May 18, 2009 - Day 1

Starting from Delaware Water Gap, PA
Hiked 13.2 miles

For Turtle (Dale) the anticipation of getting on the trail creates a sense of mixed emotions. Nervousness because he is not sure if he anticipated everything . . . anxiety because getting on the trail is something he cannot wait to do. Navigator’s has a slightly different set of emotions . . . contemplative about new equipment and anxious to get on the trail. Both hikers were concerned about the weather since this was their coolest start yet with highs expected in the 50s and frost expected overnight.

The day started off with a Cinderella moment. Apparently the crocks morphed while in storage and neither hiker could get them easily. We were in our room at the Budget Inn ready to go to breakfast and both guys looked like the step sisters trying to shove their feet in the glass slippers. Luckily there was a WalMart close by so the problem was easily fixed after breakfast. Without any other incidents the guys got on the trail and were hiking around 8:00 a.m.

The first day out was a good one. They called around 5:00 p.m. to say they had reached Rattlesnake Spring, their intended stopping point for the night. It was a good day! They had already set up the tent and were inside trying to keep warm. The temperatures were dropping and the wind was blowing . . . cool temperatures create a completely new set of problems compared to the extreme heat of last year and the rain from their 2006 hike!

Today’s main event was Turtle taking a stellar fall in which his trekking pole got lodged in a rock and snapped. The good news is that the pole was the only thing that sustained injury. Turtle said he was fine. (First request from home . . . send Julie's trekking poles ASAP!)