Brothers Backpacking The Appalachian Trail – Part II
November 8, 2007 – 7:02 am
Day two of the First Annual Brothers Backpacking Adventure started off with a hot bowl of oatmeal, instant coffee for me and some type of powdered drink for little bro. It was cool enough to start the hike wearing a sweatshirt but by the time we were half way to McAfee’s Knob, I had stripped down to a t-shirt. The view from the Knob was beautiful (as always) but the wind was blowing hard and cold from the West so we didn’t linger too long. Unfortunately, both of us forgot to bring a camera so our memory is all we have to preserve the view.
We crossed paths with a south-bound AT thru-hiker that went by the trail name of Snack Time. He had left Maine in June and was heading to Georgia. I had to explain the trail name custom to my brother and then we spent the next few miles trying to come up with an appropriate trail name for him. I finally combined his most visible asset with his most memorable action (his fall on the first night) and christened him “Belly Flob.” I think the name will stick since, after reading this article, I am almost certain the folks up in PA will spread the word.
We made a brief snack stop at the Campbell Shelter and talked with a young couple who had spent the night there. They were trying to figure out how to get back to their other vehicle since they had failed to bring along the key to the vehicle that they had parked on this end of their trip. I knew they weren’t married because they were laughing about their situation. Had they been married, they probably wouldn’t have even been speaking to each other.
The second leg of our journey was supposed to be 8.8 or 8.9 miles depending on which source you checked. You can never really be sure of the distances on the AT since it is not uncommon for the signs, maps and data books to all show a different milage for the same route. Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that it really doesn’t matter. All I do is walk until I get to my destination – however long it takes. There was one killer hill that caused my Pennsylvania partner to take a couple of rest breaks. Apparently, the guy who understood the importance of using switchbacks was off sick on the day that they laid out this section of the trail since it went straight up over the hill.
We arrived at the Lambert Meadow shelter at around 1600 hrs. so we beat the rush. I cooked up a pot of gourmet instant noodles, tuna and tortillas. I used to bring bagels on my backpacking trips but a few years ago I changed over to tortillas since they are lighter and pack easier. For dessert, we both ate two chocolate pudding cups. Life just doesn’t get any better than that. Out shelter mates for the night included six guys from Northern Virginia and four from Virginia Tech. Fortunately several elected to sleep in tents so there were only five of us that called the shelter home for the night.
By about 1715 hrs., we had the dishes cleaned up and everything packed away. By 1730 hrs., little bro was in his sleeping bag and out like a light. At least three of the five occupants of the shelter (all over 40 years old) snored for most of the night. Of course, I was one of the three. Like I said, it is hell getting old.
We were the first ones out of the sack in the morning. After another oatmeal breakfast, we were on the trail by 0700 hrs. It was great hiking along the ridge that surrounds Carvins Cove. My brother was suitably impressed with himself when he looked back across the Cove to where we had started that morning. We covered over eight miles and were out of the woods before lunch.
Einstein said that time is relative and this backpacking trip confirmed his theory. It is amazing how quickly time flies when you are doing something you love to do with someone you love to be with. The good news is I spoke to my brother on the telephone today and, not only is he planning to come back next year, but he may even bring along a buddy from work. It sounds like a plan to me.