We hitched a ride back to Mountain Crossings at Neel Gap from an older gentleman, who told us he spent his days riding around looking for hikers that needed rides. It’s amazing how nice the people living along the trail are. It’s refreshing on the trail, when you pass other hikers, everyone smiles and speaks. Some pause and talk for a few minutes, others hiking faster still always take time to say hello. It restores one’s faith in humanity.

The hike was a little shorter today. My pack was heavy from the food resupply. I’m still hiking with Adam. For now our pace is about the same and we’re traveling about the same distance each day. It’s funny that you slowly get to know all the other thru hikers that started either the same day, or a few days before, or a few days after you started. We drift in and out of each others lives. You may see them at a shelter a couple nights in a row, then not see them for a few days, then stop at a water source and there they are. It’s pretty interesting really. Everyone is always glad to see each other, to know we’re all still on trail. Already we’ve lost some.

Adam and I arrived to Hogpen Gap pretty early. This was just a stealth campsite with a nearby water source. We didn’t like camping so close to a public road, but we needed to camp here so we could make it completely through a state forest that required bear proof food canisters for camping the following day. None of us were willing to carry a bear canister that weighs 3 pounds empty.

We set up camp and filtered our water. We were standing around looking for a good tree to hang our bear bag when this guy came running up the trail with a couple shirts tied around his waist and some baggy tie-dye shorts on. He was holding an empty water bottle, he ran up to me and asked, “Do you guys have any extra bottles of water?” I replied,“Dude we’re thru hikers, we don’t have any extra anything, I can walk down to the creek with you and filter you some water.” He asked, “how far to the next water source?” I said, “four point six miles.” He said, Four point six? I can make that.” Then he took off running up the trail. He had no backpack, headlight, and very little clothing. It was starting to get late, the sun was beginning to go down, and it was getting cold. ”That guy will never make it to Low Gap Shelter in the dark with no flashlight,” I told Adam.

Just then some of our hiking buddies, Dragon Ball and his brother Alex camp hiking up the trail. ”You guys camping here tonight?” Dragon Ball asked. I told him we were and he said they were going to stop here too. ”Hey did you guys see a dude in tie-dye banana shorts come by here?” Dragon Ball asked. I told him that he just passed by asking for water, and that he left without any headed up the trail to Low Gap shelter. Dragon Ball said, “those are my shorts bro.” I said, “the dude stole your shorts?” He said no, that he had given them to him because the guy wasn’t wearing any clothes except some tennis shoes and two tee shirts wrapped around his waist to cover his privates. Dragon Ball said he was pretty sure the guy was on meth or some other drug. We started wondering out loud whether the guy was going to show back up during the night, chances were good he wouldn’t make it to Low Gap without water or a light.

We made camp with our tents close together so that if he showed back up, everybody would wake up if there were any problems. We go to bed early, there’s nothing to do but go to sleep once it’s dark, we don’t have a lot of batteries to waste on lights at night. About an hour later I heard footsteps walking down the trail not far outside my tent. I unzipped my tent quietly, I wanted to be able to get out of it quickly if I needed to. I heard the steps stop outside of my tent. I just waited and finally he continued walking down the trail toward the parking lot. I got out of my tent and I could see his dark outline headed down to the parking lot. I went back in my tent and got in my sleeping bag. About another hour later I heard footsteps coming back up the trail from the parking lot. I unzipped my tent and made sure my treking poles were close. They were the only weapon I had. He walked past my tent without slowing down, headed north up the trail. Sleep came slowly that night.

The next morning Dragon Ball and Alex headed out early. I went across the road to collect and filter the water I needed for breakfast and for the morning hike. As I was coming up the hill I saw the guy, he was getting into the back seat of a sheriff’s patrol car. When I made it back to camp, Adam said, ” Man that dude just came past here headed to the parking lot. I was scared he was going to kill me or something because you were off getting water and Dragon Ball and Alex had already left, I was here all by myself. I told Adam the sheriff had picked him up in the parking lot. Adam said he told the guy good morning as he walked by. He told me he said good morning to the guy, who responded politely in kind. He then said he had been night hiking and had almost fallen off of a cliff, and lost his pack and all of his gear. He said not to worry though, because he had help coming to pick him up at the parking lot.

It turns out another hiker we know was camped down by the water source. When the guy came down the first time he passed my tent in the dark, he talked to the other hiker down by the creek. The hiker could tell he was on drugs or having a mental issue, he was wet and shaking from the cold. The hiker gave him $40.00 for a shuttle but they were unable to get any shuttle drivers to answer the phone that late. The guy asked if he could borrow the hiker’s phone to call his Mom. After he talked to his Mom he headed back up the trail, which was the second time I heard him walk by our campsite. Apparently his Mom called a hotline and the sheriff was there to pick him up the next morning. He must have slept in the woods just past our camp, and come down again that morning. I thought about his Mother. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time she’s gotten such a call. He was polite and well spoken, he spent the night in the woods, cold, wet, no food or water to drink. I’m sure it pierced her soul to know her child was so lost. The trail provides though, hikers gave him what little they had, clothes to wear, money for transportation, but most importantly a phone call to his mother. I hope someday he finds his way.

Volunteer trail maintainers continuously hike the trail carrying saws and other equipment to keep the trail clear and maintained. We thanked them for their labors, to which one gentleman replied, it’s our honor to be the keepers of the trail.