Well, many of you heard about the nor'easter that worked its way up the coast late last week. We thought we'd share a snippet of our week with you by giving you a picture of our life last Saturday--during the worst of the storm--so you can glimpse the magic of this experience, even on what started out as a less-than-pleasant day.
Saturday morning we awoke to the sound of freezing rain hitting our tent, dreading the thought of cooking breakfast in the rain. We decided to pack up and hike a couple of miles with the hope of finding an awning to cook under in Pine Grove State Park. Within an hour of hiking we were content cooking under the awning of the park bathrooms (our standards were thrown out the window long ago). After a bowl of warm oatmeal, we commited to taking on the thru-hiker tradition of eating a half gallon of ice cream at the half-way point of the trail, usually attempted at the Pine Grove Park Store. We arrived a few mintues before the store opened and encountered two men waiting. They asked if we were there for coffee too, we quickly replied, "No, ice cream!" which was followed by a chorus of laughter, including ours. Little did they know at that moment we were serious. After a few minutes of conversation, they discovered we were thru-hikers and were intent on eating ice cream despite the cold weather (ice had formed in the gutters of the store at that point). Amazed, one of them instantly insisted on buying our ice cream and the second, a newspaper reporter for his local Florida paper, asked to share and document the experience with us.
The eating began...shortly followed by the shivers. Bite by bite however, we finished our half gallons. While neither of us broke any time records, the store owner did agree that we completed the challenge in the worst weather in memory. In addition to taking away our official "Half Gallon Club Member" wooden spoons, we got a great memory out of it.
Several miles down the trail, we officially crossed the half-way point (mile 1089.1) and continued on our way as the first snowflakes began to fall. We kept moving to stay warm, intent on staying at a shelter. As we encountered several Scout troops, we kept our fingers crossed that we would find room at our destination. Thankfully, not only did we find an empty bunk, but also a warm fire, around which a dozen middle school boys gathered. Their leaders continued the trail magic of earlier in the day, giving us a bag of extra granola bars and hot macaroni and cheese following our first dinner. We spent the night enjoying the company of the boys (most of whom were amazed and inquisitive about our adventure) and the fascinating authoritarian nature of their leaders.
We awoke in the morning to a fresh coating of snow, thankful for making it through a rough stretch of weather, the increasing blue sky, and the memorable experiences of the previous day.
Our newly posted photographs document the dramatic shifts in weather that we've had.
http://picasaweb.google.com/emily.dolci/PennsylvaniaMarylandWestVirginia#
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