mannered. They came and said HI and grabbed a few bananas. One monkey urinated on his tail and twirled his tail, getting pee on me - symian pee is a first! After awhile we motored around the mangroves some more, spying a baby crocidile on a mangrove root. After an enjoyable few hours, Rafa brought us back to the cars.
We went to Rancho Leon and had a great lunch before heading back to the house and arriving at the same time they did after church concluded.
After a few hours we went and had dinner by the ocean at Esterillos Este in a resort called Del Mar.
Monday
We woke with the plan to first go to Rainmaker, a hiking trail with swinging bridges, and then going to Manuel Antonio afterwards. Rainmaker was a very nice walk, about 2.5 miles, much of the time up in the tree tops walking on cable bridges suspended between trunks. the place didn't have too many people there and we enjoyed an unhurried pace through the Preserve. The cable walkways were sometimes 100's of feet in the air, swinging gently as you crossed. They did a good job though, enclosing the bridges so those with a fear of heights weren't put off by the extreme height. We saw a couple poison dart frogs, beautifully colored green and black, we saw leaf cutter ants carrying their treasures along little ant highways, and lots of lizards. I jumped in a swimming hole below a waterfalls at the end of the hike, refreshing!
Manuel Antonio is closed on Mondays, which we hadn't put into our planning, so instead we walked the town and shopped around, though we bought nothing but a coconut for it's milk.
Since we'd eaten out twice the day before, we decided to get some more groceries at the Maxi Pali, owned by Walmart.
Tuesday
We got a late start, not really knowing what to do next, and not knowing what everyone else might want to do. I decided that we could go north to Carara National Park and check that out. This was our only other excursion, besides the first day to Jaco, that we went north from the house - everything is south and everything keeps getting better the more south you go.
We first stopped right before the Rio Terrcoles bridge, since we heard crocidiles liked to gather there. We parked across from a policia checkpoint and walked along a narrow concrete strip onto the bridge. Traffic zoomed by a few feet away. Occasionally sections of the bridge had bent or broken railings. Half way across I could see a log that may have been a croc. As we got closer I saw it was indeed a croc. Surrounded by 1 or 2 buddies. During a lull in traffic we crossed to the otherside and were amazed by the crocidiles sun drying on the sand bar on that side. The size of these dudes was amazing. I have never seen them this big. A few probably reaching beyond 15 feet in length. There are pictures, but I doubt they will do justice to these massive beasts!
After crossing the bridge completely we found several little shops selling the same trinkets as was in Man.Ant. the day before; it's like they all use the same supplier to get their wares! Same carved frogs, same wood place mats, same art work. All of it is not even made in CR. I kept looking for something unique, but hadn't stuck upon it yet.
We walked back across the bridge and got back in the cars and headed south a couple kms to the Carara park visitor center. The park isn't too impressive, though they told us about a boat tour to feed the crocs - I was the only one that thought that could be fun! - and about a few km long hike through the forest. Being really hot out we all consensused to not go for a hike, but keep that in mind for future activity. We never came back, and I reckon we didn't miss too much.
We drove south a ways from Carara to Playa Herradura and Los Suenos resort. From what I had read the resort changed the coast line in the area and was the premier resort in the country, costing $40 million to make. It was exactly as I expected, almost like a little pool of the US abroad. Golf course, sweeping palm lined cobble streets, fake waterfalls rushing down faux-cliffs, every blade of grass manicured. We wound our way through this opulence to the marina with public parking and shopping. The shopping area was an open air mall with a few restaurants and not really all that much to see. We strolled along, taking our time to kill some time and finally after quickly exhausting the area decided on a late lunch at the Italian food restaurant. I got more Costa Rician 'typical' food.
After eating we drove around to Playa Herradura proper outside of the resort. Many locals gathered here, and it felt much more real the the contrived falsness of the resort. Jim, Janet, Cara, and I decided to walk down the beach to see if we could get on to an island. My parents decided to drive on and see some other stuff on their own. We walked along way down this gray-sanded beach (much cleaner than Jaco) but didn't make it to the island before reaching some to slippery to cross rocks so we headed back. From here we drove south some more to Playa Hermosa, and its black sand beach. We parked at a hotel and walked through pool side to the beach, much more relaxed here, no guards no gates. We watched some kids surfing as the sunset behind a bank of clouds throwing out one last brilliant shard of light.
Wednesday
We got up very early to hit Manuel Antonio before the day got too hot or the park too crowded. We parked at the cul-de-sac at the end and a guide we spoke to on Monday became our guide for the park. At first we were leery of whether or not we would need a guide. Cara and I were leaning towards not needing one. It turned out to be good to have one, as Henry carried a high-powered telescope on a tri-pod, and he had the eyes of long practice to see many sloths of 2 varieties, frogs, beehives, crabs, 3 kinds of monkeys, coati, toucan,and even a black squirrel. We would have walked right by a lot of these critters or, had we seen them, it would have been a distant and unclear view. This park is dripping with animals! And the beaches are over the top amazing! Most places had very rough surf and gray or black sand. This beach had white sand backed by turquois water and very gentle wave action. At the end of the tour the girls decided to sit on the beach, Jim decided to head back to the car, and my dad and I do an extra hike around Cathedral Point. My dads motivation a cache, mine the joy of walking! There were good views, and not too many people, after almost an hour of walking through Primary forest we made it to the end of a loop with one lone monkey taking a nap right over our heads.
We headed back down one last long beach to a shallow driver crossing of no more than 6 inches, there were several boats ferrying people across for a few Colones, but we just waded. If there is a way to make money here, even the smallest unexploited nitch, people step up to do it! Industrious people.
On our way out towards Quepos we stopped at a restaurant that had a large airplane as its center piece with a bar inside of it. Cara Janet and I walked up to a small art store and browsed while the others looked at the great view and sipped on some Cokes. we ordered appitizers once back, the calimari was so good, best I've ever had!
We got back in the cars with the destination of Dominical, somewhere south of us. We'd heard it was a nice little town but we didn't take that to heart as much as we should've. Of all the places around I liked Dominical the best. The town parallels the main road on a dusty gravel lane. To the right the ocean waves pond the shore. The scene of the town was great. Everyone was friendly, the town quaint but with enough to make it interesting. The art was good, Cara bought a mask. We spoke to several Americans that had setup shop in town, this is where the hippies come to play. The coffee shop and yoga place were run by roommates, the information desk was operated by an American girl that spoke fluent Spanish. Down on the beach a hippy grass market, selling all the typical tourist trinkets, was setup. Hostels abounded in the town. If I were to come back to CR to do some hosteling, this is the destination!
Before leaving, the chick at the info center called Rafa for my parents and he gave her the same run around as he had to Cara this time to someone speaking his language! Too funny.
Thursday
My parents went down to see Rafa. We set out shortly after to see some things before meeting them for lunch at Rancho Leon. First we drove to Playa Payo Seco just south of Parrita and found it to be a highly of the beaten path stretch of beach mostly known of by the locals. We saw nothing worth stopping for so drove as far as we could and headed back to the main drag. Being Holy Week and a national holiday most businesses were closed up tight, but there were a couple places opened in Quepos, one being an art gallery with lots of original local paintings. I found 3 to bring home! One, mostly green, jungle and mountain scene that I just loved, and 2 small very colorful ones that I think work well as a set that Cara also enjoyed. Jim and Janet purchased a nice oil painting as well. We setup a zip line for Saturday as well.
After meeting my parents for lunch we cam back to Si Como No (sure, why not) a hotel, resort, restaurant, and tour booking agency. There was one little blurb in Lonely Planet about an eco-tour in a mountain range close by. It sounded interesting to me as it was off the coast, and so probably much differnt than other things we had been doing. Everyone else seemed open to it, so we wanted to check out pricing and package deals. Si Como No is the most beautiful hotel I've seen here. Perched high on a ridge over looking Man.Ant. and the Pacific it is placed steeply on a hill so all the accomodations are up and down winding stairs. The architecture is fantastic as was the breeze. In addition to the place itself being fantastic, the package deals were good too. If we went and did the Santa Juana villiage to do hiking, horse back riding, waterfall swimming, fishing, and eating local food we could package it with a zip line course on our way for deep discounts. We decided to do this and paid up right then. My parents decided to opt out of the zip line course, but do the rest.
I should say, Rafa worked some magic on my parents. They were giddy with the joy of playing with monkeys. One perched on my moms head for a photo. But I bet she wasn't lucky enough to get peed on!
After booking at Si Como No we stopped at a place called La Hacienda, a restaurant we heard was good, and there was another art gallery there. We didn't go in the reataurant but when we got there we saw a couple squirrel monkeys crossing a rope above the road. I heard tittering coming from the back of the place and peeked through to see many moneys climbing in the trees. We all went back there and a guy handed out a few bananas and the monkeys with babies on their backs came down and mobbed us and robbed us of our fruit!
We headed back to the house for an early evening since we had to set alarms for 5am the next day to make the tour at Si Como No.
Friday
We arrived with plenty of time before our guide, Amelio, showed up to take us on the tour. We climbed into a 4x4 and headed into the palm oil plantation. The dirt road was good condition and fairly smooth, crossing over several very sketchy bridges until we came to some river fords that the bridges had washed out. The road became rougher as we got past the palms and into the foot hills. Soon enough we came to the zip line tour. There was also a butterfly garden there to occupy my parents as we zipped through the forest. We did one very short zip across a stream and then we did a walk uphill to where the course actually began. The guides pointed out cinnamion and other spices, as well as different types of trees, such as the walking palm - a descendent of the Ents.
The zip line course was a lot of fun and I always felt safe. The guides always made sure we were clipped in at least one place before pushing us down the line. The tarzan swing and the rappels were the most adreniline pumping to me, the zips were great but I just enjoyed them, didn't get my heart pumping quite as hard. We were many stories up, traipsing among the tree tops. The good natured guides showed us a great time.
Once back to the beginning we climbed back into the back of a pickup truck and started going up into the mountains, there were no longer foothills! At one point we were stopped by a Catholic procession doing the stations of the cross. Soon enough we reached the sugar cane mill and we stopped to watch how the locals used oxen to mill the cane. We also got to chew on cane and drink the freshly milled product. Next we went for a 45 min hike down through the forest seeing bats and lizards and learning about many of the folk remedies of the local flora. At the end of the hike we came to a waterfall and swimming hole. Cara, Jim, and I jumped of the 21 foot high ledge into the pool. Bad-ass Janet had to show us up by jumping off the 45 ft ledge! This was something on her bucket list she got to check off though! She's braver than I!
After we swam around for a bit the 6 of us plus the 2 guides walked over to a tilapia fishing pond and tried our hand at hooking one. Jim got one quickly. And I kept feeding the fish with my bait, but not snagging one!
Next we got on horses. Storm clouds seemed to be gathering just over the mountains and the guide was pushing us to get done, I think. We got done and saw no rain though. The horses carried us up a very long and steep hill to the actual villiage of Santa Juana near the peak of a mountain with a panoramic view of the ocean the mountains and Manuel Antonio. We had the best typical Costa Rician food yet. And drank (and bought) coffee that was grown in the garden around us. A spectacular finish to an awesome tour. This was THE highlight of the trip. A completely wonderful time in the mountains of C.R. We made it back to the house a few hours later weary and sore, but no worse the wear; everyone was happy with the day.
Saturday
My parents left, as their flight was leaving at 1pm. Traffic was supposed to be bad between the coast and San Jose, even worse for us the next day. We planned on leaving even earlier.
Cara and I flew out of Reagan airport from DC after staying at my friend Jon's house. We had a a connecting flight in Miami that my parents joined us on out of Nashville. Together we all flew into San Jose Costa Rica and waited for a bit for Cara's parents to join us. We headed over to the rental car place and learned that the quoted price was off by half. There was mandatory insurance that more than doubled the expense of the cars. We decided to reduce the cost a bit by getting 2 economy cars rather than the SUV we were originally going to use. The car with my name on it was a POS! Things literally hanging off the car.
All hungry, and a bit mad at the rental process, we stopped at a place right down the road for a bite to eat. It was typical Costa Rician food, though not a very good rendition of it. After getting confused with Colones we figured out the bill and headed out of the Central Valley.
Costa Rican drivers are, to an American, completely insane. The pass without qualm. They merge with no blinker. They beep to thank you. And they don't get mad. There's no anger or short temperedness. People aren't yelling out windows or flippin the bird. They just GO! I felt harried and frazzled not being used to it. My dad was getting angry and driving a bit aggressively in response to their style of driving. After a few turns we got on a toll road and made good time out of the mountains. We stopped at a Fruiteria and got some awesome mangos, a red fruit with a spiky exterior, and some pina. On the journey to the house we missed the turn to get the key, turned around and found the place, we eventually made it successfully to the house, tired worn and ready to be out of the car!
The house is fantastic. There is an infinity pool in the back, a very large open living space, small - but well stocked - kitchen, 3 master suites, and a (unused by us) computer room. Cara and I got the up-stairs suite, as we didn't mind running up and down the stairs.
Jim, dad, and I went across the street to get some bottled water and beer in Esterillos Oeste. We found the grocery store after being unsure if the dirt road in lead to anything.
Saturday
We woke to no water in the house. This became an on going issue, though it really hardly bothered me at all. An afternoon dip in the pool and pool water to flush was all we needed. I won't continue with daily updates on this. Apparently one family living here blamed the cows escaping from the next property over on stomping the water line. The property operators said it was more likely a recent earth quake. Either way they had to dig up the street, find the leak, refill our cistern. We had water back on on Thursday, our Costa Rician 'camping' expirience.
We didn't have a plan for the day to begin with, so we decided to go to the closest big town araound - Jaco. Also billed as one of the premier tourist towns in the country. We parked on a dirty busy road, and walked around town. There is a Red Lobster as well as some other American chain restaurants. After we all exchanged money into Colones we walked down to a dirty beach and ended up at a highly recommended Soda - Soda Flor. I enjoyed my plain meal, but the others were not terribly impressed. It didn't help that the loud music blaring was throwing a discordant vibe into the meal.
We went next door and picked up some grocery supplies. All of us hated Jaco and were quite ready to get out. We traveled back south towards Esterillo and stopped at an ocien view over-looking Jaco. The distance made the town prettier. We also checked out some macaws hanging out in the trees above us. We pulled into the beach of Esterillo and walked the beach. My dad knew there was a Geocache up the beach and we went beyond the giant mermaid statue in the surf to find my dads first international cache! He was very excited to leave some travel bugs and take some too. After the cache we stopped and had a beer at Lowtide Bar, run by some Americans.
We heard there was a man named Rafa: Father of the Monkeys that was supposed to take people on a boat ride to Damas Island, a mangrove studded peninsula. Cara called Rafa and he is a VERY odd guy on the phone, messing with Cara and giving her the run around, but in a friendly, though obstinent way. We reserved 6 spots for 8:30am the next morning.
Sunday
My parents went to Sunday Mass in Esterillos Oeste as Janet, Jim, Cara, and I went in search of the Father of the Monkeys. We were to meet him at a gas station almost an hour south, just north of Quepos. Rafa was waiting. He sent us across the street to get some coffee from a place called Rancho Leon, we were so impressed with the people and the nice setup we decided we would come back for lunch.
All others of the group had since arrived, so we followed Rafa to the boat launch, just down a gravel road just up from the gas station. We all climbed into a flat bottomed boat and set off up the estuary. We saw many birds around, on the shores and flying about. Once we got close to one particular shoreline Rafa started yelling 'Come on babies!!' As well as some stuff in Spanish. Not seeing the monkeys he turned into a narrow track up into the mangroves. On our way I saw several 'Jesus lizards', known for their ability to run across water. Towards the end of the waterway the troop made itself apparent in the tree tops. We were excited to catch a glimpse of the monkeys. Little did we know that they would soon get woed to clamber onto and into the boat. One licked banana from Janet's hand.
The monkeys were fantastically cute and well mannered. They came and said HI and grabbed a few bananas. One monkey urinated on his tail and twirled his tail, getting pee on me - symian pee is a first! After awhile we motored around the mangroves some more, spying a baby crocidile on a mangrove root. After an enjoyable few hours, Rafa brought us back to the cars.
We went to Rancho Leon and had a great lunch before heading back to the house and arriving at the same time they did after church concluded.
After a few hours we went and had dinner by the ocean at Esterillos Este in a resort called Del Mar.
Monday
We woke with the plan to first go to Rainmaker, a hiking trail with swinging bridges, and then going to Manuel Antonio afterwards. Rainmaker was a very nice walk, about 2.5 miles, much of the time up in the tree tops walking on cable bridges suspended between trunks. the place didn't have too many people there and we enjoyed an unhurried pace through the Preserve. The cable walkways were sometimes 100's of feet in the air, swinging gently as you crossed. They did a good job though, enclosing the bridges so those with a fear of heights weren't put off by the extreme height. We saw a couple poison dart frogs, beautifully colored green and black, we saw leaf cutter ants carrying their treasures along little ant highways, and lots of lizards. I jumped in a swimming hole below a waterfalls at the end of the hike, refreshing!
Manuel Antonio is closed on Mondays, which we hadn't put into our planning, so instead we walked the town and shopped around, though we bought nothing but a coconut for it's milk.
Since we'd eaten out twice the day before, we decided to get some more groceries at the Maxi Pali, owned by Walmart.
Tuesday
We got a late start, not really knowing what to do next, and not knowing what everyone else might want to do. I decided that we could go north to Carara National Park and check that out. This was our only other excursion, besides the first day to Jaco, that we went north from the house - everything is south and everything keeps getting better the more south you go.
We first stopped right before the Rio Terrcoles bridge, since we heard crocidiles liked to gather there. We parked across from a policia checkpoint and walked along a narrow concrete strip onto the bridge. Traffic zoomed by a few feet away. Occasionally sections of the bridge had bent or broken railings. Half way across I could see a log that may have been a croc. As we got closer I saw it was indeed a croc. Surrounded by 1 or 2 buddies. During a lull in traffic we crossed to the otherside and were amazed by the crocidiles sun drying on the sand bar on that side. The size of these dudes was amazing. I have never seen them this big. A few probably reaching beyond 15 feet in length. There are pictures, but I doubt they will do justice to these massive beasts!
After crossing the bridge completely we found several little shops selling the same trinkets as was in Man.Ant. the day before; it's like they all use the same supplier to get their wares! Same carved frogs, same wood place mats, same art work. All of it is not even made in CR. I kept looking for something unique, but hadn't stuck upon it yet.
We walked back across the bridge and got back in the cars and headed south a couple kms to the Carara park visitor center. The park isn't too impressive, though they told us about a boat tour to feed the crocs - I was the only one that thought that could be fun! - and about a few km long hike through the forest. Being really hot out we all consensused to not go for a hike, but keep that in mind for future activity. We never came back, and I reckon we didn't miss too much.
We drove south a ways from Carara to Playa Herradura and Los Suenos resort. From what I had read the resort changed the coast line in the area and was the premier resort in the country, costing $40 million to make. It was exactly as I expected, almost like a little pool of the US abroad. Golf course, sweeping palm lined cobble streets, fake waterfalls rushing down faux-cliffs, every blade of grass manicured. We wound our way through this opulence to the marina with public parking and shopping. The shopping area was an open air mall with a few restaurants and not really all that much to see. We strolled along, taking our time to kill some time and finally after quickly exhausting the area decided on a late lunch at the Italian food restaurant. I got more Costa Rician 'typical' food.
After eating we drove around to Playa Herradura proper outside of the resort. Many locals gathered here, and it felt much more real the the contrived falsness of the resort. Jim, Janet, Cara, and I decided to walk down the beach to see if we could get on to an island. My parents decided to drive on and see some other stuff on their own. We walked along way down this gray-sanded beach (much cleaner than Jaco) but didn't make it to the island before reaching some to slippery to cross rocks so we headed back. From here we drove south some more to Playa Hermosa, and its black sand beach. We parked at a hotel and walked through pool side to the beach, much more relaxed here, no guards no gates. We watched some kids surfing as the sunset behind a bank of clouds throwing out one last brilliant shard of light.
Wednesday
We got up very early to hit Manuel Antonio before the day got too hot or the park too crowded. We parked at the cul-de-sac at the end and a guide we spoke to on Monday became our guide for the park. At first we were leery of whether or not we would need a guide. Cara and I were leaning towards not needing one. It turned out to be good to have one, as Henry carried a high-powered telescope on a tri-pod, and he had the eyes of long practice to see many sloths of 2 varieties, frogs, beehives, crabs, 3 kinds of monkeys, coati, toucan,and even a black squirrel. We would have walked right by a lot of these critters or, had we seen them, it would have been a distant and unclear view. This park is dripping with animals! And the beaches are over the top amazing! Most places had very rough surf and gray or black sand. This beach had white sand backed by turquois water and very gentle wave action. At the end of the tour the girls decided to sit on the beach, Jim decided to head back to the car, and my dad and I do an extra hike around Cathedral Point. My dads motivation a cache, mine the joy of walking! There were good views, and not too many people, after almost an hour of walking through Primary forest we made it to the end of a loop with one lone monkey taking a nap right over our heads.
We headed back down one last long beach to a shallow driver crossing of no more than 6 inches, there were several boats ferrying people across for a few Colones, but we just waded. If there is a way to make money here, even the smallest unexploited nitch, people step up to do it! Industrious people.
On our way out towards Quepos we stopped at a restaurant that had a large airplane as its center piece with a bar inside of it. Cara Janet and I walked up to a small art store and browsed while the others looked at the great view and sipped on some Cokes. we ordered appitizers once back, the calimari was so good, best I've ever had!
We got back in the cars with the destination of Dominical, somewhere south of us. We'd heard it was a nice little town but we didn't take that to heart as much as we should've. Of all the places around I liked Dominical the best. The town parallels the main road on a dusty gravel lane. To the right the ocean waves pond the shore. The scene of the town was great. Everyone was friendly, the town quaint but with enough to make it interesting. The art was good, Cara bought a mask. We spoke to several Americans that had setup shop in town, this is where the hippies come to play. The coffee shop and yoga place were run by roommates, the information desk was operated by an American girl that spoke fluent Spanish. Down on the beach a hippy grass market, selling all the typical tourist trinkets, was setup. Hostels abounded in the town. If I were to come back to CR to do some hosteling, this is the destination!
Before leaving, the chick at the info center called Rafa for my parents and he gave her the same run around as he had to Cara this time to someone speaking his language! Too funny.
Thursday
My parents went down to see Rafa. We set out shortly after to see some things before meeting them for lunch at Rancho Leon. First we drove to Playa Payo Seco just south of Parrita and found it to be a highly of the beaten path stretch of beach mostly known of by the locals. We saw nothing worth stopping for so drove as far as we could and headed back to the main drag. Being Holy Week and a national holiday most businesses were closed up tight, but there were a couple places opened in Quepos, one being an art gallery with lots of original local paintings. I found 3 to bring home! One, mostly green, jungle and mountain scene that I just loved, and 2 small very colorful ones that I think work well as a set that Cara also enjoyed. Jim and Janet purchased a nice oil painting as well. We setup a zip line for Saturday as well.
After meeting my parents for lunch we cam back to Si Como No (sure, why not) a hotel, resort, restaurant, and tour booking agency. There was one little blurb in Lonely Planet about an eco-tour in a mountain range close by. It sounded interesting to me as it was off the coast, and so probably much differnt than other things we had been doing. Everyone else seemed open to it, so we wanted to check out pricing and package deals. Si Como No is the most beautiful hotel I've seen here. Perched high on a ridge over looking Man.Ant. and the Pacific it is placed steeply on a hill so all the accomodations are up and down winding stairs. The architecture is fantastic as was the breeze. In addition to the place itself being fantastic, the package deals were good too. If we went and did the Santa Juana villiage to do hiking, horse back riding, waterfall swimming, fishing, and eating local food we could package it with a zip line course on our way for deep discounts. We decided to do this and paid up right then. My parents decided to opt out of the zip line course, but do the rest.
I should say, Rafa worked some magic on my parents. They were giddy with the joy of playing with monkeys. One perched on my moms head for a photo. But I bet she wasn't lucky enough to get peed on!
After booking at Si Como No we stopped at a place called La Hacienda, a restaurant we heard was good, and there was another art gallery there. We didn't go in the reataurant but when we got there we saw a couple squirrel monkeys crossing a rope above the road. I heard tittering coming from the back of the place and peeked through to see many moneys climbing in the trees. We all went back there and a guy handed out a few bananas and the monkeys with babies on their backs came down and mobbed us and robbed us of our fruit!
We headed back to the house for an early evening since we had to set alarms for 5am the next day to make the tour at Si Como No.
Friday
We arrived with plenty of time before our guide, Amelio, showed up to take us on the tour. We climbed into a 4x4 and headed into the palm oil plantation. The dirt road was good condition and fairly smooth, crossing over several very sketchy bridges until we came to some river fords that the bridges had washed out. The road became rougher as we got past the palms and into the foot hills. Soon enough we came to the zip line tour. There was also a butterfly garden there to occupy my parents as we zipped through the forest. We did one very short zip across a stream and then we did a walk uphill to where the course actually began. The guides pointed out cinnamion and other spices, as well as different types of trees, such as the walking palm - a descendent of the Ents.
The zip line course was a lot of fun and I always felt safe. The guides always made sure we were clipped in at least one place before pushing us down the line. The tarzan swing and the rappels were the most adreniline pumping to me, the zips were great but I just enjoyed them, didn't get my heart pumping quite as hard. We were many stories up, traipsing among the tree tops. The good natured guides showed us a great time.
Once back to the beginning we climbed back into the back of a pickup truck and started going up into the mountains, there were no longer foothills! At one point we were stopped by a Catholic procession doing the stations of the cross. Soon enough we reached the sugar cane mill and we stopped to watch how the locals used oxen to mill the cane. We also got to chew on cane and drink the freshly milled product. Next we went for a 45 min hike down through the forest seeing bats and lizards and learning about many of the folk remedies of the local flora. At the end of the hike we came to a waterfall and swimming hole. Cara, Jim, and I jumped of the 21 foot high ledge into the pool. Bad-ass Janet had to show us up by jumping off the 45 ft ledge! This was something on her bucket list she got to check off though! She's braver than I!
After we swam around for a bit the 6 of us plus the 2 guides walked over to a tilapia fishing pond and tried our hand at hooking one. Jim got one quickly. And I kept feeding the fish with my bait, but not snagging one!
Next we got on horses. Storm clouds seemed to be gathering just over the mountains and the guide was pushing us to get done, I think. We got done and saw no rain though. The horses carried us up a very long and steep hill to the actual villiage of Santa Juana near the peak of a mountain with a panoramic view of the ocean the mountains and Manuel Antonio. We had the best typical Costa Rician food yet. And drank (and bought) coffee that was grown in the garden around us. A spectacular finish to an awesome tour. This was THE highlight of the trip. A completely wonderful time in the mountains of C.R. We made it back to the house a few hours later weary and sore, but no worse the wear; everyone was happy with the day.
Saturday
My parents left, as their flight was leaving at 1pm. Traffic was supposed to be bad between the coast and San Jose, even worse for us the next day. We planned on leaving even earlier.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Drawing Nigh
Time grows short...
The day I have been waiting for is finally here, and so it rushes at incredible speed....
I still need to show Cara how to find me using the SPOT, road maps, and Google maps. I need to ship the first box. I still need to go to Costa Rica for ten days before hiking the Trail. Oh, have I not mentioned that? Yeah, it was going to be a trip to bond with each other, Cara and I, but then we decided to see if our parents also wanted to go. So we have a party of 6. I am finally getting my mom out of the country to become a world traveler!
On Wednesday I had one last beer with some co-workers/friends at Kloby's BBQ joint in Columbia. On Thursday after work the dog goes to a friends house, and then go to another friends place much closer to the airport for the evening.
The disparity between the two vacations will be shocking, but also needed. I want to completely unwind in C.R. - no planning, no worrying, no nothing. Some light hiking, good food and wine and beer, good company. Then come back and drive to GA with my brother and into the Wild I will go, he leaving me on the shores of this adventure. It seems to be rushing to me rather quickly, after how slow the last month has been, this is suddenly hurdling toward me at break-neck speed. This is the point where I begin to second guess things. Have I remembered everything? Will I be able to handle it?
Each night as I lay in bed I try to capture and appreciate just knowing Cara is gently sleeping close by, all I need to do is reach out and feel the warmth of her body. Soon it will be a missed feeling, a memory that I will be hiking towards, a future I will again be looking forward to.
Costa Rica has been in the works for 6 months. But beyond reading Lonely Planet and reserving a house, and a car I haven't done too much thinking about it. Come what may. I know it will be great. An adventure, and lots of fun. However it is mostly over-shadowed by the anticipation of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I will be surprised and happy by the things that happen in this region of the world. I will take many brilliant pictures and I will blog about this trip and give one final trip report that isn't related to hiking the AT for awhile. Trip report forth coming!
The day I have been waiting for is finally here, and so it rushes at incredible speed....
I still need to show Cara how to find me using the SPOT, road maps, and Google maps. I need to ship the first box. I still need to go to Costa Rica for ten days before hiking the Trail. Oh, have I not mentioned that? Yeah, it was going to be a trip to bond with each other, Cara and I, but then we decided to see if our parents also wanted to go. So we have a party of 6. I am finally getting my mom out of the country to become a world traveler!
On Wednesday I had one last beer with some co-workers/friends at Kloby's BBQ joint in Columbia. On Thursday after work the dog goes to a friends house, and then go to another friends place much closer to the airport for the evening.
The disparity between the two vacations will be shocking, but also needed. I want to completely unwind in C.R. - no planning, no worrying, no nothing. Some light hiking, good food and wine and beer, good company. Then come back and drive to GA with my brother and into the Wild I will go, he leaving me on the shores of this adventure. It seems to be rushing to me rather quickly, after how slow the last month has been, this is suddenly hurdling toward me at break-neck speed. This is the point where I begin to second guess things. Have I remembered everything? Will I be able to handle it?
Visions of being on a lonely wind-swept mountaintop, alone, in the face of a roaring storm, with no one to share the experience with is rather daunting. Undaunted, part of me - most of me - craves it. I want to stand tall, back straight, smile on my face despite difficulties, and shout into the gale that I am strong enough to withstand, that the strength I find in myself to complete this journey will pull me through any hard times I stumble into on the other side of this hike; my reinforced strength of Will can also bolster those around me that may need a shoulder to lean on.
Each night as I lay in bed I try to capture and appreciate just knowing Cara is gently sleeping close by, all I need to do is reach out and feel the warmth of her body. Soon it will be a missed feeling, a memory that I will be hiking towards, a future I will again be looking forward to.
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| Words of Wisdom from a Loony Bin |
Costa Rica has been in the works for 6 months. But beyond reading Lonely Planet and reserving a house, and a car I haven't done too much thinking about it. Come what may. I know it will be great. An adventure, and lots of fun. However it is mostly over-shadowed by the anticipation of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I will be surprised and happy by the things that happen in this region of the world. I will take many brilliant pictures and I will blog about this trip and give one final trip report that isn't related to hiking the AT for awhile. Trip report forth coming!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Hiking the Appalachian Trail is Selfish
Most times when I go camping I have gone with others. Either as a group or with one or two others. I definitely enjoy the smaller the group. I plan accordingly, the larger the group the less miles the more waiting around pointlessly (from my POV, to them not pointless!). I am really looking forward to hiking solo. I want to wake when I want to wake, start hiking early and go until I want to stop. I think I will get more miles and push myself further and at a more appropriate speed.
Despite this I am so looking forward for friends to come and visit and hike with me. Jimmy is meeting me and hiking with me for 8 days through the Smokies. Dan is meeting me during the second week of May to hike for a couple weeks through Greyson Highlands in Southern Virginia. At that point I will be within range for Cara to come visit and hike on some weekends (most I hope!!). Even further along, Anthony will hopefully join me along the Blue Ridge or in Shenandoah for a few days. Then I expect Jim to come out for a weekend or two in Northern VA, MD, and Southern PA.
I will often have people come see me - with plenty of alone time in between. This way I can throttle my hike. Hike early and long while I'm alone and have a much more relaxed pace when I get visited.
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| One really slow guy would try and get in front of everyone after every break and then not move over to let you pass |
Back to the group mentality - I hear a lot of people becoming part of a group when on the Trail and beginning to hike with people. I have no intention of this. I like interacting with groups, and I hope to see the same people night after night at the shelter area, and even passing or being passed by the same characters. But I won't come to depend on others. I feel like this limits me and compromises my ability to make my own decisions and Hike My Own Hike. When part of a group, I put the group first, meaning the slowest and most in pain. That is my nature. If I'm committed to the group, then everyone is important within that group. This is good for many situations, but that is not the point of this trip. I am hiking the Appalachian Trail for myself. I've already come to the conclusion the the AT is a very selfish endeavor. It is the ultimate 'doing for oneself' and ignoring the exact wishes of loved ones. I have a T-shirt that says it all: 'It's All About ME' (ME is inside the state of Maine and the postal abbreviation of the state). I have been selfish before, but in a defeating way. I have, for several years now, turned that around and been positive, but I also had this underlying want to do something completely for myself in a good way. And I love Cara so much for being able to support me in this. I can't wait to support her in whatever selfishness 'for her only' thing comes upon her during her life! All that being said, I don't want to be apart of a group that limits me, or makes me do for someone other than myself. (I will help a hiker in need if I come upon one. I will give food, moral support, or even carry their pack... to the nearest road!)
When my friends come out and visit I will be catering to them, because I want to share this adventure with them. I want to share my love of nature and the outdoors. And I will NEED the support and promise of seeing people I care about out there. I will be looking for other people to build relationships with while out there as well. I will be open to making life-long friends. I want to care, and already do, about people that are out there already, even if they don't know it. I'm rooting for these people I may never meet to win thru!
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| Small groups with good people are VERY fun! |
Group dynamics are an odd thing as well. I often sit back and observe, and participate, but I normally try to be on the outskirts of a group with interaction with one or two people. Even while leading I do this. When groups divide and sides are taken I try to stay aloof, I do not want the drama. Some people crave drama as they crave the air they breathe! These people will create drama where there should be none. This class of people aren't bad people, they don't even know or realize that they do this intentionally and seemingly maliciously. I have seen it time and time again. Especially in the backpacking Meetup group. I figure even socially awkward people want to be part of groups, but for whatever reason, push people away. They go to these Meetups, and clash with other people that might be hard to be around, just like them. The Appalachian Trail is a very much solitary adventure. I perceive that those hikers able to hike and sleep alone do better and have a better chance of winning. I have read and seen some people on the Facebook AT page already get off because they can't be alone. One, D~, went with several people and the group split up the first day of the Trail - obviously the dynamic was discordant. D~ immediately attached herself to another guy that turned out to be nice and pack her pack and forget to put her cookset in it. Of course this was his fault so she said some mean things about him and ditched him. And immediately attached herself, post-haste, to yet another person. She gets lost going pee in the middle of the night and, according to her, would've wandered to her doom had it not been for her new friend. Soon after she quits the Trail. Promising to herself, and to anyone who will listen, that she will be back next year with a friend that will stick with her. I would like to see a study done on those that hike, an 'entrance poll' and a 'exit poll' of some kind, that asks some questions to get to the center of a hiker psychological profile. I feel the self-reliant are much much more likely to climb the other end, and the needy drop quicker than a ripe apple on a windy autumn day! This of course excludes injury, family, or monetary issues that can face any hiker on the Trail.
One guys' blog has him gushing. "I love it" "I hiked further than I thought" "This is awesome" That is the mentality to have, and the reason to be out there. Because the Appalachian Trail is such a selfish endeavor you shouldn't bother to be out there if you aren't loving most of it! Be selfish, don't be out there for anyone but yourself. On a hard day, use the disappointment others will feel in you to stay out there; ultimately that shouldn't be the deciding factor of staying out there, just a reason to follow the "Rules of Quitting"
Rules of Quitting:
1. Never quit on a gray day2. Never quit on a rainy day
3. Never quit on a very hot day
4. Never quit until you have that same decisive feeling for seven days in a row
5. Never quit in town!
6. Take a couple zeroes, eat lots of calories
7. Hike a few 5-mile days and see if that makes a difference
8. Your over-active brain is not always your friend on the trail
9. Never quit because people are passing you
10. Never judge any one else's decision to quit or hike on
- Borrowed from a former Thru Hiker
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| I will miss this |
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| And this |
Monday, March 12, 2012
Up Up and Away!
Deal!
Cara and I went to REI attic sale and I found an MSR Hubba Hubba 2P tent for $50! The tent is damage free. After first thinking to have Cara bring it with her when she comes and visits, I made the call to replace my one person Mountain Hardware Sprite 1 for the MSR. I made this decision despite the tent being probably a bit less than a pound heavier. The fabric, itself, is the same or lighter, however the poles account for a bit more weight. What prompted my decision was the ability for the tent to be free-standing, and the ability to take down or setup the tent rain-fly first. Even in torrential downpour I will be able to keep the inside of the tent relatively dry. And being free-standing I can carry less stakes, and set it up on platforms, or hard surfaces. I also like the idea of having a $330 tent for $50 - to prove to myself that the Trail can be hiked economically with "second-hand" gear. I returned the Sprite and foot-print and got Cara a Osprey pack that we fitted for her. The Aura 50 is a great pack, and it fits her very well. I can't speak more highly of Osprey.
To try and justify the extra pound I went through my pack item by item and weighed the pros and cons and rid myself of over a pound of things I probably won't need, including: 2 smaller sections of rope, 4 tent stakes, half of the chamois towel, long under pants, a mesh bag, 2 caribeaners, my Reactor sleeping bag liner, and the small funnel part of the Steripen pre-filter (I have wide mouth water bottles, so it's extraneous). I am at the bare minimum of what I am willing to take, everything else will be used or should be kept for emergencies. My sleeping bag is rated for 15 degrees, I have a down vest and extra pant and long sleeve shirt, if I'm chilled I can put on all my layers, and some other tricks I know to keep warm - I am beginning 'late' and won't run into weather colder than 15 at night, I will be surprised if I see that temperature. If I regret this, the next town will get my money for additional gear, it's in the budget.
I weighed my pack with all my gear and 3 days of food, it comes in at 33 pounds, add water to that to 36 pounds. A bit on the weighty side, but it will get better when I am firmly in summer time and I can switch out some gear. The first mail drop at Mountain Crossings with 8 days of food is going to be a tough slow climb up the next few mountains. I will definitely be eating the heavy meals right out of the gate - maybe 3 dinners on the first day and Clif bars for dinner later in the week!
Up in the Air!
Cara flew a plan this weekend. We went to Potomac Airfield with a Google Offers coupon and, as she has always wanted to pilot a plane she sat up front. I sat in the back enjoyed the view. On the distant horizon I could see the mountains I will soon be on! Oh how those Appalachians call to me!
Cara did very well, and enjoyed herself, she flew around in circles within sight of the US 301 bridge over the Potomac river. The day was clear and sunny and perfectly calm, we really couldn't have asked for a better day to be up there. After we landed we went and hung out with a couple friends, Anthony and Liz, in Alexandria since we were so close.
We are keeping busy between now and when I leave for the Trail. Our time grows short and the ache of missing her is already there even though I'm with her. It's great that she has been so understanding of my special form of insanity! I will be looking forward to the day that the Trail leads me close enough that she can come and visit me easily - somewhere around where 64 hits 81 north to NY is not too far a distance for a weekend visit.
Cara and I went to REI attic sale and I found an MSR Hubba Hubba 2P tent for $50! The tent is damage free. After first thinking to have Cara bring it with her when she comes and visits, I made the call to replace my one person Mountain Hardware Sprite 1 for the MSR. I made this decision despite the tent being probably a bit less than a pound heavier. The fabric, itself, is the same or lighter, however the poles account for a bit more weight. What prompted my decision was the ability for the tent to be free-standing, and the ability to take down or setup the tent rain-fly first. Even in torrential downpour I will be able to keep the inside of the tent relatively dry. And being free-standing I can carry less stakes, and set it up on platforms, or hard surfaces. I also like the idea of having a $330 tent for $50 - to prove to myself that the Trail can be hiked economically with "second-hand" gear. I returned the Sprite and foot-print and got Cara a Osprey pack that we fitted for her. The Aura 50 is a great pack, and it fits her very well. I can't speak more highly of Osprey.
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| My new home |
I weighed my pack with all my gear and 3 days of food, it comes in at 33 pounds, add water to that to 36 pounds. A bit on the weighty side, but it will get better when I am firmly in summer time and I can switch out some gear. The first mail drop at Mountain Crossings with 8 days of food is going to be a tough slow climb up the next few mountains. I will definitely be eating the heavy meals right out of the gate - maybe 3 dinners on the first day and Clif bars for dinner later in the week!
Up in the Air!
Cara flew a plan this weekend. We went to Potomac Airfield with a Google Offers coupon and, as she has always wanted to pilot a plane she sat up front. I sat in the back enjoyed the view. On the distant horizon I could see the mountains I will soon be on! Oh how those Appalachians call to me!
Cara did very well, and enjoyed herself, she flew around in circles within sight of the US 301 bridge over the Potomac river. The day was clear and sunny and perfectly calm, we really couldn't have asked for a better day to be up there. After we landed we went and hung out with a couple friends, Anthony and Liz, in Alexandria since we were so close.
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| Pilot Cara |
Friday, March 2, 2012
Sign of the Times
Cara and I went with Kaya on a 7.5 mile hike around a lake. Apparently the only hiking trail of any length here in St Mary's County! It was a fun trail, lake on our left at most times, and bogs at our feet. Much of the trail had puddles and crossed many streams. At the start of the trail, I found this:
The trail around the lake was also blazed white. So I could feel like I was on the Appalachian Trail already. The spring Peepers were out in force, deafening in one spot. We knew the frogs were in the pond in front of us, but could not see a single one, the noise emenating from the grasses and water. Further along on the trail there were frogs eggs in a puddle in the trail, I'm rooting for those little guys to make it back up into the trees! We didn't see anyone for the first 5 miles, so I suggested we break a cardinal rule and allow the dog off leash just to see how she would react. She freakin' LOVED it. The sheer joy she had to run circles around us, jump in every puddle, and sniff out every bit of excrement in the area made her one happy pooch. She listened very well and came when called. Seeing the happiness on her face makes me understand a bit better why people so often let their dogs off lead. I don't agree with it if there is even a chance encounter with other people. When she comes and visits on the AT she will be kept on the leash, but on the back few miles of a lake with no one else around late-afternoon on a Thursday, it was fine and fun.
We Found Winter
Last week end Cara and I drove up to Ridgway Pennsylvania to go to the Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous. We got to the dog-friendly Comfort Inn the night before and went to sleep fairly early. The next morning we went to the next town over to see my brother. Over night snow had fallen and was still falling, from 70 degree weather the day before in Maryland to below freezing temps in 'Up-State' PA - what a shock!! The event coordinators shafted my brother and the couple other carvers where he was placed. He was on the out-skirts of town over a bridge, down by the river, in his old Dodge van. The only commonality these carvers shared was that they were sleeping in their vehicles. All the other carvers got preferential treatment. Cara and I walked the town after catching up with my big bro. There were many people wandering around the town despite the cold harsh conditions. Had he been over there he would have sold out his stock. I was surprised, though, seeing many of the other carvers that seemed amateur, not too surprised, that he still made fairly good bank, despite being in BFE. There were some amazing carving there also. One carver had carved a horse so life likfe, the muscles rippled, the mane seemed to be stirred by the wind. The piece transcended carving to sculpture. The event ran the gambit, from sculptors to people that just picked up a chainsaw.
It was good to see Kevin and support him, I hope he appreciated it. It's a tough business he's in, and he really does do some lovely pieces.
We left Sunday as it was warming back up. Winter really has skipped Maryland. We have flowers coming up and blooming, and the tree out front will be blooming probably tomorrow! Spring is here, and I can't wait to walk north with it!
Preparation Updates
I have all my gear squared away, I have checked and triple checked my drop boxes. I have all the money I need saved. I have time off from work and a job waiting when I get back. Fortunately all my planning for the trip is done, now it's just waiting. I am taking four certification exams for work between now and when I leave, give my company one last boost as to why to want to keep me around! Plus it'll keep me occupied for the next month to study and pass all these tests!
Gear pictures for your enjoyment:
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| The Sign of the Times!! |
We Found Winter
Last week end Cara and I drove up to Ridgway Pennsylvania to go to the Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous. We got to the dog-friendly Comfort Inn the night before and went to sleep fairly early. The next morning we went to the next town over to see my brother. Over night snow had fallen and was still falling, from 70 degree weather the day before in Maryland to below freezing temps in 'Up-State' PA - what a shock!! The event coordinators shafted my brother and the couple other carvers where he was placed. He was on the out-skirts of town over a bridge, down by the river, in his old Dodge van. The only commonality these carvers shared was that they were sleeping in their vehicles. All the other carvers got preferential treatment. Cara and I walked the town after catching up with my big bro. There were many people wandering around the town despite the cold harsh conditions. Had he been over there he would have sold out his stock. I was surprised, though, seeing many of the other carvers that seemed amateur, not too surprised, that he still made fairly good bank, despite being in BFE. There were some amazing carving there also. One carver had carved a horse so life likfe, the muscles rippled, the mane seemed to be stirred by the wind. The piece transcended carving to sculpture. The event ran the gambit, from sculptors to people that just picked up a chainsaw.
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| Over the river, not quite thru the woods. And more signs! |
We left Sunday as it was warming back up. Winter really has skipped Maryland. We have flowers coming up and blooming, and the tree out front will be blooming probably tomorrow! Spring is here, and I can't wait to walk north with it!
Preparation Updates
I have all my gear squared away, I have checked and triple checked my drop boxes. I have all the money I need saved. I have time off from work and a job waiting when I get back. Fortunately all my planning for the trip is done, now it's just waiting. I am taking four certification exams for work between now and when I leave, give my company one last boost as to why to want to keep me around! Plus it'll keep me occupied for the next month to study and pass all these tests!
Gear pictures for your enjoyment:
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| Compressed clothing bag |
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| The tent |
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| Slack pack bag/bear bag and food bag |
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| El Packa |
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| Ground pad |
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| Toiletries |
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| Flashlight |
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| Steripen - needs a better case so the button isn't randomly pressed |
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| Pocket Rocket |
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| 'Mess-kit' add salt shaker to this |
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