Just Ducky & Soft Serve

imported
#1

For anyone who was lucky enough to meet Just Ducky & Soft Serve on their thru-hiker in 2003, you might enjoy hearing this: They are presently on another adventure- biking from Jacksonville, Florida taking a right at San Diego, another right in Seatle, and then straight east to the Atlantic Ocean and Mass.! Their adventure will cover over 10,000 miles. They recently visited our home in Eunice, Louisiana, ate some boiled crawfish and continued on their way east, They are presently in Texas, having already ridden well over 1,200 miles!

Zydecajun

#2

Sorry, of course meant …continued on their way west!

Zydecajun

#3

I met Just Ducky and Soft Serve not long after I started in ME, summer '03. They gave me the best advice I ever received on the AT: “It will stop raining.”
I thought about that for miles. It sounded stupid at first, but the longer I hiked, the truer it got. I passed on their advice (with attributation) when I could. Corollaries: “You will dry out.” and my favorite: “You will reach the shelter.”
Good luck to them on their adventure. Sounds like they’re “living on the edge.”

Goggles

#4

I believe I met them in the Smokies in March 2003. Do you if Just Ducky was a physical therapist and Soft Serve was a dental hygienist?

guru

#5

Glad to hear! Yes Guru, you got the right people. They were 10-14 days ahead in 03’ the whole way to Katahdin. Their register entries became somewhat contraversial among hikers behind them, but I found them to be incredibly nice folks. Good luck to them!

A-Train

#6

Wow… I was wondering what ever happened to them. My wife and I hiked a few days with them in the Smokies in March '03. I’m not sure if they would remember us. We were also hiking along the legondary Seiko… he was interesting :lol. What made JD & SS contraversial, just curious?

guru

#7

In April of 2003, I had taken a trip to visit friends in different places (Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania). Due to the EXTREME excitement I was feeling about the idea of thru-hiking the AT in 2004, I figured I would make the time to swing by Harper’s Ferry. It was only an hour or so from where I was and, in my opinion, worth it. Once at the ATC, I was surprised to find out that there were a couple very early thru-hikers in town. I met Just Ducky and Soft Serve, along with another hiking companion of theirs–Snakes Eyes, maybe?–after they returned from some errands. They looked a bit tired so I was hesitant to approach them with questions. When I did, they were friendly and willing to answer any questions I had even though I’m sure they had heard a few of them before. I’ll always remember the first thing they said to me though. When I first approached them and told them a friend of mine and I were thinking about hiking the AT next year, they simply said, “Do it.” And it was as simple as that. March 1st of 2004, I was on the trail.

Leki-Less

#8

Guru, i also had the pleasure of meeting Seiko. Friends of mine had hiked with him in the Smokies and, once I caught up with those friends, I reaped the benefits with some slackpacking he had offered and an incredible dinner. Cool guy. Great cook.

Leki-Less

#9

Are they posting a journal of the bike trip?

Pancho

#10

Is there any way to get in touch with them? Or do they have a bike journal? I will be biking from the Pacific to the Atlantic this summer. It would be interesting to see their progress, and if our schedules will intersect. (Sorry I never met them on my '03 thru-hike)

Tank

#11

They are E-mailing a list of family and friends along the way on their trip (myself included). They are not posting a journal per se but I will post updates as I hear from them along the way. If anyone needs an update on them (to bike with them, etc) just E- mail me. They expect the trip to take approximately 6 months. Just Ducky is already talking about the PCT!

Zydecajun

#12

A-train, what exactly made them contraversial? Just curious.

guru

#13

guru-they were not contraversial, simply some of the stuff they wrote in the registers was ticking off some hikers, specifically in the Whites, but I do not recall what they wrote, simply that the hikers between when they came thru and when I did had their panties in a bunch.
As I said, they were always a week or two ahead of me, and it wasn’t until the Gathering in October 03’ that I met them. They were wonderful folks and I wish them well on their adventure.

And Leki you were probably talking about Snake Charmer. They hiked together a lot in the early days

A-Train

#14

Snake Charmer. That’s the one. Thanks A-train.

Leki-Less

#15

I ran into them in 2003, in PA, a real nice couple.
More power to them, for following their dreams.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

  • Helen Keller -

Happy Trails
POOH-BEAR

POOH-BEAR

#16

Ahh… thanks A-train. Yeah, I was just wondering what they did. Sounds like they were just expressing an opinion or something… which is what we all do :lol. Yeah, they were really nice in the couple of days I hiked with them. We teased eachother about accents. They were in complete denial of their New England accent. Of course, they said I had a southern accent… but I swear I dont!!! :lol

guru