Trail finds

I love mayonnaise and Jo likes port-a-pots.

Upcoming presentations in Minnesota

 As usual, I am up to no good!  The following presentations are happening in Minnesota:

Thursday, March 13 at 6:30pm - Hiking the Great Eastern Trail at Moose Lake Elementary School

Thursday, April 10 at 7:00pm - Introduction to Backpacking at Moose Lake Elementary School 

Thursday April 17 (apparently I like Thursdays) at 7:00pm - Hiking the Great Eastern Trail at Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis. (Expedition Room)

Saturday, May 3, afternoon - Planning an Overnight on the Superior Hiking Trail &

Hiking the Great Eastern Trail at the Superior Hiking Trail Annual Meeting, Wolf Ridge ELC.

(THIS IS AN AWESOME EVENT.)

More news coming soon. . . including news about the next GET hiker heading to Flagg Mountain!

-Jo

A migrating rock

Today, while hiking in Pennsylvania, Bart found a rock about half a meter long and a third of a meter wide. It was perfectly flat.

"Wow!" he said, "This is quite a find!"

I remained unconvinced. Although northern Pennsylvania is not rocky compared to southern & central PA, rocks are far from extirpated.

I said, "I will give you a dollar if you carry it to New York."

It went into his pack.

Gnats

OK gnats I'm ready! What do you call a group of gnats: flock? Grouping? Gathering? Pride? I just call them annoying. Why or is it the same bunch that follow me for miles or do they have some sort of gnat relay?

Bart's Elevation Profile Lament

I'm gonna walk up a 1000 foot mountain
Feel like I'm gonna die
Then I'm gonna walk right back down that mountain
Hang my head and cry
Cause I'm walking up another 1000 foot mountain
Scratch my head and wonder why
That I'm walking back down that mountain
Just to get to the other side
-Bart

Skittles

There are few foods in life I have taken for granted, but one of those precious few has been ripped away from me.

I have always enjoyed the tangy congealed high fructose corn syrup of Skittles. As a child I favored the flavor with red #40, but as I matured, so did my taste buds. Soon, I most yearned for the combined taste of yellow #5 and blue #1. LIME!

And now it is all over. Gone. Lime has been replaced by sour apple. SOUR. APPLE. This is an abomination and an insult to my taste buds and my humanity.

Please, Skittles, reverse this folly.

PS. We have been in the woods too long.

Stone Mountain

My view atop the raptor viewing platform vs. Jos on the Standing Stone Trail. HillBillyBart

On second thought we could double our money if Jo sold Slinkys at the bottom and I sold marbles at the top.

PA --> KY --> PA

Today it is Bart's turn to bid farewell. He found these socks in Kentucky, left by a group from Pennsylvania who had an unfortunate evening on the Pine Mountain Trail.

Unable to find the owner in PA, Bart will be properly disposing of them in Mapleton's garbage can.

They made it home.

Purple Pen

Today my purple pen died on me. It has come 1300 miles, chronicling every day. It was a good pen, faithful and true, working in freezing temperatures and hot. For 900 miles I have carried a backup, expecting mine to run dry. I am sorry I had so little faith in you, purple pen. I am sorry you will never see New York.

Ice cream!

Happy Hiker!

Roadside stop

Full on HoBo. Canned beef in its own juices for me and veggie soup for Jo. What trail magic or mistake. Stay tunned!

Birthday Bart

Today was my birthday. I woke up and went for a hike. Along the way was a store that sold beer and pizza. The hike ended early.
HillBillyBart

On to San Francisco!

Out of cell service for last 3 days. That is why the calm smile. Jo made me a dandelion head band. Looks cool but don't soak up sweat like a bandanna.

Evening on the Bluestone

My view for the night. Bluestone River. My view for the evening of the Bluestone River. The Spam is oven roasted turkey! I know- I'm spoiled.
HillBillyBart

(Jo got the SPAM in the mail a year and a half ago from her sister-- thanks, Jes!)

Pippi

Jo celebrating her car "Pippi" starting. I unfortunately don't have a pic of her disappointing reaction of its demise.

Bigfoot!

Thanks to TuGuNu prez Tim for a lesson on Wyoming County wildlife. 

Remembering Alabama

"I am only one, but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but still I can do something."
-Helen Keller

"I cannot do everything, but I can attempt to not die in an Alabama snowstorm." -Jo

Friends rock.

My friends Tina and Anna were apparently at Cloudland Canyon when we were.  Tina says, "I totally didn't know that you were there too."  Miss you girls! 

Bart discovers a hammock

This was in Alabama, and I had a hunch that I should film this.  I like his caw of victory.