07.21.07
Day 19 July 3 Tue
12mi to Wildcat Shelter
I woke again this morning tired and unmotivated. Ate breakfast with Floyd everyone else had already broken camp and headed out early. Floyd was explaining how there was one sonic snorer in the shelter (there always is and they seem to be the only ones to get any sleep). I told him he could-da come knocked on my tent flap and crawled in with me. LOL As he was already packed and ready he left with me dragging I left about an hour after him figuring I would catch up at one of his frequent rest naps.
In stead I ran into and finally met Dances with Sloths. Cool guy I had been reading his journal entries and cracking up. He asked if I could take his picture laying half in NJ and half in NY. There is actually a white line painted on the rock denoting this. So spread eagle I took his picture. Umm he was spread eagle not me. As we hiked together for a while he was going on and on about the creamery at the next road just .1 off the trail. It seems that Sloth always has the lowdown on every ice cream and food stop and goes to every one of them. And for having a name like Sloth he hikes really fast. I stopped to camel up and he went on without me. Knowing I would see him again eating Ice Cream.
The terrane changed very quickly between flat NJ and Up and down bedrock NY. Seems like it was making up for slacking. I made the road and found the creamery. Both Sloth and Floyd were there and had already had two rounds. I had some catching up to do! I got a Mint chocolate chip milkshake and for my second course a rootbeer float with cherry vanilla ice cream.
Luckily the shelter was only 2mi further. We were actually debating sleeping at the creamery just so we could be there when they opened the next day. Then debated how we could get ice cream 2mi to the shelter. With sloth out front we headed out at break neck speed. He really does hike very fast. and made the shelter in what seemed like 30min. Just as we were finishing our dinner who should come walking up but Terrapin Flyer and Granite. Sight for sore eyes. They had also got stuck at the creamery for several hours.
As they were preparing ther dinners Granite pulled out a copy of Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass” and preceded to read aloud from the Jabberwocky.
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
-L Carroll
Of which he promised a full pubilc reading within the next few nights and I have yet still to hear!