4th AT Section Coming up!

Jeremiah and I are starting the fourth AT section hike on May 4-6...We should cover alot of ground in 3 days. We will have a special guest with us on this section...Jodi our sister will be joining us! So far, the forecast is much better this time. We are looking at moderate temps ranging from 60F down to 48F. I think I'll go on over to REI for a little last minute shopping. Things I need...Food, Light-weight hiking pants, a lighter sleeping bag (XL). I need to tell Jeremiah to slow down...not for Jodi's sake but for mine. See you on the Appalachian Trail!


May 4
High 64°F
Low 48°F

May 5
High 64°F
Low 48°F

May 6
High 69°F
Low 50°F

43 Things dot com

Great site for setting goals

Cervini's Spoiler

The last post was a little gay so...I just had a Cervini’s C-series duck tail spoiler installed on my 2006 tungsten grey GT V-8 Coup. That was the hardest three days of my life, but when I got her back…She looked awesome with her new Extreme Makeover. God Damn! Its almost a sin when I look at that car…I think she is the most beautiful thing in the world. October 2006 a 10 inch tree limb fell on her and raked her driver side..from stem to stern and ripped off the mirror. But I rebuilt her…we had the technology. I love my Mustang! The only drawback is I cant sleep in it.

https://www.cervinis.com/product.aspx?car=1&id=1208#2227

Azalea

The Azalea's in front of my house are blooming.

Snow Covered Mustang

It is springtime so I'm just cleaning out the camera SD disc. This was March 2007, One last gasp of old man winter. It was combination snow/ice and very difficult to clean up. I had to be very careful with my little pony, so as not to scratch her. I hate winter...almost makes me want to move to Florida...nah. FYI now that its springtime the trees are crapping pollen all over my stang. Poor thing needs a wash, maybe tomorrow. And then I'll break out my car cover.

Keun Yoo

Keun Yoo - Good friend of mine. Shown here playing poker with Big Ed. Keun only drinks Zimas, but dont let that fool you...Known as the "All-In-Kid" He can play some serious Poker.
Keun and I even made a special trip up to Atlantic City for a poker tournament. I can't wait to go again! Everytime I go all-in against him he's got Aces! I really need to think about the relative strength of Jack-Eight. He also gave me the nickname of Rhino.

Slideshow of Family

I was feeling guilty for not mentioning my family...so here they are. I love youse guys! There are a few of my Mustang also! What did you expect?

First Responders

SSG Karpowicz and I were driving out the the Mapes Gate near Rt 175 when we witnessed a car accident right in front of the Grey Ghost. A car turning left onto base hit another car who was just going through the intersection. BOOM! They came to rest a mere 10 ft in front of the mustang. SSG Karpowicz and I instantly jumped out of the car to offer assistance. Both airbags had deployed and the drivers seemed disoriented. I approached the first car and asked if the lady was alright? She replied that she was OK. I was alarmed at the amount of smoke coming out of the dashboard so I told her to climb over the center console and exit the passenger door, as the other car was firmly wedged against the drivers door. SSG Karpowicz was checking on the other driver, an elderly woman and reported that he thought she had broke her arm. After getting my victim out of the car, and telling her to sit in my Mustang. I went over to other car and KP. We decided not to move the old lady as we didn't know the extent of her injuries. I could see blood coming out her mouth, but she seem coherent enough as KP distracted her with conversation. I tried calling 911 on my cell phone...and when that didn't work, I walked back 25 yards to the Guard Shack. The guard told me law enforcement was enroute and seemed surprised when I told him, we had injuries requiring Emergency Medical Personnel. The guard went back in to make the call. Within minutes police cruisers came racing up along with firetrucks and a ambulance. I watched as everyone went into action, and took a few digital shots with my camera which was in my pocket. The Police directing traffic, taking statements and documenting the scene. The fireman cleaning up the scene, disabling the victims car and removing her from the wreckage. The EMT assessing the ladies injuries and keeping her calm as they removed her and placed her on a gurney. Although we didn't do much I was very proud of the way SSG Karpowicz and I responded to the accident and offered assistance at the scene. It took a while for me to calm down and when I did...I was scared to drive!
PS The mustang is alright.

Front Royal, VA

Two miles later we reached the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter. There were two elderly hikers inside and we chatted them up while we took a much needed break. I took off my Gortex jacket and my pack. They were section hiking but they were from the Boston area. They had been Hiking the AT for nine yrs and they were almost finished. Nine Yrs! I hope I finish before that. But what an accomplishment, maybe I can't climb Mt Everest, or swim the English channel...but I sure as hell can hike the whole AT with a little perseverance.

We left Denton, but it quickly became clear with 6 more miles, we had bitten off more than we could chew. A quick team conference and we all agreed for Jeremiah to go ahead and meet his wife at Rt 522. I was moving very slowly at this point, my legs and knees protesting every movement. Jeremiah made the call on my Motorola Razr phone. He said we were only 1 mile away from the pickup, so I bet him $20 I would beat Diedre...mainly to get her moving towards us, in a timely manner. The last two times we had to wait hours for her to pick us up. Not fun after a 20 mile hike! Jeremiah left with such energy and speed, I was impressed with how much energy he had...Instead of the 1 mile he had promised us we ended up hiking 4 more miles to 522 were we completed our 20.5 miles in about 15 hours...I know, I know slow right? Well we didn't see to many people out in those conditions...Every time we complete a leg I'm filled with a overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I can look at the map and say...I did that.

Another thought I couldn't shake...Was the Grey Ghost alright?

The morning after the storm

The morning after the storm...we slowly woke and started preparing to break camp.
Jeremiah gave me some Granola and berries, which I ate for breakfast. It was still raining pretty hard, with no sign of any relief. My whole body was in agony, stiff with pain I could barely get out of my sleeping bag. When I did, I realized there was an abundance of water and mud underneath our tent...which was ice cold!

Note to self: tuck your shoe laces into your hiking boots and keep them underneath cover to keep them from getting soaked.

We packed our gear into our packs. We took down the muddy, soaked tents and packed them, lastly we took down the tarp, which had protected Jeremiah from the elements. We picked up our garbage and when we left the campsite we tried to leave it in the same condition as we had found it. We hadn't even started but you could already feel how miserable this day would be.

The trail was full of 2-3 inches of water, so we tried walking to the sides or around the deep streams of water running down the middle of the the trail. After laying on the cold tent all night it was almost enjoyable to be up and walking with my heavy North Face pack and warm Gortex BDU Coat...yes, you know it, shameless plugs!
We quickly approached Rt 66 and could hear the cars and trucks speeding on the wet asphalt. After descending a steep incline we crossed a rushing stream and walked a quarter of a mile on the road underneath the highway. We were in good spirits and enjoying the hike despite the cold rain and conditions. Thats when I glanced up at the looming mountain in front of us. "oh crap," I thought.
Jeremiah assured us, that it was a gentle incline over two miles and that there was nothing to be alarmed at...yeah right.

I Felt the Rain Down...

Up and down the 2000-mile long Appalachian Trail are a series of three-side shelters constructed for the exclusive use of backpackers using the back country trail system for three or more nights. Shelters are generally spaced 12 to 20 miles apart along the length of the trail. Each shelter, or series of shelters, is maintained by a local hiking or trail club.

We had planned on staying the night at Manassass Gap Shelter. It was about our half way point but when we got there, it was occupied by Boy scouts staying out of the rain. I needed to sit down for 10 minutes so I walked up and invited my crew to rest by their smoky fire for a spell.
We still had plenty of light left so 15 minutes later we said our goodbyes and started south with The Jim and Molly Denton Shelter (5.5 miles away) as our goal for that night. We quickly reassessed our situation...We needed to set up camp...and soon. Walking along a cliff we searched for a reasonably flat place to pitch our tent. We found one amongst some saplings 50 feet off the trail. The area was approximately 20x20 and surround by Young trees. Jeremiah and Robert set up camp as I uselessly watched in a exhausted daze. First they laid down some ground cloth then they set up the tents on top of that. And finally they hung a Ultra-light tarp over both tents. I wearily dug out my leftover MRE (eggs w/ vegetable omelet) put the heating element and an ounce of water in the package. I don't know if you've ever seen these things...but it got hot quickly! I shoved the whole package back into the cardboard box, so as not to scald my hands. It chemically bubbled for 15 minutes. The eggs tasted like crap, but I ate them all. I was so sore I could barely take off my shoes and crawl inside the tent...thats when it stopped showering and the gates of heaven opened up! It was loud in the tent with the rain pounding incessantly. But I was snug as a bug in my down sleeping bag. We ate, listened to shortwave radio, drank a few shots and settle in for a long night of hard rain. I tossed and turned, the ground was extremely hard and I couldn't get comfortable. We where in the tents by 7 pm and we didn't venture forth until 9am the next day. During the night the rain stopped for a short time and I could hear footsteps...approaching the tent. I held my breath, straining to listen, thinking of serial killers or bears...I think it might have been raindrops on the leaves.

List of all AT Shelters
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/index.php

Powerful Nor'easter Pounds Northeast

Powerful Nor'easter Pounds Northeast
By DAVID BAUDER
AP
NEW YORK (April 16) - A menacing spring storm punished the Northeast for a second straight day Monday, dumping more than 8 inches of rain on Central Park and sending refrigerators and pickup trucks floating down rivers in one of the region's worst storms in recent memory. "This one is really a horror show," Gov. Eliot Spitzer said after touring hard-hit areas north of New York City.

The nor'easter left a huge swath of devastation, from the beaches of South Carolina to the mountains of Maine. It knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people and was blamed for at least 11 deaths nationwide, including a New Jersey man who drowned inside a car. The storm showed no immediate sign of letting up. The National Weather Service predicted showers through Wednesday night in the New York City area, with rain mixed with snow at times.

Mean while on the Appallachain Trail...

I knew it was going to be a bad storm...but Damn! Maybe we shouldn't have gone hiking in such weather. Consider this, maybe we could handle the rain and the cold...but what happens when we have to cross a rain swollen stream that might wash Jeremiah away? How do I explain that to Mom or Diedre? I like hiking in sunshine.

We managed to stay fairly dry. We caught up to a group of teenage Boy Scouts and we passed them going uphill. We had never passed anybody on the AT so this was a first. Jeremiah's pace quickened and he told me..."they are not going to pass us...Let's Go!" A mile later we reached the Shelter. We had planned...

3rd Leg - Appalachain Trail Snickers Gap, VA

We had planned going out 14-15 April for weeks, however looking at the forecast the night before, I was ready to quit even before we began. A huge storm, a Nor'Easter was swinging in and the whole east coast was bracing for a wintery mix of rain, sleet and snow. I called Jeremiah hoping he would back out, but he didn't.

Saturday morning I packed up my gear and drove out Rt 66. There was no traffic that morning and the road was just to tempting so I unleashed the Grey Ghost...I dont want to incriminate myself so lets just say...110 and I could have gone faster...guess I'm just chicken. But seriously, I'm safe so don't worry about me and my baby.

Met Jeremiah and his coworker, Robert near Front Royal and we dropped Jeremiah's car off near some trail head...They piled into the Mustang and Jeremiah took us on some crazy backroads as we headed north towards RT 50. At one point we went over Morgan's Ford a crazy concrete bridge barely above water level...Very scary. I know, "Morgan's Ford in Morgan's Ford" It felt like something from the Dukes of Hazard...The Morgan Boy's terrorize Northern Virginia!

We made it to Snickers Gap in no time. The trail head was hard to find and we drove right past it. After U-turn that scraped the undercarriage we finally found a parking spot and started getting our gear out. Weather was not rainy, but it was overcast and we knew it would only be a matter of time. We donned our backpacks and traipsed down the trail, full of high spirits and joking with each other. Little did we know what 24 hrs had in store for us. We quickly crossed Rt 50 and attacked the first mountain to the south. I don't know about those two, but my lack of conditioning had my heart racing and I soon was gasping for breath, within 10 minutes. Robert surged ahead leaving Jeremiah and I trudging up the mountain in his wake.

It soon began to sleet and we all put our rain gear on. Both of those guys laughed at my green Poncho and said I wouldn't get any style points. My Green Poncho kept me dry for the rest of the day.

Salutations! Hello! Guten Morgen!

12 Apr 2007

This is not my first foray into the arena of blogging, I have numerous accounts on different websites. Myspace seems to be designed for a younger spamming crowd of holligans. 43 Things is an interesting goal setting site, albeit a little sophmoric. I also have a music blog on ProjectPlaylist, unfortunately I haven't written anything there. Librarything is a Virtual library where you can review books. Cool but is it Blogging? I don't know.

Admittedly I'm not the best blogger in the world and as of this date I have no subscribers. However I do have secret plans on becoming The Uber Blogger of Earth (TUBE). No seriously I just want to motivate myself to write more often. What will I be focusing on? Will there be a theme or branding to my Blog...probably not. What can you expect here? I'm not going to focus on any one area or topic. I'm going to write about what I like and dislike. I'm going to regal my readers with my zany exploits and hairbrained schemes. I'm going to recount my adventures hiking the Appalachian Trail with my brother Jeremiah. I might describe my Love of everything Mustang. I might do some therapeutic ranting about work, or dicuss what's going on in my life. Yes this will be about Everything Jeff!

I do enjoy writing and would love to improve my wordsmithing skills. I barely passed English 101, so I'm sure there will be grammatical errors and poor sentence structure. I do want to thank my literary friend Connie and her well written blog about her Southern Maryland Vineyard for inspiring me to just Blog it. Thanks.

http://asthevineyardgrows.blogspot.com/

http://blog.myspace.com/rhinoplanet

http://www.43things.com/person/jeffmorg

http://www.projectplaylist.com/download/5023240

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=jeffmorg