things I've seen on the trail so far

[El Jefe]

While section hiking from Standing Indian to Fontana earlier last month, we saw a rather large nude older gentleman bathing out of a drainage pipe right beside the trail. The ironic thing was it was on Big Butt Mountain. He looked at us and looked down and said "water's cold".

[BrianLe]

"someone carrying a croquet stick just west of rausch gap"

I first met the "croquet boys" in the Smokies in March, they were just ahead of my group, which we appreciated as it made things easier for us as they were compacting the snow down ahead and making the trail visible at times through some fresh snow that fell while we were in Gatlinburg. Every time my hiking partners and I would get to a shelter they were at they would in fairly short order get up and start to leave, I think figuring that "if the old guys have caught us, we need to do more miles". When I got off trail (temporarily I hope) in New York last week they were a good two weeks further ahead --- those boys cook. They each carry a croquet mallent and do impromptu croquet matches with whatever conditions they can find. Their trail names are Half-Pint, Sweet Potatoes, and Tinman. I'm sure they'll be some of the first NOBOs to get to Katahdin this year.

My personal favorite so far was meeting a SOBO at the Mayor's house in Unionville who carries an Iguana on his pack. Since he's southbound I expect a lot of folks will see him; he's got a big big pack, you won't likely miss him assuming he stays on trail!

[Pony]

A guy at Partneship who had made 3 trips into Marion to lighten his load. He got it down to 85 lbs. Guess he couldn't part with that 10 lbs of AA batteries and 11 flashlights.

I pulled a tick off at Loft Mtn. and a lady asked me to put in her jar filled with alcohol. There must have been tree dozen ticks in there, she sis she was ridding the woods of tick. Weird.

[Pony]

Oops, three dozen, and she says she was ridding the woods of ticks.

[hal0ofwint3r]

el jefe, i just bathed nude at a stream right on the trail last weekend. it was great. because nobody else passed by!

brianle, that's funny, you ran into them too.

[Press]

I met the guy with the 85 lb. pack and flashlights and so forth south of Bland a couple weeks ago. Super nice guy! Hiking his own hike!

[Czechtrecker]

Last Sept. I was leapfrogging a large coed group of late teens/early twenties between Garfield shelter and Mt Lafayette. The last time I passed them it was somewhere between Lafayette and Lincoln. They had stopped in front of a very large boulder with an overhang, sort of a natural cathedral. They were now all wearing long black robes, some with hoods, some with hats. They were having some type of ceremony with candles and wine. It was very foggy and breezy so it was quite an eerie scene.

[tlap]

Czechtrecker,

It was probably just a Wiccan celebration of the autumnal equinox. Some circles wear robes; others not. Sounds like a beautiful place for it.

[trailangelbronco]

The worst I have ever seen on the trail is when I almost stepped in human poop on the trail. Somebody just dropped trousers right in the middle of the trail and left a big "Baby Ruth" complete with toilet paper right there on the trail in the middle of a big meadow. I was gonna move it aside with a stick but started gaggin and took off on my way and shakin my head.

[TIDE-HSV]

The worst I have ever seen on the trail is when I almost stepped in human poop on the trail. Somebody just dropped trousers right in the middle of the trail and left a big "Baby Ruth" complete with toilet paper right there on the trail in the middle of a big meadow. I was gonna move it aside with a stick but started gaggin and took off on my way and shakin my head.

I've posted this before, but, back in the early 80s, a friend and I were coming into the AT at Silers Bald from High Rocks on Welch Ridge, and rounded a turn into a designated campsite, and there crouched a dwarf, pants down about to poop in the trail. His tall, good looking, blond girlfriend (I guess) was standing right beside him. As we passed by, with a grunt and a nod (pants up by now), he snarled "A guy can't take a s**t anywhere these days..." Maybe he'd preceded you... As we rounded the next bend, I asked my buddy "Did you just see what I saw?"

[GA BASS]

bump bumpbump bump

[HIKER7s]

last year, A guy hiking solo down Wolf Rocks in a speedo and sandals.

[TexasEd]

a group with a 6 quart soup pot making stew with beef, onions, carrots and potatoes on a huge propane stove.

Then they baked a cake. It was my birthday so they sang to me and gave me a piece.