When I left home, it was 96* F. By the time I got to Route 70, it was 103* F. Then I saw clouds and thought, "Gee, we sure could use a rain cool-off."
Boy did we get one! About 30 minutes from Atsion, the skies opened up and it poured, and it was still pouring when I picked up my permit around 5:45 pm. The lady at the counter said they weren't expecting a storm, but it should blow through by 6:15 pm, according to the Weather Channel.
So around 6:08 pm, the rain finally stopped. We started hiking but Mr. and Mrs. Sqidmark decided to turn back when it started raining again. Five minutes after they turned back it stopped raining and the sun came out. It didn't rain another drop the rest of the weekend.
The temperature was supposed to be 96* F hiking in, but the rain cooled it down to 74* F. It was so nice hiking in that I didn't even drink any water (I had cameled up beforehand). I got into camp just before dark, and there were seven second-generation Bolivians in the site next door. They had driven up from the DC area and hiked in from Atsion the night before. The rain had caught them by surprise, and they got a bit wet. One guy said he got his tent on sale for $3, and it definitely leaked like a $3 tent. They had four tents and only one didn't leak from the storm. I think they'll be reevaluating their tents soon. They had Wally World tarps draped over their tents just to stay dry.
Around 10 pm, one of the Bolivians came wandering over to my site. He had an ENO Doublenest and DryFly tarp and was quite intrigued by my hammock setup. He said none of his friends were into hammocks but my rig definitely caught his eye. I gave him the full tour. I hung out with them till bedtime - they were a very quiet, respectful, and fun group of folks. There was only one other couple at Lower Forge, and they were also quiet.
The Bolivians were up by 8 am - I packed up, made some coffee, and then we chatted for a while. I was impressed by their bacon cooking skills - nobody had to tell them that bacon is meant to be crispy, not chewy. They had never seen alky stoves, reflectix, or soda can coffee cups so they were quite interested. We went over the map and I showed them the parking area 1/3 of a mile away. That was it for them - there was no way they were gonna hike out since they had four-wheel drives back at Atsion. Two of them took off running around 9 am to get the cars. It was funny listening to them argue - the two guys who went to get the cars were the best runners but the worst drivers. I think they ran most of the way because I followed their tracks. One guy had a funny gait and his toes always landed first.
It was hot as heck hiking back, and I took full advantage of the Batso and Mullica Rivers. I stopped at Quaker Bridge for a cool down in the Batso River, then later on Quaker Bridge Road at the swamp leading into Mullica River, then again less than a mile up the road at a swimming hole on the Mullica River.
I tried sticking ferns in my hat (per suggestion) to ward off the black flies, but it didn't do squat. They ate me alive like they always do in the summer. I killed four or five of them each day so I got my revenge.
Since I was lollygagging on the hike out, I didn't get to the car until 12:15 pm. So that meant that the BBQ joint up the road would be open (Christine's House of KingFish BBQ, which opens at noon). I grabbed a pulled pork sandwich - and asked if any of them were Southerners. The guy slinging the food explained that his parents were both from the South, but he was pure south Jersey. They make a pretty decent pulled pork sandwich, so it's good to learn they're not Texans (who know nothing about BBQ, in my opinion - they think BBQ is beef).
The overnight low was 63* F, so all in all, I had a pretty good night!
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Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr
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