Today we only had about thirteen miles to cover until we got picked up by Snow Monkey’s mom. Only thirteen! I was so excited. We left the shelter at 7:30a. Already the day was hot.
We had loaded up on water since we weren’t likely to see another viable source for fifteen to twenty miles yet. Also, almost first thing, we had a climb that took us up another 1,100 feet of elevation. It was supposed to be steep too. We’ve been nervous for this for the last two days. First, we had to get there.
We hiked out of the shelter, down to the gap, next to the road, out on a bridge, across another road, and then back up to start the big climb… climb it was. This was one of the more intense sections of scrambling we’ve seen yet. Some parts felt almost like rock climbing or bouldering. Well… maybe not full on rock climbing. Either way, it was intense… but really, really fun too. I was having so much fun that I felt kind of silly for being nervous.
I collapsed my walking sticks so I could use my hands to get up and over some of the boulders. We got to the top of one push and saw a bunch of graffiti. Wonder Woman asked something like, “What kind of person does a climb like that just to spray paint on a bunch of rocks?” I’m not sure, but it seems like dedication to me! When we finally started to level off, we took a break. I had sweat streaming down my entire person. There were channels of sweat on my legs. My shirt looked like I had just been caught in a rain storm. We were gross and it wasn’t even 10a yet.
After all of that we only had another small push for the day and then rest of the ascent was pretty dispersed. We spent much of the hike on the ridge. It allowed for some great views of the cities below.
Later, as we were hiking, Wonder Woman (who was in the lead) stopped abruptly. I knew it meant something was in the trail. Warthog and I pushed forward in time to see a small snake slithering off of the path. As I said, “Is that a hognose?!” Warthog was exclaiming, “A hognose!” Those snakes are common pets in the reptile world. We both were shocked and excited to see one in person… because we are reptile dorks. Pennsylvania has surprised me. Between the corn snake and the hognose snake, we’ve gotten to see a wider variety of hobby snakes in the wild than we normally do. It was definitely a highlight of the day!
We took two more breaks, one for a snack and the other for lunch. After lunch we had just under seven miles. I felt panic rising in me. I just wanted to be done for the day. I just wanted to be clean and in a house. We all pushed hard for that last bit. Sometimes we were nearly running down the trail. Partly we wanted to get the day over with. But also, we were trying to beat the rain. It worked. Just as we arrived at the parking lot (4p) the rain started and Momma Monkey pulled up. Perfect timing.
It was a two hour drive to Snow Monkey’s childhood home. On the way there, we planned to stop by an REI store. Between the four of us, we have two sets of poles we hoped to get warrantied. One of mine had snapped when it got stuck in dirt and torqued on a rock. I couldn’t relieve the pressure soon enough. Warthog did a great job temporarily fixing it, but I’d prefer a new pole if possible. Both of Snow Monkey’s poles were bent from catching himself while falling.
We’ve always heard that REI is amazing to thru-hikers. Bring your damaged stuff back and no questions asked, they’ll take care of you. Everywhere we’ve looked we’ve read how the store loves thru-hikers and how committed they are to supporting your hike. The REI we stopped in last week refused to warranty my poles. The manager called it normal wear and tear. In the meantime, I’m hiking with a pole that has the REI name plastered across it, but it’s braced with two tent stakes and duct tape to keep it from breaking again. I can’t imagine that’s awesome advertising for the company. If I saw a hiker using a busted pole, I’d be sure not to purchase the same one. We thought we’d keep trying different REI’s until one was willing to help. Hence, why we stopped today.
To my surprise, the manager looked at the pole and asked us when we bought it. We told him January (it was a birthday present). He takes a breath and says, “Well, you are in the window where we can warranty it. However, I’m just going to say this and leave the decision up to you: the warranty is for normal wear and tear… you’ve obviously gotten more use out of it than any normal person would usually get in a year. I mean, look at the tips of the poles, those have seen some miles.” C’mon man! Don’t do that!! My heart sank. I was disappointed in REI yet again. If I were a bit more aggressive I would have responded with, “Listen, the reason I bought from REI is because I’ve heard you are great with thru-hikers. If I had known you’d expect me to buy two or more sets of hiking poles through the trip, I would never have gone with your brand.” Instead, I kept asking him about alternative options. I told him I didn’t want to turn in the entire pole. If I could just get a new bottom section, I’d be more than happy! They didn’t have one to offer me. Finally, without remorse, I moved forward with the warranty. The store took back my old set, gave us a credit, and we bought new ones. Now, we did follow his advice on buying a different metal – one that is less brittle and is stronger. Warthog and I still had to pay about $30- out of pocket for the new poles (something I’m happy to do). So I wouldn’t feel bad even if I ought to. They got business from our visit. I’m just so frustrated, mainly I’m disappointed, that REI has not been near as accommodating as they have been made out to be. It’s something I’ll keep in mind for future purchases, that’s for sure. That is, if I shop there again. The biggest thing… I got new poles. So that’s awesome.
It rained almost the entire drive back to the Monkey residence. We arrived, immediately took showers, and then ate dinner. Momma Monkey made salad, homemade lasagna, and dessert. The helpings were enormous! I probably spent forty minutes eating it all. It was so good, but it was so much. That didn’t stop me though. I cleared my plate and then enjoyed dessert. By dessert it was late (almost 11p) and everyone was ready for bed. All except Macho, the dog.
He could have played for hours, but we were exhausted. It had been a long week and we had a real bed calling our names. I sure do love town days.
-ansel