AnniBirsary Month of May

31 May: Merry May has run away. All too soon it's June. Rain is forecast for the first two days of June. Ron found two hungry hikers and fed them a hearty meal besides donating Aqua Mira for their water treatment as they continue hiking the Long Trail. Ron is working on the giant puzzle Okie brought him. Hiking at one PM won't happen because the rain won't quit.

30 May: Delightful breakfast conversation with Fancy Feet & wife & two attractively dressed Long Trail through hiker girlies followed by a six mile hike round trip through Gifford Woods. Oh, boy, the rains came after dinner. Ron wrote a script to repair a computer glitch while Cynthia progresses reading a book a day thanks to IBook on her IPad.

 -29 May: Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Twisted is in Massachusetts already or soon. Several others should be app4oaching. "Orange Crush" is in the 100-mile wilderness, and it is time for Cynthia and I to hike today. We hiked nearly to the ski run today, but Cynthia's left foot is still painful. The ankle brace helped for a while, but then became part of the problem. Ron is quite puzzled that his stream-bed maintenance is not withstanding the flood of leaf debris on the trail this year.

28 May: Imagine ! Cynthia has been seen by the Orthopod for her sprained ankle, scheduled physical therapy starting next Friday, eaten another good breakfast, and dropped by Thundering Falls to see them fully falling after yesterdays several downpours. Next up is to hike although rain is predicted at 1 & 2 today. Ron has the notion that he can reposition loose rocks to impede water flow and soften the trail (and has begun that project). The cortisone injection into the top of the foot was indeed excruciating but thankfully brief and followed by immediate relief. We kept our hike to a minimum (the sinkholes) to avoid over-exertion on the treated foot. It seems peculiar that we've not met more hikers on the trail or at the Inn.

27 May: We are up at 8:30, breakfasted, and hiked sooner since thunderstorms are forecast to begin at 3 PM. It was another hike up the Sherbourne Pass Trail to the sinkholes. Cynthia's foot is again a problem, but we continue to thank God for whatever still works. Thankfully, family and friends in Houston are dry and safe amidst the devastating floods that have hit Texas. Ron is eager for the rain forecast to help him evaluate his stream-bed maintenance. The short hikes these last two days have been a blessing to his abused body; he has no good sense, and in the past, over-use of the rake has caused him severe and lengthy shoulder pains.

26 May: Another lazy morning although we did get to breakfast sorta early for us - 8:00. All we've accomplished by noon-thirty is that Cynthia has a 7 AM (?!!) appointment Thursday in Rutland to have her foot examined and Ron called Tanya at his storage locker in Illinois to find out the size check to write for the year's rent. Now we are again bellied up to the bar eating lunch prior to today's hike (which never got started; Ron was suddenly very tired at 2 PM and slept for an hour). Inobservant me just noticed the sign: "Irish Diplomacy: The ability to tell a man to go to hell in such a way that he actually looks forward to the trip." Another sign: "Beer: so much more than a just a breakfast drink." A late-afternoon trip into town got the check into the mail (Rutland pick-up is 6:30) and resupplied diet coke and French bread.

25 May: Where does the time go? This is our third night at the Inn at Long Trail, and things are mostly back to normal, although I did forget to leave a tip at breakfast today. The plan was to eat (we did) and then to hike up the Sherbourne Pass Trail. We did, but Cynthia's foot started complaining as we crossed the road, so we quit early, an easy day ... except that Ron decided to retrieve Murray's saw from the woods and hiked 2.5 miles uphill to resume trail maintenance until nearly dark. It is never exactly comforting to notice that darkness is increasing just as the first few raindrops fall. Cynthia had already eaten, so Ron returned the saw to Murray and asked to borrow his machete tomorrow.

Thundering Falls when not generating hydro-electric

24 May: Today's hike was a bit easier; we commenced at the lodge of Gifford Woods State Park and hiked across the new pedestrian bridge over the lovely small waterfall and along the wooded shores of Kent Pond past Mountain Meadows and through the pine forest to Thundering Falls (which was flowing well). By the time we returned to the Inn, we were both quite tired, and Cynthia's feet and back were complaining. As has become our routine, Ron applied Zheng Gu Shui and Voltaren with a gentle massage. Cynthia's back complained through the night, causing her to be easily awakened (i.e. Ron was unable to sneak out of bed early - not that he wanted to, his body needed the rest after excessive trail maintenance including removing several tree-sized branches that were blocking water flow and causing the trail to become a perpetual water-logged, boggy mess).

The Inn at Long Trail is below Deer Leap (those grey-white rocks)

23 May: 2 AM and Ron was sleepless, so he got up, Jetboiled coffee, and added Isopure chocolate protein powder. After shuffling paper for a couple of hours and organizing the junk we shipped to ourselves here, he returned to bed for a couple of hours. We arose earlier than usual because we wanted a longer hike and showed up for breakfast already by 7:35, greatly surprising Wannie and Pat; breakfast was excellent, as always. We hiked up the Sherbourne Pass Trail all the way to the ski run. The weather was great, and Cynthia's feet felt very good after the hike. We are hopeful that this is a continuing trend. (Sorry, no such luck, only temporary relief.)

22 May: Goodness but today was busy. Paulette made yet another lovely egg white veggie omelet, enlisting Ron's help only for determining when to flip it and for the actual flip. By 10:30 AM we were packed, goodbyed, and motorcycling. (Never mind that Ron missed a turn, Vt. Hwy. 125 skirted the lake for wonderful views.) When Ron noticed Basin Harbor Road, we turned north (to Cynthia's great puzzlement) until resuming our planned route 17 ride over the Green Mountains to highway 100 south, both lovely roads but with some rippled pavement in need of replacement, especially in turns. Although we could not remember the name, Sugar & Spice Restaurant was beckoning us to join them before 2 PM for another breakfast of egg white veggie omelets, this time with blueberry pancakes. At the Inn at Long Trail, Okie greeted us into our favorite room 17, and Owen proudly displayed pictures of newest son, Wesley. Ron first retrieved all three boxes from the Killington Post Office, so it was close to 4 PM when we commenced hiking up the Sherbourne Pass Trail and 5:03 when Cynthia stopped to rest at the sinkholes, delighted that her feet were substantially pain-free. A beaming Brogan waited on us at the bar, Reggie cooked blackened chicken served with Irish soda bread, and Murray is convivial as ever. Life is good, and we went to bed soon after 8 PM. We entirely forgot that Mt. Philo State Park opened today. DRAT, I REALLY wanted Cynthia to see the view despite her owie ankle & foot. Hopefully, a foot and ankle doctor will be able to inject cortisone to help relieve her inflammation.

We enjoyed lovely sunsets and sunrises over Lake Champlain

Lilacs near Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain from Button Bay Point

Gorgeous greens on this island

21 May: 5:30 AM the brainy puzzle addict is at work with the puzzle covering the dining table. Paulette invited us to eat breakfast at their dining table upstairs. We have thoroughly enjoyed this B&B with its fabulous lake view from the guest room bed. The amusing books about Vermonters brought us lots of laughter. "Nope and Yup and other Vermont Dialogues," "The Champlain Monster," and "Humorous Tales" by former governor Deane. By 3 PM the puzzle was complete, and we opted to ride to Shelbourne to see the museum - which closes at 5, so we contented ourselves looking at the books in the gift shop. The museum looks to be well worth visiting with fascinating collections of quilts, dolls, tools, circus, textiles, etc. Outside again, we essayed to walk around the museum and discovered the Bearded Frog, another recommended restaurant, but it did not appeal to us as much as the others.

20 May: The temperature is 45 with a real feel of 43 until 2:00 PM. Our lovely hostess brought Ron a marvelous puzzle, so he has been a busy boy, thoroughly enjoying hemself. Cynthia was working on DNA and edits until late afternoon when the temperature warmed enough for us to ride to Mt. Philo State Park. The park road to the top is not open until Friday the 22nd, so we walked most of the way up the mountain until Cynthia's foot became problematic. She sat while Ron finished uphill to enjoy the views of the Adirondacks. We stopped at the Starry Night Cafe on our return and enjoyed a delicious dinner before returning to the B&B to continue puzzling and DNA until "late."

19 May: Our five mile hike to the Button Bay State Park accidentally turned into a 10 + mile adventure in being lost. Thankfully, we discovered the Red Mill Restaurant, part of the iconic Basin Harbor Club. Michelle, the restaurant hostess, arranged for Erol, Jamaican, to drive us in the golf cart to Button Bay Point so we only had 3.5 mikes to walk back to the B&B. We slept very good!!! Cynthia's feet complained of abuse.

18 May: Button Bay Bed & Breakfast, on Lake Champlain, sounds wonderful - no fast food joints around. Cynthia's labs are done and we are packing to leave before noon. This ride was another pleasant one with several river crossings and lots of lake views. Eschewing the interstate, we continued east on NY highway 146 to old U.S. 4; this took us through Mechanicville and Schuylerville to Whitehall, where we picked up NY 22 to Ticonderoga, NY and into Vermont via NY 185 and Vermont 17 with an immediate turn onto Lake Road (lovely lake views) and Arnold Bay Road, arriving at the B&B around 4PM. Following Paulette's recommendation, we dined at the Black Sheep Bistro, nearby in Vergennes, NY. Their food was great, our favorite in the vicinity.- (This dash is the only way I've found to convince blogsie to leave a blank line.)

17 May, Sunday: Today we rode on many lesser roads to the Hilton Garden Inn in Clifton Park, New York, north of Albany. The GPS took us on some roads without a center stripe, some without two full lanes, and down a lane or two. It was a marvelous day. U.S. Highway 209 seemed to become Pennsylvania Highway 209 for quite a while before resuming as U.S. Highway; this was the best road of the day. The first unexpected turn was onto the Lucas Turnpike, county road 1 into Kingston. There was a surfeit of marvelous old homes/ mansions along Albany and Ulster Avenues. Pennsylvania 32 was also nice with a good road surface and lotsa twisties. In Saugerties, NY we took a right and stayed on U.S. Highway 9W parallel to the RR tracks, less appealing but faster, and found a great restaurant by noticing lotsa cars parked out front of the Pegasus Restaurant in Coxsackie, NY. Eventually we took a left on state road 81, Coxsackle Road. After a good dinner, we rejoined highway 32, crossed western Albany on Osborne Street (county road 154) and arrived at our destination without difficulty. All in all, we enjoyed our nice warm, dry, 150-mile ride through wonderful springtime forests and pasture lands.

16 May: At the Hampton Inn in Matamoras, PA, Ron has been enjoying being lazy in the mornings, sleeping instead of blogging, and today we didn't arise until 9:30 AM, breakfasted at Perkins next door, and were flabbergasted that 3 PM arrived so quickly. After being awed by the Raymondskill Falls in the Delaware Water Gap Nat'l Park, (I know Cynthia took pictures) we hiked briefly uphill (puffa puffa) on the cliff view trail but turned back when we heard thunder. Good thing too, as the rain dampened us and the motorcycle as we returned to Milford on county road 2001. We continued past the Hampton Inn to Two Rivers Grille and repeated our order for tilapia and salmon identical to last night. (The chef remembered us immediately.) Now Ron has figured routes and weather for tomorrow, so it is time for bed. Good Night.

15 May: After breakfast at the Midway Diner, we rode to the Blue Mountain Summit B&B on the AT at PA highway 309 and treated a hiker, Scout, to a luncheon hamburger. Imagine my amazement that he was too full for desert !! Cynthia did not care for the B&B, so we continued on to Lehigh Gap. This view did a lot to quiet Cynthia's fears of that trail. From there we stayed on smaller roads until joining U.S. Highway 209 into Delaware Water Gap. The Appalachian Trail actually crosses the Delaware on the I-80 bridge in Stroudsburg, so we overshot and ended up in Milford and Matamoras. It was too amusing in the Best Western parking lot to ride amongst dozens of formalled beauties on prom night. Upon recommendation from the Hampton Inn staff, we ate an excellent dinner at the Two Rivers Diner.

14 May: Here we sit at the Comfort Inn in Bethel-Midway Pennsylvania. We enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the Midway Diner. In between we rode to Port Clinton to pick up our bounce box. Post Office hours are 12:30 to 4:30 now, so we walked south on the AT through the Reading, Blue Mountain, and Northern railyards and up the stone steps to the bicycle path. It was then that we realized that we have no hiking poles !! (But Jim has promised to ship them to Vermont - and indeed, they did arrive.)

13 May: We didn't quite get to Port Clinton before the Post Office closed, so we opted to stay at a familiar hotel, the Comfort Inn, and eat at a familiar place, the Midway Diner.-

Four years already !!

I do, I do, I do -- Love you

Happy dancers

12 May, Happy Birthday to the love of my life. Happy Anniversary!!! I love you!!! Leave it to God to improve upon perfection.

11 May: Walt & Pam returned to Ohio, Me Beloved WeeFee returned to Ron.

10 May, Sunday: Jim & Joni led us on a delightful motorcycle ride on this highways of rural Maryland; beautiful.

9 May: I was first in line and Bob's did service the Beemer. Walter and Pam arrived from Ohio late afternoon.

8 May: Jim's birds certainly get noisy at 6:30 AM; we didn't experience that on the trail. Ron is awaiting the (hint, hint) phone call, but sorry to say, his cell pbone has no signal, so is turned off. We are still curious to hear from Rain about Sprinkle. First order of business today is order; Ron tried to pack up EVERYTHING prior to 2:30 PM when he ode to Bob's BMW for 48,000 mile service on the motorcycle.

7 May: Ron was up at 5:30 AM continuing with computer projects. Blog is nearly finished (unless Cynthia has posted more pictures); TrailJournals is nearly done although more remains on the voice recorder; receipts and product information is nearly up to date. Boring, boring, boring. Towards noon Ron picked up sticks to re-awaken himself. When Jim returned in the evening, he suggested a ride, and we zipped along back roads through lovely Maryland scenery decked out in the vivid colors of spring through Frederick, near Hagerstown, to Boonsboro and Sharpsburg to Shepardstown, West Virginia, where we stopped for dinner just before sunset. Jim treated, so I don't know the name of the restaurant. We returned via I-70 with one more stop at Jimmy Cone (closed) and Tutti Fruitti (fat free frozen yogurt). By the time he stretched out to sleep in the tent, it was 11 PM. From Texas, Cynthia reported a stressful day; 1) reroute/ misdirection into downtown Houston while driving to see Sasha 2) early arrival to Mother's Day dinner with children resulted in unintended engagement with her ex - 3) but the end results were fine: 1a) on time at Sasha's 2a) lovely visit with children (& ex).

6 May: Coffee at 4:45 this AM. Wake up call at 5:30, breakfast at 6:08, and airport shuttle at 7 AM sharp. Cynthia reported that security was a breeze since she was cleared in advance. Once in Houston with son Jon, Cynthia lunched at the Toasted Yolk (surprisingly unsatisfactory), was pedicured and manicured, and dined at the restaurant formerly known as the Caddy Shack. Ron rode home the same route at 10:30 and has been sluggish all day. A non-fat yogurt quart from Jimmy Cone didn't help alertness; maybe additional coffee, cereal & Isopure will. Well, yes it did, but the downside was getting up every hour all night. I opted to sleep in the tent and enjoyed being out even though a brief rain and some morning mist left the exterior very wet.

5 May: Coffee at 6:30 this AM. Jim suggested that Ron consider a Yamaha FJ-09 or Suzuki V-Strom (wee or 1000 CC) for his next bike - 200 pounds lighter. We breakfasted at IHOP then shopped for pretzels, protein bars, and gasoline. Joni suggested MD-144 to MD-166 to I-195 to the airport, and that route was gorgeous with so many flowering trees; in one place pink and white flowering trees overlapped in front of a dark red one. Our room (thanks to diamond Honors upgrade) had a jacuzzi and more square footage in the bathroom alone than in most entire hotel rooms. We dined at the nearby Ruby Tuesday and went to bed tired just before dark.

4 May: Ron again slept well until smelling coffee at 5:30 AM and blogged while Cynthia slept. New springh photos below !! We enjoyed a long walk on asphalt and gravel roads over to Buffalo Road and return, unpacked all our possessions to see if a box needs to go to Texas (no), and ate dinner at the Mt. Airy Tavern (trout).-3 May, Sunday: Ron slept wonderfully well until smelling coffee at 6 AM and arose to blog while Cynthia slept. Ron and Jim spent the morning washing five motorcycles. Jim & Joni invited us to Lindsey's birthday lunch at May's Restaurant (think crabs). Newest arrival Elise (Jamie's daughter) grabbed the spotlight by sleeping the entire time. Good food and marvelous company; Ron drank nearly a pitcher of Blue Moon.

 3 May: We are near Mt. Airy, MD, visiting friends Jim & Joni. They prepared a marvelous dinner of barbequed chicken with rice & salad to feed us full. Preparations were interrupted by the running of the 141st Kentucky Derby after hours of pre-race programming. (Ron & Jim preferred pre-race watching "Turn & Burn," the find & fix & sell a collectable old car show; our friend Lee woulda loved that show.) It seemed strange to walk from the garage to house without anything in hand; no backpack, no fanny pack, no water bottles, nothing in hand or on back = indeed very strange. Speaking of strange, you shoulda overheard the conversation that began after we noticed the thumping noises from the drier and Joni explained that her balls were pounding around inside the drier. Joni dropped us off at IHOP when she went grocery shopping. Ron opportunely grabbed diet cokes and pretzels at the Weis grocery next door. Again strange to NOT purchase nuts or peanut butter; we are back on the diet: no oil, no butter, no fat, no cheese. Jim and Joni obviously got an early start to drive 2.5 hours to pick us up at 9:15 in Lickdale, PA; THANKS. We were just packed when they drove up.

2 May:  Our springtime morning ride through the flowering Pennsylvania and Maryland countryside was gorgeous. PA and MD scenery is amazingly beautiful, especially in spring. WOW. THANKS again to Jim & Joni, and Praise God.-

beauties and the beast

You shoulda seen the display across the road

Ain't spring lovely

and they come in white too !!

Deer at edge of meadow (no they are not minatures)

1 May: Lil' Mak picked us up at the hotel about 5:30, and we enjoyed a lovely evening of conversation and great food at the Summit View Restaurant. (We are all stuffed. The restaurant has no web site; it is in Schuylkill Haven, PA.) Popeye has already hiked to Delaware Water Gap. Cynthia and I made the mistake of assuming we could walk to the Appalachian Trail from Lickdale and back without any difficulty. Unfortunately we did NOT know to walk a little farther east to pick up the Swatara Rail Trail, so instead we "enjoyed" a highway walk along busy route 72 for 3 miles to the old historic bridge which carries the AT across the Swatara River. There we enjoyed a sit and snack and met a delightful young man who had just begun his AT hike at the Susquahanna with a 60-lb pack - WHEW. He replied that his "trail name" is Peter for now, and I opined that was a terrific trail name and thoroughly unique. I may have just named a second hiker.

Oh yes, yellow chicadee centered perfectly

Our problems started when we decided to return on the smaller streets east of the river instead of using the Swatara Rail Trail. That weather was beautiful, and that route was indeed lovely. Unfortunately the street signage is no better than the Appalachian Trail; the street we needed (Monroe Valley Drive) was NEVER labeled by any street sign; all the insignificant side streets were named, but not Monroe Valley Drive. We misread Cynthia's iPhone GPS map, missed that turn and walked an extra half mile to the golf club where we were directed to backtrack. By the time we returned to the hotel, ALL of our feet hurt. Asphalt is really hard on us.

Posted with Blogsy

April Flowers on the Appalachian Trail

Spring arrived at Maple Tree Campground on 26 Mar this year

30 Apr: Today we agreed to end our hike. The rocks in Pennsylvania have been NO FUN, and we don't need to risk our bodies and health to the whims of the elitist trail maintainers who think that Thru-hikers should be subjected to every stretch of NASTY rocks that they can find. Equally galling was the obvious disregard for basic trail maintenance (clearing water bars for instance, trimming overhanging trees for another, clearing smaller logs across the trail, preventing erosion by constructing water bars ... the list is endless). We are quite pleased with our hike; we enjoyed hiking every day; we got much stronger (and Younger Next Year). Camping was not Cynthia's favorite activity, but she adapted marvelously well to camping on this, her first camping trip. (Who else do you know that hiked 160 miles on her first camping trip?) So we are jumping north to a favorite spot, the Inn at Long Trail, which opens 22 May. There we can walk out the door and hike in any of five directions, see how our trail maintenance has held up in the intervening two years, and encourage hikers to use the OLD AT, now known as the Sherbourne Pass Trail, which we maintain whenever we stay there. Unless Ron gets a knee replacement, our future Appalachian Trail section hikes will be limited to five days between resupply and might involve zero-mile days for trail maintenance.

 

 

Rausch Gap was pretty place

man-made waterfall was scenic

Skyline will disappear in two weeks

geese laughing while Ron crossed log

This "bridge" is an accident waiting to happen

30 Apr: We were out of the tent early today, 7:15, and RevC hiked out of camp by 8:30, new records for us. The four Thru-hikers and Pack left before Cynthia, Bear and Rain & Sprinkles later. Shakedown Cruise was the last one out. He hiked along at full tilt boogie and passed Rain & Sprinkles after a mile and caught up to Cynthia at the top of that first long, long uphill. Strange that the hike today was again very pleasant with very few unbearably rocky segments. Trail reroutes and erosion were still highly visible and irritating. Sad to see excellent early construction left untended and eroding during every storm. We were surprised that our hike today dragged on long after we expected to be finished. The final uphill and downhill on raw, new, unimproved trail was an insult to sensible hikers. The high-water tree trunk crossing pictured was daunting and dangerous. After Ron crossed, he sought out a much less risky crossing for Cynthia.

29 Apr: Gosh, how quickly the memory vanishes. We awoke early, and again it was a pleasure that water was so near. RevC agreed to start hiking early rather than be chilled while waiting for Shakedown Cruise to finish packing; he didn't start until 10:46. Today the trail was much more pleasant and comfortable than previous days. It was actually pleasurable hiking. Ron set out at a very rapid clip to catch Cynthia and enjoyed the athletic exertion; his trail legs are developing nicely, painlessly. He caught sight of Cynthia on a continual uphill grind on an old road with good waterbars that needed to be cleaned, so he commenced cleaning after touching base with Cynthia. Along the trail today we met first Bear, eating lunch, and later Pack, resting beneath the sign for the "General," a derelict 1920s gasoline-powered coal shovel abandoned in the woods. Ron soon caught up to cynthia and invited her to lunch. Afterwards we continued on a nice, mostly-level trail through obvious coal mined country to the Rausch Gap Shelter. As we followed the blue blaze to the shelter, that very wide, very level, coal-covered pathway suddenly seemed VERY familiar to Shakedown Cruise. We chose to camp in a small tenting area just 50 yards before the shelter. The shelter itself, with it's rock wall and steps and the stainless steel spring-water trough, was memorable, one of the few remembered from 2008. Bear and Pack were already there with a new couple, Rain and Sprinkle, who began their flip-flop at Harper's Ferry on April 12th. Two Thru-hiker couples came into the shelter later in the afternoon, BootsAndBackpacks on Wordpress and IanandHannahsHike on blogspot. While we got an early start and had a good day, Cynthia's feet are again very sore, and she is very tired, mostly due to the blister growing larger on her toe.

28 Apr: Again we slept long and hard. Our sleep has been phenomenal on this trip. We awoke early in our secluded, off-trail tent site. Lovely that water was only 30 yards away, running from a spring onto and down the trail. Coffee and peanut butter breakfast were soon over, and Shakedown tried to pack quickly by stuffing the tent instead of folding it. By some miracle it stuffs into a smaller volume. Our hike started good, although we missed a landmark and passed the ?? trail unexpectedly. Immediately after that, we ran out of energy. For RevC, the problem was her blister; it had grown larger and more painful. The Band-aid was inadequate protection, and she was unwilling to lance it without a sterile needle or knife. Our hunt for a tent site dragged on and on, seemingly for miles, and we encountered an area thick with mountain laurel and covered by large rocks everywhere. We were surprised and relieved to come to ??, a greenish stream with one good tent site, although there was ample evidence that our chosen spot would fill with water in a heavy rain. It was only mid-afternoon, but we opted for the water and concluded hiking for the day. Soon after we had selected our pine-duff bed, another hiker appeared and recognized us. This was Sweet from a week ago, out to clear his head again. He hung his hammock nearby and commenced to read and snooze. Four more hikers arrived and set up camp across the stream before dark. This evening we discussed our hike. The rocks in Pennsylvania had been NO FUN, and it would only get worse; once we admitted that, it was easy and sensible to quit before the lousy condition of the trail caused broken bones or disaster.

27 Apr: Cynthia duct taped her blister. Ron wanted her to get an early start to see if we could hike f
arther in a day, but she waited for him a couple of times and was not very far down the trail when he caught up to her after packing camp for an hour. The explanation is that she feels much more secure if he is hiking ahead of her. Again we experienced several difficult rocky patches that slowed us down, and Cynthia's blister grew large during the day after the duct tape moved. We found s secluded, off-trail tent site near a series of springs that flowed onto the trail briefly before disappearing into the ground. Lovely that water was only 30 yards away.

26 Apr: We had been told that this would be an easy walk along the ridge without undue ups, downs, or rocks. That was NOT as true as we'd prefer. We were quite tired by the time we arrived and did not relish the thought of the 300 stone steps down to the spring. There was only one other hiker tenting there, so we decided to sleep inside the shelter for a change. It was a very pleasant night although a chill wind blew all night long. Cynthia had developed a tiny blister on her left toe, but her feet were otherwise without pain. Thank God.

25 Apr: Ron was up and blogging at 4:20 AM awaiting the usual call from his beloved. Cynthia exchanged her Solomon trail shoes for her older Vasque hiking boots, which turned out to be a good decision. Despite previous assurances, the staff at the Hilton Garden Inn was unable to mail our boxes, so their driver took us to the Post Office to mail our bounce boxes forward, one to the Lickdale Comfort Inn and the other to Port Clinton. We were all disappointed that Avon Lady Trail Angel Mary couldn't shuttle us to the Trail until 4 PM. Since we needed to get an earlier start (because our next re-supply is 7 days = 35 miles at Swatara Gap), we called upon the same cabby to drive us back to the Doyle for a beer and a meal and another gander at 2008 pictures (Six-Iron & Twelve-Iron, Loafy, Railroad King, Jukebox). After that we started hiking through town carrying our heavy packs close to 2 PM. Crossing the Clark's Ferry Bridge over the Susquehenna provided an interesting, bird's-eye view of the river's turbulence. Continuing across the RR tracks, we hit that memorable unrelentingly uphill grind, and RevC kept plugging along without rest until we leveled out a half mile later. The difficulty ratched up several notches on the rocky ascent that soon followed. It was a NASTY, ugly, ROCKY mess for a LONG mile to reach the ridgetop and procede along it. The views down to the river and bridges were certainly exceptional but hardly worth enduring more rocks. Once we passed the Susquehenna Trail blue blaze, we started seeing multitudes of day hikers out for a pleasant stroll, so we checked and discovered that the Susquehenna Trail bypasses the rocks, ascending via another route to the ridgetop. Again we were outraged that the powers dictating the official Appalachian Trail route (the ATC) subject their hikers to so much unnecessary danger. Just today (May 2nd) I learned of a hiker who recently fell on the rocks in New Jersey and broke her wrist. (On the other hand, Orange Crush is already in Dalton, Massachusetts.) The rest of the walk for an hour along the ridge was pure pleasure, with views of the Susquehenna upstream to the left and downstream to the right. The river makes a wide horseshoe turn through a gap in the mountains at Duncannon (part of which town were owned by a Colonial Swede Rambo descendant, Marcus Huling). After the river views were behind us, the farmlands right and left were still very pleasing, even after we descended from the ridge. The multitude of day hikers seemed bound for a power line cut that had excellent views or perhaps Table Rock. (Someone has tipped it off its pedestal.) We enjoyed brief conversation with a local couple who agreed that the official ATC routing over unnecessary rocks is DEFINITELY inappropriate. (Maybe that couple could date the landslide that buried the old, improved trail south of Duncannon.) The rocky path improved a bit towards the shelter, and we arrived there at a reasonable time but really quite tired. The new old boots worked marvelously; no blisters, no pain - what a joy !!

24 Apr: Morning in Harrisburg, PA at the Hilton Garden Inn, Ron updated TrailJournals.com (as Shakedown Cruise). With great anticipation and much joy Cynthia laundered. She decided to wear her old Vasque hiking boots (of the four choices in hand) to better cope with the notorious Pennsylvania rocks. After joyous anticipation, we were extremely disappointed that the Bass Pro Shop here does NOT have a restaurant; Ruby Tuesday was second best. Target furnished food for re-supply. (It would have been closer if Ron hadn't gotten lost.) Our bounce boxes are determined, one short, one long. After the freezing temperatures the last three nights, we are not quite ready to jettison winter gear.

typical exhausted hikers

Photo credits Vickey at the Doyle

again typical exhausted hiker, the General

view before the scary descent into Duncannon

We were thankful that the rain held off all day

Beautiful river views from Hawk Rock

23 Apr: Despite very low temperatures, Shakedown Cruise espied no frozen water. After biding adeau to departing ten-day section hikers Paul and Joni in the chill early morning air, we hiked down the 4 miles into Duncannon. Mee beloved WeeFee dictated that we WILL spend this night in a hotel because she will not tolerate being SO VERY cold two mornings in a row. Thank God that the temperatures should be improving soon. Cynthia was apprehensive much of the final mile by the fear of falling in the jumble of rock and the thought of bodily damage from such a fall, especially where the descent was precipitous. (This is what is meant by the term "exposure.") Once we were off the rock, her feet quickly became very painful as we walked on asphalt into town. Again, I am so proud of Cynthia that she was willing and able to endure such stress in order to "enjoy" the hike. The surprising part is that once she was seated at the Doyle (click here), the foot pain subsided instantly. The Doyle is an icon on the trail, and the food and beer are excellent and cheap. We enjoyed a hamburger with diet coke and grilled chicken with a 22-ounce Rolling Rock and a baked potato respectively, and Vickey did a marvelous job of cooking fat free for Ron. However, hiker accommodations at the Doyle are not quite up to Hilton Garden Inn standards, so Cynthia opted to hire a taxi to take us to a HGI in Harrisburg. Ron's reply, "Yes dear. "

22 Apr: This was a long day, 7.3 miles to the Cove Mountain Shelter, and the infamous Pennsylvania rocks and obvious trail erosion due to TOTAL absence of water bars causes a far rockier and more hazardous trail than necessary. (Apparently Pennsylvania trail maintainers like to display ALL their rocks to visitors.) The Mountain Club of Maryland (?!) maintains a very nice shelter and privy and must be cultivating the magnificent, Hydra-like growth of poison ivy atop a stump reaching out to the access trail. After pitching the tent and getting water from the lovely spring, Ron enjoyed an agreeable conversation with Paul and Joni. Cynthia was too cold and retreated to the tent early.

21 Apr: Ron is up before 2 AM in the suburban Carlisle, PA Hampton Inn blogging and anticipating a call from RevC when she is rested. Todays 6.6 mile hike to the Darlington Shelter again routed us over several stretches of nasty rock. Cynthia's feet held up well, perhaps because we started at a slower pace than previously.

WOW, new fleurs at lower elevations

Not quite a "wilderness experience,"
but lovely winter colors enhanced by a drizzly day

The infamous "green tunnel" draws nearer daily

20 Apr: Today Trevor was not feeling well, so Mary Lois took us back to our hike at 8:30 AM. Ron was up early typing and checking to see if the rain was supposed to end soon (YES, but they lied) or if we needed to swim. After waiting for the drizzle to end over a delightful breakfast at the Caffe 101 in Boiling Springs (the omelet was so good that Ron had two besides the blueberry pancakes), we hiked eight miles in five hours pausing infrequently to rest. As expected, the trail through the lowlands was wonderfully comfortable with only isolated patches of rockiness; however the 8 miles distance took its toll on Cynthia's feet (tendinitis, inflammation). Thunderstorms were forecast to arrive before dark (and they did). Cynthia phoned the Hampton Inn with high hopes, but there is no shuttle. Not to be deterred, she phoned a taxi for the ride to our Hampton Inn home for the night and again for a ride to dinner at the Middlesex Diner (which Shakedown Cruise remembered from 2008 - it is GOOD). After a delicious and filling dinner of haddock (Ron) and orange roughy (Cynthia), prepared to our no oil, no fat, no butter specifications, we retired very early to rest our weary, worn out feet. Ron did make a trip across the highway to the Love's truckstop for sufficient (inferior) resupply.

19 Apr, Sunday: Another lovely night's sleep on a comfortable mattress was followed by a quick breakfast and then church at the Tidings of Joy Mennonite Church in York. After lunch Ron enjoyed operating the clam shell post hole digger to deepen the compost pit a bit and to start a new hole. We thoroughly enjoyed our additional day of rest, worship, and conversation accented by lots of fine food - even hot air popped popcorn - an unusual treat for Ron on this diet.

 

Caught in the act - mending pants

18 Apr: York, PA. What a lovely day, and what a lovely night's sleep on a real, comfortable mattress, thanks to Pappa Bear and Mary Lois. Breakfast was fat-free blueberry pancakes (YUM). Today Ron (as Shakedown Cruise) joined Clayton and kids for a bicycle ride across the city to a green/ organic block party downtown. The weather was beautiful, as was the company. In the afternoon Ron borrowed the use of Mary Lois's sewing machine to mend the huge rip top to bottom across the seat of his hiking pants (by adding another layer of fabric to the underside). The girls were not so astonished since their brother Austin had sewn a dress for his fiancee. (Married last year; CONGRATULATIONS Austin, and best wishes for a long and happy marriage. OK, yes I can log on and finish this in the wee hours tomorrow [NO, I slept instead]. Stacking firewood in the warm sun was indeed pleasant fun.

17 April: Marvelous sleep, 53 degree temperature and we are well fed for a short four mile day into Boiling Springs where we were met by Trevor, a pre-med student and friend, who calls Ron Grandpa Shakedown. Our experience of the family's Care and Share Friday night gathering was awesome. The house and lawn was filled with church, school and neighbors. We will spend the weekend in his parents home in York, PA.

BoilingSprings is at lower elevation; spring is sprung !!

Wonderful contrasting colors, photo woefully inadequate

duckie in lake at Boiling Springs

Center Point Knob

16 April: Slept well, Foodified and Strengthened, we thought we were ready for the day; the hike was supposed to be easy, but it turned into a very tough rock scramble, twisted turns up and over, down and around, in very precarious positions. We were challenged! We set up our campsite a ways from the shelter because it was located too far off trail. After our delicious peanut butter sandwiches and trail mix, the tent is up and ready for occupancy. Orange Crush Just in time, it started to rain.

 

Mee beloved WeeFee showcasing spring blooms

Mt Holly Springs after breakfast

15 April: 7.5 miles, included a stop at a Deli for some delicious food followed by another two miles with a ride into Mt. Holly Springs to sleep in a motel. Zzzzzz

 

halfway marker on AT

14 April: Rain fell gently in the middle of the night. Awesome to awaken to the sounds of the stream with a lovely waterfall near our tent site and a comfortable temperature of 53 degrees. We had a great deal of energy today for the day's 6 mile journey that turned into a seven mile hike, proving we are getting younger next year. Thanks to our new friend Lone Bull who remembers us in every shelter log!!! Thanks to Sarah, new law school grad and Trillium, two courageous women hiking solo, for being inspirations. Thanks to Tortuga for a reminder of Robert Frost's poem: The woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleepAnd miles to go before I sleep.And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

13 April: 6.3 miles on a great stretch of the trail. We missed the mid-point rock because we were moving swiftly. Dear Trillium: we were saddened to read in the Tom's Run Shelter Log of the death of your grandmother. Our hearts hurt for you but rejoice in the inner awareness she is running the trail in and with you now and forever. Love from Ron and Cynthia

12 April: 7.4 miles to Birch Run Shelter

 

Quarry Run Shelter is one of the best (note hanging flowers)

11 Apr: 4:35 AM and Ron is again up and blogging. Forecast today and for the next week is marvelous, so we expect to hike past the midway point of the trail before Ron's next opportunity to blog. He will be recording daily blog entries on his Olympus digital voice recorder. (I wonder what it weighs; updating the TrailJournals.com gear list is in order ASAP.) Thanks to Rev. John Spangler and his lovely wife, Dr. Maria Erling, for transportation to the A.T. to resume hiking. Ron presented a huge surprise to Cynthia to fuel our hike (Dulce De Leche for RevC and Raspberry Sorbet for Shakedown). Fueling works; we enjoyed great energy, and the 2.5 miles to Quarry Gap Shelter just melted away easily despite ups and downs. As we approached a vivid yellow gate, Ron was greatly surprised to remember this scene and shelter from his 2008 hike. The trail was surrounded by lush and lovely mountain laurel, not yet in bloom. We chose privacy in the group campground, thinking that the VERY rocky path would deter most. Then we returned to the shelter and met the caretaker Jim, who insists on keeping the shelter neat, clean and tidy (including several lovely blooming hanging potted plants); he has been married 48 years to his childhood sweetheart, and she encourages him to get out of the house and into the woods. We met a darling three year old named Willa and a couple from Boston who impressed us with their ultralight gear made from cuben fiber. (The wife even sewed her own camp shoes that are feather-light.) Our privacy in the group campground was invaded by a pleasant couple and by Trillium, a delightful woman, mother of two teenagers, who hiked thru in 2014 and is now a weekend hiker completing a few sections she skipped. We had been reading Trillium's entries in the shelter logs and were amazed to meet her. Likewise, she had been reading Shakedown Cruise and RevC in the logs. In the morning, Dunkin Donuts delivered (photo)!!

10 Apr: Aleve helped Cynthia get a great nights sleep; her right hip has an aching muscle that is improving daily. At 4:45 Ron is polishing final perfection into this April blog post. We are sitting still yet another day due to forecast of thunderstorms - and again the forecasters missed; instead of thunderstorms, we had an hour of light rain from 2 PM to 3; hey, better safe than sorry; let's hope their forecasts for the next four sunny days are more accurate. Cynthia spent the day reading; Ron mending & blogging. We didn't even leave the hotel except for Ron's sunset (beautiful stripes of reds) trip to Subway (gormet meal). (The return across the wet field was fine; thanks to luck, not smarts.)

9 Apr: At 4:30 AM Ron resumed computer usage; Cynthia's sleep was disturbed in the early hours of the night by muscle soreness, but Aleve helped, and she slept soundly and awoke feeling rested. The forecast remains dreary and chilly, so we agreed to stay warm and dry in the hotel another day. As we hike, not every rainy day will have such a palatable option. Besides Ron has mending yet to do. Well and weller; We rode the Rabbit Transit into Gettysburg, and Cynthia again ordered a bowl of chili at the Pub & Restaurant; Ron bought two French baguettes at the Gettysburg Baking Company. Afterwards we walked briefly along Carlisle Street until the city's church bells started ringing in commemoration of Lee's surrender at Appomattox, which effectively ended the Civil War. Soon thereafter we met a delightful, interesting, and lovely woman, Rosalie, who with her sister were among the first to integrate Baltimore schools in 1955. Gettysburg College has a beautiful campus full of interesting old architecture (as is the town itself). We are now returned via RabbitTransit (our white-bearded driver is a hoot) to the hotel; only items left on agenda are a light dinner and warm soaking of feet in the hotel's hot tub. Wouldn't you know it, but the hot tub is kaput and can only maintain 80 degrees. Phui !! After the dismal forecast at 7 AM, the prognosticators revised by 10 AM, and no rain ever arrived until 7 PM - although it was certainly a cold day. Had we hiked, our chances of resupply in four days at Pine Grove Furnace would have been excellent; now resupply in Pine Grove Furnace is doubtful, so we will carry two additional days food. In the evening DNA and answering genealogical e-queries trumped mending.

Da Lovely WeeFee before Da lovely Tulip Tree

view from window of The Pub and Restaurant

Enlarge to read fine print

8 Apr: At 3:35 AM Shakedown Cruise (aka Ron Beatty) was awake and journaling on TrailJournals. Another zero is vindicated by the forecast and by Cynthia's sore feet and aching legs, although she reports the feet are much better. YES, we are getting stronger, and we believe that we are becoming "Younger Next Year." The city bus (RabbitTransit) picked us up close by the hotel for the scenic tour ending at the Pub & Restaurant at Lincoln Square. The food was delicious, especially the HUGE piece of contraband carrot cake. (Why did Cynthia not take a picture?) The Gettysburg Baking Company next door has several choices of yummy fat free breads (French & sourdough). We walked (without backpacks - oh joy) eight blocks (less than a mile - more joy) to the Seminary Ridge Museum to see pictures and documentary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Good God, what an awful tragedy; what terrible slaughter and suffering. After the museum closed at five PM, Ron could not locate his bus map, so Cynthia stepped back inside to ask the location of the nearest bus stop, and a lovely, pleasant woman offered to drive us back to the hotel. Imagine our astonishment that she knew about us because she is Dr. Maria Erling, Dr. Spangler's wife and Kim Eric's friend !! Afterwards Ron crossed the parking lot to the Giant grocery for Crazy Richard's peanut butter, but the chilly drizzle convinced him to delay the trip to Walmart (for MSM) until morning. Last but not least, we thoroughly enjoyed soaking our feet in the hot tub (although it was tepid rather than hot). Ron made full use of his time by mending another seam on his pants and by talking with a retired military man about the sorry state of the world.

7 Apr: It was a warm and rainy night. We were glad that our gear was dry as we packed in the morning. Ron made another LONG trip downhill to the spring for two more quarts of water. We were packed and hiking by 10:15. RevC is feeling stronger already and is far more optimistic about making a good long hike this year. There were two stretches of "gratuitous" rocks - indicators of Yankee elite-ism, provinciality, and "superiority." Coleman "sprinted" by us in the middle of the second set of rocks; he was also wondering "WHY? - are we in jeopardy up here on the rocks when there appears to be a perfectly fine tablelands slightly below us?" We arrived at U.S. 30 and were delighted to be picked up by trail angel and hosteller, Reckless. The log at the Trail of Hope hostel reported that NOBO #1, Windwacker, had come through earlier that very morning; Ron indulged in the proffered cherry pie while we awaited Kim-Eric's friend, Dr. John Spangler, VP of the Gettysburg Seminary and Director of Communications, who shuttled us to the Hilton Garden Inn east of Gettysburg. Thanks to all three men for making our trip to the hotel so simple and easy. Ron immediately walked to Wally World to purchase Aloe for his painfully sunburned back. (Oh what a relief it is - anyone out there remember that jingle?) The Dollar Tree provided Vitamin C, Glucosamine and Pennysticks Pretzels. We walked to Ruby Tuesday for mostly salad dinner, and Ron was delighted to hear from MIT buddy Bob W. We were asleep just before "hiker midnight," i.e. between dark and dark-thirty. We could have continued hiking today, but it was too likely that the forecast rain would have made the rocks were wet and slippery; we don't need to take that risk.

6 Apr: Good God, What a trauma we had to start this day !! We awoke refreshed; Shakedown had slept deeply between several restroom trips throughout the night. After coffee and protein powder, peanut butter bread with nuts & honey, Cynthia asked if she could help pack, and Ron suggested that she go up to the shelters to talk with the other interesting hikers and then on to the spring to get a quart of fresh, pure springwater. He continued cleaning up after breakfast, fastidiously packing air mattresses, dismantling and packing the tent, etc. Finally done packing, he walked from the group campground up to the shelters and was surprised to find them empty. Then he realized that the yelling he had attributed to kids at the parking lot/ picnic area was coming from the direction of the spring, and his heart nearly stopped upon realizing that it was probably Cynthia screaming ... and it was. He was soon greatly relieved to see her upright, but her legs were shaking uncontrollably as he hurried towards her. She had made it across the stream without difficulty, but panicked and froze straddling a torrent with one foot on one rock and the other foot on another rock, certain that if she moved forward or backward she would fall. Shakedown Cruise (to the rescue) crossed quickly to her and held her while she backed to the previous rock and back onto shore. We sat her down for ten minutes of shaking, sobbing relief before commencing to lecture (no, no, there was NO lecture, that was a joke). Once Cynthia had Ron's hand to hold, she crossed over those difficult rocks like a pro. Needless to say, 30 minutes of fear, screaming, and isometrics left her limp and exhausted. Back at the shelters and seated at a picnic table, she slumped forward, exhausted, with her head on the table. Still she insisted that we hike rather than zero. The caretaker, Curt's father, and his dog soon appeared to tend to the outhouse. He is also hard of hearing, but was a delightful conversationalist. He recommended that the blue blaze trail to Chimney Rocks was less demanding that the steep, "official," white-blazed trail. The blue blaze was also much prettier since it followed the stream for quite a distance. Cynthia soon grew much stronger as we hiked and enjoyed the scenery and the hike, all the while avering that she will never, ever cross another stream without Ron there to give a hand if needed. We could have stopped earlier, but RevC opted to continue to the Rocky Mountain Shelters as originally planned, 6.6 miles. It turned out to be a pleasant day after all. We set up tent inside the shelter (to keep mosquitos away) because rain is forecast for the night and tomorrow. A new NOBO hiker friend showed up there, Coleman.

5 Apr, Easter Sunday !!: And we did indeed resume hiking and thanking God for every safe step. We hope you also enjoyed a blessed Easter ! Cynthia was not feeling particularly well rested or strong, but as the hike continued, she gained strength and motivation so that we passed by the Antietam Shelter en route to Tumbling Run Shelter. One southbound hiker overnighting at Tumbling Run, "Shackleford," was resuming a thru-hike that had been curtailed by lime disease; another girl arrived later also resuming a 2012 SOBO thru-hike. Ron was grooming his selected campsite when the caretakers Curt, Tanya, and Mocha (the dog) arrived and recommended the group campground, "newly" built as an Eagle Scout project. Mocha loved the attentive petting, and Ron was very appreciative of the effort required to keep the usual trashy partiers out of the campground with such attractive shelters so close to the roadway and convenient parking. Curt highly recommended the local spring water (on the other side of the stream). We were abed early.

4 Apr: Happily ensconced in the Cobblestone Inn in Rouzerville, PA for the second night (with a third still reserved !), Ron is up again at

4 AM to wrestle with placement of pictures on this blog. Oh, yes, and he successfully mended another six inches of his cargo hiking pants. Breakfast at the Keystone was again wonderful. Dean & Benjamin & Ron went for a delightful walk in the woods. (That means they lost the trail & bushwhacked for a mile.) After discovering the absence of trail, they headed northeast for a while then west until finding a dirt road going south that eventually intersected the AT. At the highway, they enjoyed the Tree Trail, delightful although much neglected. Dinner with Jim and Joni at the Schmankerl Stube in Hagerstown was absolutely excellent. (Strange that the Hagerstown library looks so familiar to us genealogy addicts.)

3 Apr: Poor little SmoochSmooch hobbled the mile to the Keystone Family Restaurant this morning, and we were rewarded with a delicious breakfast of egg white veggie omelets. Cynthia had salad with hers; Ron had a stack of blueberry pancakes with syrup. As we returned to the Cobblestone, we passed by JP Nails, and they were able to immediately pedicure and manicure the WeeFee while Ron shopped for hiker foodstuffs in the adjoining Food Lion. The afternoon was spent by Ron mending his pants and by Cynthia pursuing new DNA results. Walmart sells a lightweight tent stake that is 2" longer and almost as light as an aluminum gutter spike, so we now have three additional tent spikes for loose soil. Ron spent the evening unsuccessfully wrestling with pictures on this blog.

Pen Mar State Park (thanks to Elizabeth for photo)

Mason-Dixon Line = Maryland is behind us now !!

Marvelous brook & bridge,
wonderfully open and peaceful brown woods

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 April: Today we hiked our final miles in Maryland, from Pen Mar State Park past the Mason-Dixon Line to Waynesboro, PA. Amusing that Elizabeth dropped us off in Maryland about 11 AM and picked us up three hours later in Pennsylvania to shuttle us to this Cobblestone Inn so that Ron could have a computer keyboard for his blogging. The wildlife sighting today was a tiny downy woodpecker high in the trees; his call was compelling, so Ron was able to sight him. Cynthia is one tired girl and deserves a sound sleep and a zero hiking day (or two); I wish we could find her a pedicure & manicure nearby.

1 April, 2015 - RevC: 7-mile exhausting day to Pen-Mar Park. Traversing the rocks and boulders steeply down the mountain from High Rock was tough. Cynthia rejoiced when Elizabeth, owner of the Nostalgic Dreams B&B, said she had space available for the night and she would pick us up in ten minutes. Her cozy home was a delight and so is she; she even did our laundry!!! Ron walked to the deli for turkey subs and fruit for dinner. Ron's turn to blog (as Shakedown Cruise): All is well - or maybe weller. Cynthia made it through several days and challenging rocks without falling again - even though her legs have been fatigued and her sleep disturbed. My legs typically feel fine in the morning and tire quickly on the first uphill. We are doing GREAT and are still enthused and still having "fun." The 0.2 mile loop to High Rock was again worth while for the expansive view, but the rock itself is grossly defaced by paint & graffiti; you begin to expect that where ever a road leads to scenery. Today a quail burst into flight ahead of us and glided through the trees into open air; four white tail deer fled uphill with tails flagging as they bounded. The plan called for no more than six miles a day, but the lure of a REAL BED was too great, so Cynthia carried on for one more mile despite a bit of wobble and stagger after the rocky, rocky descent.

 

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