I am going to keep this short and sweet for the sake of time. We had a long haul today through the Whites of about 27 miles. This is pretty much insane because we did not start until almost 8am. In the morning we walked the exposed Franconia Ridgeline. On this ridgeline we climbed several mountains including Mt Lafayette. We were surrounded by fog within the clouds, and winds whipped past us at 50-60 mph! It was really something I never experienced. The rest of the day we hiked a few other mountains ending the day at 7 climbs in total! We hiked into the night to get near Route 30e so we could hitch a ride to the AMC Highland Center for a package pickup and an AYCE breakfast. Hopefully we get a ride early in the morning so we can get in for the breakfast. Overall it was a long, tough day, but we dealt a good blow to the White Mountains.
"Turok pointing out Mount Washington in the distance with his hiking stick."
The forecast called for showers all day today, but once again we lucked out with only a slight drizzle for 5 minutes. This is a good thing too because our descent down Mount Moosilauke was one of the hardest things that we have done on the trail. The White Mountains are no joke, and even though our plan was to do 18 miles today, I do not think we could have done anymore.
From Beaver Creek Shelter, where the baby only woke us up 3 times, to the I-93 underpass, it was all steep ups and downs. We descended Moosilauke, climbed Mt Wolfe, then followed the Kinsman Ridgeline, followed by a big steep climb up Kinsman Mountain. Between the two mountains ,Kinsman Ridgeline, it was no walk in the park. The entire way was up and down big steep hills. Going down Moosilauke and up Kinsman were the two of the steepest parts of the trail up to this point!
At the end of the hike which would have normally taken us 6 hours, but it took 8, we went into Lincoln, NH to the One Step at a Time hostel. Its a nice place run by Chet West and a few friends, and we enjoyed ourselves. We watched Tropic Thunder in town, and ate some McDonalds. Tomorrow we hope for easier climbs and some flat ground, though it probably will not happen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -We entered the White Mountains officially today when we ascended Mount Moosilauke. The climb was about 3500 feet over 4 miles. So it was really tough. It was essentially straight up the whole time. However, the climb did not slow us down too much as we reached the summit fairly quickly. The top of the mountain is almost at 5000 feet and the views were awesome from the treeless summit!
The day consisted of us climbing Moosilauke at the end, and Mt Mist and Mt Cube earlier on. We stopped on the North side of Moosilauke at Beaver Brook Shelter, which has great views of the White Mountains ahead. Of course it being labor day weekend there happens to be a couple with their 13 month child here. This does not make us too happy as we are likely to not sleep tonight...Babies are great and all, but not at a shelter for thru hikers who rely on sleep to do their hiking.
Tomorrow we are on to a hostel with a shorter day around 18 miles. Today was a bit long at 28 miles, so we feel we should take the stop to do laundry among other things. Hopefully we will have the energy to get there over Kinsman Mountain.
"Optimus and his Snicker bar at the summit of Moosilauke."
We unfortunately had to sleep in until about 6am this morning because of the rough time falling asleep last night. It is not a terrible thing, but this means we have less time to hike during the day. We did not end up making quite as far as we wished, but we still traveled 23 miles out of Hanover to Smart Mountain Cabin.
New Hampshire started out nice and easy, and then all of a sudden we had some tough climbs. All of them were nearly straight up. At one point during a climb there was even a rope to help you climb. (Though it was not really necessary) We peaked Moose Mountain, Holtz Ledge, and Smart Mountain. Smart Mountain, in my opinion, has been one of the toughest climbs since Central Virginia. It was long, and very steep at the base and into the summit. Much much more of those fun climbs to come in the Whites!
Optimus and I are loving the weather up here in the North! Chance of rain the next couple days, but nothing to serious. Mosquitos were bothersome at some points today, but the Deet really does work. Not much else to report on. Our first official day in the White Mountains will be tomorrow towards the last few miles.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Got to see a movie tonight! We had a small selection of movies at the Nugget Theater in Hanover. We ended up seeing Hamlet 2, and it was pretty hilarious. Rock Me Sexy Jesus, the controversial song at the center of the play, is actually quite catchy and gets stuck in your head.
At Wintturi Shelter we decided to get up extra early, just before 5am, to make sure we get to the Hanover Post Office before 5pm. We covered a total of 27 miles to the post office before 4pm. This included stopping for a soda at a store, and swimming in the CT River, which is also the VT NH State Line. The first 13 miles were tough with lots of hills and overgrown trail. The 2nd half of the hike was much easier, but the maintenance was still pretty bad. The Dartmouth Outdoor Club has been slacking a bit this year.
In town we ate at Quiznos and a local pizza place, got our package, and went to the movie. It was nice getting in early after all that mileage. We ended up camping just outside of town with a bunch of other hikers. They were a bit loud early in the night by the campfire, but they calmed down by midnight, giving us the chance to get some sleep.
"VT-NH State Line over the CT River."
Add another tough day into our trip. The past two days just did not have any flat sections of trail. Every step of the way has been either uphill or downhill. Vermont has really made itself much more difficult than when we left it for break, and we have not gotten into our groove yet.
Today we hiked a total of 26.2 miles from Coopers Lodge to Wintturi Shelter. Unlike yesterday not much happened. However, we did get to go the wrong way for a half mile because of an unmarked turn, and also had to follow some bad trail relocations. Not that Vermont has done a terrible job at trail maintenence, but there has been a couple poor sections. We did hit a fairly major checkpoint today called the Maine Junction. This is where the AT stops following the Long Trail, which heads North to Canada, and heads in a general Eastern direction towards New Hampshire and Maine.
Tomorrow we move onward out of Vermont and into Hanover, New Hampshire, the home of Dartmouth College. I feel that this is a big mental accomplishment. With our break last week, Team Excessive has been hovering in Vermont for awhile. It will feel good to cross the Connecticut River into another state. Even though the state will be an extremely demanding task to tackle.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -It has been awhile since I have been able to say that the hiking was truly tough. Today was quite a challenge. It just seemed like we were always heading uphill. Looking back in the guidebook, it does not look as bad as it felt. Usually it ends up the other way, where it feels easier then you thought it would be. This is a bad sign for us in the future heading into the White Mountains and all. The toughness was probably escalated by our slight injuries, new shoes, and also our need to readjust to the hiking routine.
We woke at half past five this morning and we were out ready to hike in less than an hour. We hiked throughout the morning and afternoon tackling some tough climbs. The weather was nice, and the views were great! We snapped a lot of good photos today too, a couple of a rock sanctuary, and some of a few cool looking trees. We ended our day with a long climb up Killington Mountain to Coopers Lodge. The temperature is dropping fast, and we are thankful to have brought our cold gear along with us since break. There is a good chance that temperatures will drop into the 30s tonight at this high altitude.
"The cool rock sanctuary near Killington Mountain."
Back on the trail! It was awesome seeing our family and friends and all, but both of us were defoinitely getting eager to finish this trek. We planned out the rest of the trek to take between 21-23 days depending on the amount of zero days we take. So in about 3 weeks we plan to hike 536 miles through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Today we got dropped at Manchester Center around 10am. Optimus had his parents, Warren and Katherine, drive us up, and we both thank them for the ride! Its great to have both of our parents helping us out so much! Hopefully we will see them all up in Maine. We took a short day today since we had a late start. The total mileage for the day was 16.5. We ended the day at Big Branch Shelter which is really nice. The shelter is a bit small and old, but it has a great location being right next to the Big Branch Stream. During the hike we climbed Bromley Mountain and several peaks, including Peru Peak. My feet hurt really bad early on, and Optimus had some ankle issues later in the day. We both are going to stretch a lot tonight, and start up on the Ibuprofen diet that seems to get many of us hikers through this craziness.
"View from Bromley Mountain. Great hiking weather!"
This was our relaxation time. Optimus relaxed in Cape Cod and spent time with his family. He hit up the ocean beaches and ponds and ate a lot of good food. He got to enjoy some Johnnie Walker too (thanks Will). I spent my time at home in CT with family and friends, watching some of the Olympics. It was good timing to be home because most of my friends are heading back to college this week. The 6 days off were a nice change of pace, but they are probably going to throw us off a bit when we return on Sunday.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -We awoke along with Gabriel at 5am, well before the sun was up. It was a cold morning, likely only in the upper 40s. Mist covered the forest, and it was tough for us to warm up. Gabriel took off ahead of us as Optimus and I warmed up with our oatmeal. We hiked 7 miles to the top of Stratton Mountain within the mist. After reaching the summit a wisp of wind came over our heads and the sun was revealed. At the summit we talked with a caretaker. She gave us some Cheez-its and jerky!
After summiting Stratton, we had another 14 miles into Manchester Center. The hiking was easy and we were pumped to get into town. We hitched into town from the road, calorie overdosed at McDonalds, and then called into the hostel in town for pickup. We heard of the hostel by word of mouth from other hikers. It is by donation basis, and its great. The hostel is owned by a guy named Jeff. In the Winter he uses it as a ski house, but in the Summer he opens it to hikers. This place is incredible. Everyday Jeff takes in about 8 to 10 hikers. Its a straight up house with 3 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms. It also includes television, kitchen, furnished everything, and nice beds!
Monday morning we are getting picked up and heading home to CT for a 6 day break from hiking. I will be spending my time at home with friends and family, and Optimus will be going to Cape Cod with family. We planned this break from the start. We thought it would be wise to be preemptive against injury for the last leg of the trip. The White Mountains in New Hampshire are very rugged and the climbs are considered very difficult.
"Team Excessive underneath the mileage signs at the hostel."
Today we hiked 31 miles from Seth Warner Shelter to Story Spring Shelter. The weather was unseasonably cool, temperatures were in the 60s. Even though it was chilly, it was great hiking weather.
During the hike we spent most of the day ascending and descending Glastenbury Mountain. After crossing VT Route 9 near Bennington we began our long climb. It was not until about 10 miles later that we reached the summit. So the climb was really slow and gradual. At the top Optimus and I decided to eat lunch on the firetower. It was definitely interesting doing so because at the top the winds were very strong and the temperature seemed to drop drastically. It was well worth the beautiful 360 view.
The hike was pleasant. The mud cushioned our feet, and an early morning got us in to the shelter at 7pm, which gave us time to relax a bit before passing out. We talked with a couple other thru hikers included Gabrielle, Big Brown, and Trail Fox. Gabrielle is a young guy that has been hiking the same pace as us for 2 months, but we have not seen him since North Carolina. We will probably spend tomorrow night at a hostel with most of them.
"The view from the firetower a top Glastenbury Mountain."
So what is the best way to hike 30 miles in a day? ...Throw in a Chinese Buffet at mile 23. At the top of Mount Greylock we read about the buffet 6 miles ahead down the mountain. So we decided to try to get there by 4, eat for awhile, and head back into the woods for another 7 miles crossing just into Vermont. This was a great treat after the day we had.
We awoke just after 5am and left Toms to a breakfast place down the road. We each ate a good meal and headed out. By 11am we hiked 10 miles into Chesire, and by 1pm we had summited Mount Greylock. This was a seven mile climb from 900 feet to 3500 feet in elevation. It was not a terribly difficult climb, but it rained on us the entire way up, and mud seemed to be everywhere. At the summit the rain cleared out and we had beautiful views to the South. Hiking down the mountain was steep and slippery. We had a good time creating 5 foot long skid marks across the trail.
At the shelter we conversed with some Southbound thru hikers. They say that we will be in mud country for a long time. It is not going to be fun having wet dirty shoes everyday. Its funny, in the South we worried about drought issues and now we want the water to go away.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Tom Levardi is the man! He lives right on the trail in Dalton Ma. He opens up his house to thru hikers, letting them stay inside, hang out, and he will even at times provide a shuttle around town. The first thing he did though was make us ice cream sundaes. After a real early start and a fast 20 miler into town from Upper Goose Pond Cabin, Optimus and I were welcomed into his home. We got a shower and shuttled for laundry and to the post office. By far the most hospitality on the trail. You really could not ask for more!
The hike today was awesome. Temperatures were in the upper 70s with partly cloudy skies. We hiked mostly along ridgeline with some muddy pond areas. Nothing bad and no climbs larger than 500 feet. Early in the morning we crossed over the Mass Pike (I-90), and by 2pm we were already in town! We also got subs at the local eatery, and stopped by a Cumbys for some snacks. It feels great to be back in Northcountry!
"Turok over I-90. Look back at the 3rd post in May."
Finally, by the end of the 28 mile hike today my shoes dried out. It feels really good to take off your shoes and not have pruned feet. Today we hiked from US 7 at the Corn Crib to Upper Goose Pond Cabin. The hiking was not too bad, but I seemed to be physically exhausted the entire day. Optimus has been feeling much better than me the past couple weeks. Which is a good thing.
Not much to say about the hiking today, but the cabin we are staying at is great. It has two stories with a nice bunkhouse on the top. It also has a covered porch and a swimming hole. Caretakers stay here all season and help keep the place looking nice. They also plan to make pancakes in the morning, but we will have to skip out to get to Dalton for a package pickup. One negative about last night and today is the copious amount of mosquitos. They kept both of us up last night, and bit us all day today during the hike.
"The caretakers canoe by Upper Goose Pond."
Wet is the best way to describe todays hike. It did not rain, but the runoff from the previous days rain created quite the mess. The trail went from being a trail to being a stream. Not fun when you have to try to descend rock faces. We also had to take our shoes off when crossing Sages Ravine into Massacheusets. The ravine water was roaring like thunder as it traveled quickly down Bear Mountain.
The day was extremely tough. It consisted of all that water and mud, 4 mountain climbs, and 28.5 miles. However, there were some great views on the mountain tops. We also ended up at a decent place to stay, camped out in an old greenhouse behind a roadside farm stand.
"Optimus fording Sages Ravine into Mass."
We got dropped back off in Kent around 8am. We were well rested but it took us awhile to get back into the hiking mood. Two days off with all that food will make anyone want to quit.
Thunderstorms threatened all morning long, but they did not hit us until about 1pm. It rained fairly hard for 3 hours. The lightning was only bad for about 30 minutes as the storm rolled over our heads. It is unfortunate that we had to start out with such wet weather.
We ended up reaching Falls Village in Northwestern CT. We set up camp just off the trail within viewing distance of Great Falls. It is really nice because the rain we got all day sure makes the falls more impressive. Overall the day went well with a total distance of 26 miles. Besides the rain, and slow legs, it could not have gone much better.
"Great Falls. Its a great waterfall after such a heavy rain."
Saturday and Sunday consisted mostly of us relaxing. Optimus went home for the day and night on Saturday, and I stayed around my grandparents house. I also went out to dinner Saturday evening with my Dad, his girlfriend Carol, and Rachel. On Sunday we all met back at my grandparents house and had a big feast of Ham, potatoes, lasagna, and much more! It was a great time at their house and really relaxing. Optimus and I thank my grandparents Norm and Laurette, our parents, and also the rest of my family, for their hospitality all weekend!
Review:
Total Mileage = 1453
2/3 of AT Complete!
States Completed: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York
States Left: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine
Major Highlights Up Ahead: Vermonts Long Trail, New Hampshires White Mountains, and Maines 100 Mile Wilderness
Exciting day today! We crossed into our home state of Connecticut, and we got into Kent where my Mom was waiting. The plan is to stay at my Grandmas in Plainville CT for this weekend and rehit the trail Monday Morning.
Hiking today was not too bad. From the Telephone Pioneer Shelter to the CT state line, a distance of 10 miles, it was mostly farm fields and rolling hills. After crossing into CT we enjoyed the scenery around the Ten Mile and Housantonic Rivers. Then we ran into some tough climbs just before getting to Kent.
After getting to my Grandmas house Optimus and I got our much needed showers and laundry in. We went basically 11 days without either of these if you do not count the quick rinse we had in PA without any soap about 6 days back. We relaxed for the night and devoured a sheet pizza. We also had beers and watched Semi-Pro!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -We woke early to the morning dew settling on our sleeping bags. Optimus and I were not well rested. We were kept up the whole night by cars passing the campsite and mosquitos biting us everywhere. We packed up and got out as early as possible.
Most of the morning hiking was easy, though we were tired so our legs had trouble pushing us uphill. After 15 miles, we arrived at a deli off the trail for lunch, got subs and Mountain Dew. Yea, I understand we have been hitting a lot of these lately, but it does not last much longer, and we earned it by hiking this far. So we are going to take advantage of real food any chance we get.
After lunch we hiked another 11.6 miles to Telephone Pioneers Shelter. We passed up the oppurtunity to get water at Nuclear Lake, a former nuclear fuel testing site, though sources say that the water is fine. After arriving for the night at the shelter we got water at the source, ate dinner, and stayed out of the rainstorm that rolled through.
We now sit about 10 miles from the CT State Border. So as of tomorrow morning we will have hiked home from Georgia! Pretty good accomplishment. We will be getting picked up by my Mom and driving to my Grandmas who lives closer to the trail then us. There we will take Saturday and Sunday completely off from hiking and probably watch a ton of movies. I also plan to ice my feet for several hours a day to try to get them healed for a one week trek to VT. Then we will take a 5 to 6 day break before heading for Maine and Mount Katahdin.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -A lot happened today. But first let me give a quick summary. We hiked 29 miles plus a 1.5 mile round trip into Fort Montgomery. Total mileage on the AT at the end of the day is 1405.
Today was a fun day. We planned to start early, but we awoke at 6am to rain. So we decided to wait out the rainstorm so we could avoid the wet shoes. We got out around 8am. The weather turned out to be great. Mid 80s, and a nice breeze atop the mountains.
In the morning hike we did about 15 miles to Fort Montgomery. We climbed over a few tough mountains, including the famous Bear Mountain which offers a distant view (about 40 miles) of the NYC Skyline, which we could not see today. We also hiked through the Bear Mountain Zoo where we saw some bears, foxes, and other native animals. In the late morning we went into town, got a small amount of supplies to get to CT, and got some Heros at a local Deli. Now I refer to them as they do here. I would rather refer to them as Subs or Grinders.
In the afternoon hike to our campsite we crossed the Hudson River over Bear Mountain Bridge. It was a neat bridge crossing with good views. It was interesting to find suicide hotline call boxes lining the pedestrian walkway. The rest of the hike to the Dennytown Rd Campsite was pretty boring, but nice and easy, although we ended up getting in after dark.
"The Hudson River and Bear Mountain Bridge."
We hiked from Wawayanda Mountain in New Jersey to Fingerboard Shelter in New York. After about 7 miles of hiking we crossed the border between the two states.
Today was a bit of a surprise. New York so far has been an extremely hilly state. The hills are not big by any stretch, but there are a lot of them. Most between 100 and 300 feet. The terrain is rocky again, not so much like PA, but more like granite ridgeline. Its not all sharp pointy rocks, but the slippery when wet rocks.
Optimus and I also traveled through some cool spots today. We crossed over the New York State Thruway (I-87). Traveled through Sterling Forest, which has a long history of a struggle of ownership between private and conservation groups. We also worked are way through the Lemon Squeezer, a small narrow pathway passing through a rocky corridor.
"Crossing the State Line."
The rocks may have won some battles against our feet in the past few days, but they have lost the war today. After hiking 15 miles and leaving the border of High Point State Park we left the rocks behind. Of course there are still a lot of rocks, but there is solid flat ground to walk too. So now our feet can rest over longer stretches of even ground.
We hiked a new daily high of 35 miles, if I am not mistaken! After High Point State Park most of the hiking was nice and easy. It was rolly at times, but the hills were short. We got to travel across many roads, a one mile long boardwalk across a swamp, and even got some milkshakes. We got the shakes at a farmers market right near the end of the day. We also bought a dozen eggs and cooked them up for dinner! It was getting late after eating the dinner and unfortunately we had to night hike 3 miles to the top of Wawayanda Mountain to find a campsite. It sort of sucked, but we found a nice place and set up camp.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -We awoke a little later than usual because we did not fall asleep until around 11pm. We began hiking at 8am, and ended the day as a relatively long one near Gren Anderson Shelter at a campsite. The total mileage for the day was just over 31.
We began the day crossing over the Delaware River on I-80 and crossing into New Jersey. We then walked ridgeline most of the day with a couple cool glacial lakes thrown in the mix. O ya, the rocks that started in PA are not done yet. They are still everywhere, and they supposedly go for 50 miles into New Jersey. In my opinion they seem to get worse in Jersey than in PA.
Overall though the hiking was not too bad. The weather was great, there was a decent amount of water, and not much elevation change.
"Sunfish Pond, the Southern most glacial pond on the AT. "
We did 20 miles into Delaware Water Gap. It started raining after 5 miles, getting really heavy with thunder and lightning twice. We eventually made it to the free church hostel, laid our clothes out in the sun, showered, and got our mail drop. Then we started into town to get food, deciding on a pizza place because that is as far as we got when it started pouring again. We stayed in the restaurant for four hours watching tv and drinking beers. Then we went down to a convenience store to stock up on snacks. On the way back to the hostel, we passed some people moving out of their apartment. We helped them move their furniture for a while in exchange for some Yuenglings before heading back to get some sleep.
Off the Trail in VA, WV, and PA, (and back through MD, WV, and VA) Part III:
In Pittsburg, I decided not to take the Greyhound as it would not get me where I wanted, so I hiked across the city to the Amtrak station and reserved a ticket for the next train to Harpers Ferry, WV. The only problem was that this train left at 5:45 am. With time to kill I walked around the city. I went to the parks, a gallery, a happy hour, some music stores looking for concerts in the area that night with no success, but still wound up back at the station at around 8 without any idea of what to do for the next nine hours. Then I saw an ad in the local paper for a bowling alley. All you can bowl from 9 to 12, and it was 80s night. I walked north thirty streets and got to the lanes right at 9. With a lane all to myself, I probably bowled 12 games.
Back at the station around 1, I tried to nap on the uncomfortable seats while watching Mythbusters and the Deadliest Catch before normal programming gave way to infomercials. I couldnt get comfortable and wound up watching the infomercials too. But the time came and I boarded the train, a cool double decker, and was on my way.
I found a woman who could give me a shuttle from Harpers Ferry to Front Royal, VA at the northern end of Shenendoah. She dropped me in town and I saved my night stay at her loft over her garage for Kevin and I the next day. I went to the outfitter, thrift stores, and bookstores. I actually found a small Edward Gorey book, a rare occurrence, but could not get it because I am hiking. I naturally had Taco Bell for dinner. I sat in there for a couple of hours reading and eating and charging my phone. I had actually been to Taco Bell more days in the previous 10 days than the person making my food had been working at the restaurant and I had to correct him on the way to make my triple layer nachos. That night I hiked up the mountain and stealth camped a mile down the trail. The next day I met Kevin at the Johnsons house for dinner and a night in the luxurious loft before hitting the trail once again. Its good to be back!
"Turok navigating a boulder scramble."
We traveled a good distance today over countless rocks. From PA 309 we went to Leroy Smith Shelter. It ended up being around a 29 miler. Optimus with his boots is doing fine over the rocky sections of trail, however, I am getting killed with my trail runners. Trail runners provide less support and stability and the soles are not as stiff. So I feel every little rock through the bottom of the shoe.
At the shelter there was a group already there when we arrived. And frankly, the shelter was not one you wanted to squeeze into. So we ended taking a nice campsite area up the hill and set up our tarp tent. Which has been going better than expected.
Off the Trail in VA, WV, and PA, (and back through MD, WV, and VA) Part II:
We arrived in Morgantown, WV after a rough ride in the truck that had some mechanical issues (and no transmission fluid I later found out when I checked it) and stayed at one of their friends apartments. Early in the morning we made our way to the show. After spending too much time looking for a back way in, we dropped a couple people off so they could hike in and then brought the car to the front gate. I got a ticket at a slightly reduced price from some people who had an extra and then went in and set up camp. By the end of the day the truck and camp were in different locations, so I spent the weekend sleeping under an easy-up by myself, although it got run over on Sunday while I was in it. I enjoyed the music and even met some people I knew at the festival and then headed back into Morgantown on Sunday night.
Back in town, however, it became clear that we were not leaving immediately. We hung around for a couple days, went into downtown, watched some movies, and slept a lot. I was ready to leave though. The day finally came when we were probably going to head out and I would get back to the trail. I went for a walk, got some food and groceries, and came back to find the front tire of the truck popped. Upon inspection, the spare was rusted onto the bottom of the truck. Back at the apartment, a crowd of people had gathered (apparently just picked up in the truck). They were other people still in town after the festival. With these new developments, I decided that I would have to make my own way back to the trail. I said my goodbyes and hiked across town. I walked to the bus station and found that a bus could take me to Pittsburg in the morning to a Greyhound station. I got a hotel room for the night, got Taco Bell for dinner, via an employee smoking outside once again, and went to catch the bus in the morning.