I took Friday off to hike the SNP from Milam Gap to Loft Moutain. I got a late start because I dropped down into the valley to have a late lunch with my daughter. I got to the Milam parking lot at 4pm and stuck out my thumb just as a car rounded the turn. It was an 80s Toyota that had seen better days. I could hear music blasting as they neared, they slowed and I saw dreadlocks flapping in the wind and blue smoke coming out the windows. This will be interesting. It's two 20 somethings, Caucasians, dreadlocks, sunglasses, tie dye. She's got hers coming out the back of her baseball cap with the sides or her head shaved. Imagine 70's flower children crossed with Bob Marley. "where you going dude?" Um Loft Mountain. "where's that?" 30 miles south. "Well we're going to Rose River we can take you that far" I get in and these two smell worse than thru hikers. Now that I have checked where Rose River is on my home computer I see that they have passed it - should have checked your ,map before you burned that fat one. Anyway after some strange conversation they start passing back and forth this half gallon milk jug of a clear liquid with lots of fruit in it. I can tell by the way the girlfriend was slurring her words that there was more than water in that jug. Getting a little nervous I have them let me out at Swift Run gap.
It is now 4:30 I decide to hike north and stealth camp on the edge of Lewis Campground, an 8.3 mile hike. I rolled pretty good and got there at 7:15. Got a nice close up of a deer- posted in Wild Life. Had to walk the last two miles in the rain and set up camp in the rain. I was just a couple hundred feet from the campground. As you approach Lewis from the south as soon as you see the camper start looking to your right and you will find about 4 really nice flat soft spots. They are 150 feet before the gravel cross trail that goes to the campground. it rained for several hours and the pitter patter put me to sleep. I awoke and it was bright outside- crap I've overslept- nope, the clouds have cleared and it's a full moon, I mean like almost daylight.
I get up in the am and walk over to bathrooms to brush my teeth and tank up on water. I walk 8 miles to the Milam lot and get my car and drive to Loft Mountain. Oh first I went up to the Big Meadows store to get a beer and a cup of ice to put in a baggie. As I'm reaching for the beer I see something new- little paper boxes of wine. Immediately the gram weenie in me takes over. Don't need ice for wine I can drink that warm to cool. I get to loft at about noon. I stick out my thumb, four cars pass, damn has my luck run out? Then a couple comes down the trail to the wayside and tell me if I can fit in their van they'll run me up to Swift Run. They're from Massachusetts and have been on vacation in Florida. They picked up a sofa down there, would I mind laying on the sofa for my ride? This is too good to be true, a hitch riding on a real sofa in a van. They were super nice folks.
I got out at Swift Run and this time started hiking south. I wanted to make some miles so I could have short hike out Sunday because I needed to get to vet where I had boarded my little puggle. I t's quite a climb south bound out of the gap from 2376 to 3563. keep in mind I've already done 8 miles. i wanted to make Pinefield Hut, 11.5 miles away. I pulled in there at 7:15. On the way I had a little mishap. I had stopped for a break about halfway. I took my pack off and set it down, had a snickers and some water. And then my pack falls over, and then it does it again, crap I go to leap after it and I guess I snagged my foot on a root. I go catwheeling down the mountain after my pack thru some briars and land on my side/back on some rocks. ouch. Luckily just some scratches and bruises. I got a 7.5 for my routine, would have been a 9.0 but I could not stick the landing. HaHa. Lesson learned either lean your pack against a tree or lay it flat on the ground, do not leap after your pack if it rolls off the trail.
There were a couple of semi locals at the shelter and "Jack Straw" who was hiking SNP to Harper's Ferry.
Saw several hiking to Harper's Ferry. I told almost everyone I met about the Cafe.
Camped at one of the spots on the hill above the Pinefield Shelter. Got up and was on the trail by 7:30 and hiked the 5.8 miles to Loft Mountain Wayside. On the way I flushed a beautiful grouse rooster who lit on limb right above me but flew off just I was focusing my camera. I did get a picture of a regular woodpecker and almost got a picture of a really nice redheaded pilated woodpecker. I need to figure out how to reset the date thing on my camera.

TrafficJam wrote:

Great report JJ. The hitching stories made me laugh.

I wanted to take a picture of the dreadheads but they wouldn't let me. The girl said"Oh no take a mental picture."
So what I got is 20 something, an assortment of earings in both ears, oversized sunglasses, dreadlocks, baseball cap, sides of head shaved, tiedye shirt, red ink doodles all over one arm and leg- not tats just pen doodles, and what looked like a rug wrapped around her lower half for a skirt. The guy had dreads, t shirt, cargo pants, baseball cap and strange sunglasses.
You just never know what is going to stop for you when you stick out your thumb .