04 May Smith Gap, Linda and John's Blue Mtn. Dome

Hiked most of the day with Jaybird.  His ankle did well.  When we got to Smith Gap, he continued several miles to a shelter.  We went down the west side of the road for about a mile to John (Mechanical Man) and Linda (Crayon Lady) Stempa.  They have a large house and allow hikers to camp in the back yard.  They also provide water and an outdoor shower.  We went out to dinner with them are staying in their basement.  They are both very nice.  They have both section hiked the Appalachian Trail over the last 20 years and John has almost completed it. 

They also have a 20 year history of helping hikers.  After dinner we looked at some memorabilia of those years.  They have pictures of famous and near famous people in the AT world who have stayed or visited here including Earl Shafer, the first person to thru-hike the AT in 1948.  He came here in 1998, the 50 year anniversary when he did his third hike of the AT (his second hike was 1965 and the first ever south bound thru-hike).  In 1998, he also became the oldest thru-hiker at the time.  He set a record on each of his three thru-hikes. 

My pack is dying.  The waist belt is too big because the suspension system is broken.  The weight of the pack is mostly on my shoulders, not my hips, and it makes hiking very difficult.  John gave me some tools and I have made a temporary fix.  Hopefully, I can replace it in Delaware Water Gap.