Week One

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Day 1 - Monday, June 16
Mr. Mendez picks us up to ride in his semi to Syracuse. I sleep on the lower bunk.

Day 2 - Tuesday, June 17
Mr. Mendez buys us lunch on an Indian Reservation in NY. We make a late delivery to a warehouse in Syracuse and watch the Celtics win the NBA playoffs in his truck on a tiny black and white television while the truck is being unloaded.

Day 3 - Wednesday, June 18
Mr. Mendez drops us off at the bus station and after riding four different buses we arrive in Lee, MA, just a few miles from the Appalachain Trail (AT). We hiked about 7 miles on the road and down the trail to the Cabin at Upper Goose Pond. It is a two story cabin with bunk beds and mattresses. It is called the Hilton of the AT. The cabin was packed with hikers and at least one tent outside. In the morning Dave, the volunteer caretaker, made us blueberry pancakes.

Day 4 - Thursday, June 19
We hiked all day and made it to the Shaker Campground. One time we stopped for a break on some rocks and after a few minutes I saw the skin of a snake lying next to my foot. My Dad thought we better get moving just in case the rest of the snake was nearby. It was almost dark when we got to the campground and I thought I heard a bear growl. At the campground there were 5 tents, 6 guys and one dog named Champ. Each morning we have a pop tart for breakfast and Ramen noodles for lunch and dinner. Chicken is my favorite.

Day 5 - Friday, June 20
We only hiked about 5 miles and we were at the South Wilcox Shelter having lunch when a bad thunderstorm came. We had about 5 miles more to go to the next shelter and it was already about 3 pm so we decided to stay there for the evening. Two ladies from Belgium stopped by the shelter while we were eating. They were going in the other direction and had only about a mile to go to get to the next shelter. When the rain stopped they went on. We talked with them a little about Belgium. They said during WW II the German marched through in only two days. they also said there are more pigs in Belgium than people and it is causing a problem for their drinking water. When my Dad asked them about God, they said that no young people go to church there and that they don't even think about God. The water came from a spring that came out under a rock that was split in two. It was like the story of Moses getting water from the rock. The water was very cold and clear, but we treat all the water we drink with Iodine tablets.

Day 6 - Saturday, June 21
We got up early from our shelter and found that five other people had come during the night and stayed at the old shelter that was on the other side of the privy. We had a big shelter with a loft and bunks to ourselves while they were crammed into a tiny old one. They must not have known it was there in the dark. On our hike out we stopped by a pond where a man was fishing in a boat and I sat on a rock and let me feet soak in the cold water. It felt good. On the way to Great Barrington we talked with a 70-year-old grandma who was hiking by herself. Her trail name was Safety Pins. She called us Grasshopper and Chicago. The day before she went the wrong way on the trail almost all day, but now she was going in the right direction. We stayed that night at a hostel on a silent retreat center. We were not allowed to talk to the people who stayed there. We went into town and had a big hamburger. The people that gave us a ride into town was Kevin, Tina, Elyssa and Ethan. Elyssa and Ethan go to AWANA at their church. We also got rides from a mom and her son and another lady. People usually pick you up along the road if they know you need a ride and see that you are a hiker.

Day 7 - Sunday, June 22
We got a ride into town to go to Church. The service lasted about 3 hours and there was alot of singing. I went to children's Church during the preaching. During church it started raining very hard so we went across the street to a hotel. We were able to get a shower and watch the Cubs play the White Sox. We also went shopping for the food for the next week on the trail and we boxed up stuff to send home that we don't want to carry anymore. My Dad said I didn't need the toy cars or extra clothes.