07:45. Hikers who Make This Journey Worth Taking
It doesn’t take long to realize that the norm when you meet a new hiker is to determine their trail name, how they got that name, which way they are going and for how long and then if you see them for more than a moment in passing the rest of life….. children, spouse, career path, family secrets…. you know the normal stuff.
Well meeting these three changed the formula. As near as I could tell they are friends who met on the trail in the past and now meet up to hike sections. On the left is Jason who is known as Fallout because he works for a nuclear agency, in the middle is Serge who is known as Long Legs because of his hiking speed. On the right is Alex who is known as Chili because on his first hike he brought five cans of chili. Serge needs a new trail name because he has one of the most rapid response humorous quick wit repertoires on the planet. Between the three of them the banter was constant and humorous. No one was safe from satirical humor and it was all shared without one blow. It began with Serge bragging about Jason bringing them needed supplies, then a comment about what would have happened if he had failed to the thought that they might have had to resort to cannibalism, to you can’t pick me because I smoke so I’m toxic, to they needed to find someone with a sweet personality. I don’t know where they went the next morning but I was still laughing with them when I left camp the next morning.
09:01. This is Going to be Rocky
09:23. Kinter Overlook
As you can tell the views are not as dramatic as earlier on the hike but when you are hiking in deep foliage all day any view is worth checking out.
13:45. Let Me Tell You about Rocks!
Occasionally you get faked out and think that the rocks will thin out but then ….. bammmm! You’re once again among continuous rocks. At least on this one there are steps.
13:57. Looks like the Days of crystal Clear Springs Might be Gone
I’m not sure if this is because someone just dug the spring head out or not. I ran up on one other one just like it a few miles up the trail.
14:43. As noted
I pushed hard on this day and ended up logging 18.1 miles. The shelter was about 0.2 miles off of the trail and when I got there there were two hikers already there. Curious George and a new fellow who said that he was Just Gordon. Just Gordon was a talker. Actually he was a machine gun talker and I was craving silence so I took my gear about 1,000 feet further to set up my tent. I did return to get water and to cook at the shelter and it was at this time that Free Fall arrived. I met her a few miles back. She was doing a flip flop solo and had begun in Front Royal, Virginia. She was about to set her tent up when it began to rain. She ended up in the shelter. She said that she had only fallen twice but both were things of beauty. As for me it was the best night of sleep yet. Maybe the 18.1 miles had something to do with it. I knew that the next day I’d be more than ready to “hike on.
Wanderings With Wayne 
It was an honor to meet you Defib. Hike on! Fallout
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I very much enjoyed meeting all three of you! A very entertaining time on the trail. Hunkered down in a motel out of the rain in Middletown, NY at this time. Tomorrow will be soon enough to “hike on”.
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