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July 27, 1983 Wednesday (827.6 mtg) From Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal A three-mile road walk greeted us this morning before a super uphill climb, followed by a trek through a swampy area and up and down slight rises. I found a fruit stand a quarter mile down a road that I had learned about through the grapevine recently. They had a formidable selection of fruits and vegetables as well as other supplies. I spotted another rattlesnake today. Generally clear trail today until nearing Greenwood Lake, where a little rock climbing became necessary here and there. I arrived at the side trail to Roger's Cottage around three o'clock, turned right, and followed the steep descent down to the cottage. Roger Brickner was there ready to greet us as we arrived and identified ourselves. He and other hikers had painted a "to scale" profile of the entire length of the Appalachian Trail that had little hiker silhouettes marking the last known location of any hiker that had sent a post card to him as they progressed toward New York. Now that I had arrived, my little man was moved to the spot marking Roger's cottage. A feeling of accomplishment came over me as I could literally see how far I had traveled over the past seventy-four days. The whole mural took up several 4' x 8' plywood panels in his back yard. Liquid
refreshments filled the thirst void created from the afternoon hike,
and the hunger was taken care of at dinnertime with a meal consisting
of spaghetti and steak. More than the maximum number of people allowed
to sign up back in Delaware Water Gap showed up this evening, and
Roger did not turn them away. Eight instead of six people showed
up. As a result, the steak dinner was split into more portions than
expected and I felt like Charlie Brown as the platter finally arrived
at my place and all that was left was a bone with a few scraps of
meat on it. Luckily there was spaghetti, and coffee cake for dessert.
We talked about our hiking experiences and watched slides from Roger's
trips on the AT. He was hiking the Trail in sections and would continue
this year somewhere in Maine. Back in Illinois, my Mother sent out a package to Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut.
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