Wow! I haven't updated in so long....i don't even know where to begin.
I had to take a break from the trail for Dave's brother's wedding, wicked good time! Then had to go to the island to take care of some boat issues. Not as big of a deal as i had feared and dreaded! So i am on Block Island, takin care of business and having a great time in the process.....don't worry, even if i wanted to stay, my friends would kick me off the island and personally drag me back to the trail! Got some sweet surfing in, sushi, wine, great friends who i hope know how valuable they are~ Big changes, some good evolution to work with for the second half of this AT Hiking Adventure. I feel like the REAL work is ahead. This journey is only half, probably less, physical. The rest, that's all spirit, man. Where your mental mind goes during a long day, just essentially walking on a path. You have time to explore every minute thought or feeling. Examining your emotions. Really digging deep into you dreams. Daydreaming. And a beautiful amount of time just admiring natures handy work. Watching how the leaves turn up their silvery sides in a thunderstorm. Checking out passing clouds. Just sitting and listening to the sounds of the birds and the breeze. It's sweet, and it reminds how simple peace can be. It begins inside yourself. It makes me dream of a peaceful world.
Anyway, i think i am running out of time at the library, so i need to post this. I don't really feel like i'm done writing...maybe more later.
But for a physical update...I have gone as far as Harper's Ferry, just outside of D.C. So that's 1013 miles, just under halfway there!! Pretty sweet.
Peace Ya'll
Melinda ~Many Names~
Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
ट्रेल मैजिक मैजिक ट्रेल मानी नमस अत
Hello my friends ~*~
~Many Names here, hangin' with my mom and dad in a hotel in, uh, catawba? or Salem? Anyway, just ate a nice big meal, took a fantastic shower, am going to sleep in a bed tonight, Hooray! These things in life are just too grand for words ~#*#~!!!
M & D came down for a visit after my cousin's west point graduation (Yeah ,Mike!! you rock!) it's so sweet to see them.
It's been amazin' dayz out on the trail. Where to begin. I feel like evrything is magical but to write about it, hmmmmmm......it's not even about the specifics of what happens but more so the choices and avenues leading up to moments unforgettable. But they all really simple things, like i set off alone just after sunrise the other morning, hiked a couple of miles and stopped in a small meadow because i saw some wild greens to harvest for a salad (i was really craving fresh saled). While picking red clover, chickweed, wood sorrel, violets, ect. i saw a bunch of milkweed shoots. Yay! bay green veggies. i started cutting the little stalks. my new friend Spoonman showed up, wondered what i was doing and wanted to learn all about the wild edibles. Then Huck Finn showed up, and Blessed, Startreck rolled on through....quite a trailside meeting of the minds! Blessed is also really into wild harvesting, he knows things i don't know and vice versa..he really wanted to know how to cook the milkweed. Anyway, the day went by and a whole group of us decided to camp together by a lovely creek, spoonman built a fire so we could boil all the water for the milkweed, i fixed up wild salad and spread it out on a (clean) bandana so peeps could help themselves. Startreck donated some fresh garlic and onions (yum) and we all had a mini sample feast...everyone was suprised at how good it all was. I was so happy, such a sweet crew. Also there was Soundtrack, K-Bar, Schooner, and Ferdie. Music was played late (late for us) into the night, and all was right with the world.
The next day Spoon and i were the last ones out of camp feeling highly Unmotivated. We ended up hitching a ride to a hole in the wall restaraunt for burgers, sweet tea, and ice cream. There were deer heads all over the wall,but where we were sitting was just a deer butt. Just the ol' rump. Hmm... we got a ride..witht the same guy back to the creek, still feeling lazy, swamm in the creek, spoon lost his sunglasses once, i found...twice for good...sunbathed and finally hiked to a sweet clifftop lookout, chilled, watched the sunset....nighthiked five more miles in the dark, cowboy camped by another little creek. Listened to the CRUNCH, crunch of the gyspy moth caterpillars out in full force!!! gross! They fell on me from the trees all throughout the next day. I had one hanging from the tip of my nose, by a thread. Distusting..i am sort of tough...but i don't dig those guys, or the flies, coming on strong! oh! i am covered in bites (natural bug spray sucks, don't let anyone fool you!!)
Trail Days was awsome!! There was so much going on at all times, it was overwhelming. I got to march in the parade wearing my sequence evening gown found on the side of the road (perfect fit!), we all swam in the river after and sang songs, then watched the "Talented Hiker Contest" hiker talent show.....from banjo playing, playing drums on an overturned kayak, Ahab did beatbox (awsome, he won!!!), juggling fire, spoken word, reggea(yeah,Crazy Horse!!one mile an hour) and other stuff. Participated in some contra dancing...that was fun! and back at tent city was just a huge party, lots of music playing and singing, a huge bonfire, drum circle, dancing around the fire, hula hoops, spinning poi(yeah firecracker!i love you mamacita, and, yes, we can be friends forever). Laaaaaate night. so fun, so worth it...and soooooo ready to get back into the woods!!!
Last night, that same group of folks from the wildfood night and i camped out up at this place called the 'Dragon's Tooth'. These spiky unbelievable rock formations sticking up all jagged and ever-so-climbable. We were all hanging out up there for the sunset, Soundtrack (who truly lives up to his names) takes out his flute and plays such an amazing tune, tunes for the moment, just perched up there on the highest peak. I just look around, feelin' so fine. Man, life is good. as it should be. i didn't think i could get any happier this morning as i was hiking down the mountain toward the town where i would meet my parents.....and then i turned a corner and saw a cooler sitting there on the side of the trail with a note that said, "Hey hikers!...i can't remember what it said now, but it was full with cold sodas on ice, i gabbed a coca cola (something i have never drank in my life! I love it now) said thank you to the spirits, and strolled on down the trail.
~Many Names here, hangin' with my mom and dad in a hotel in, uh, catawba? or Salem? Anyway, just ate a nice big meal, took a fantastic shower, am going to sleep in a bed tonight, Hooray! These things in life are just too grand for words ~#*#~!!!
M & D came down for a visit after my cousin's west point graduation (Yeah ,Mike!! you rock!) it's so sweet to see them.
It's been amazin' dayz out on the trail. Where to begin. I feel like evrything is magical but to write about it, hmmmmmm......it's not even about the specifics of what happens but more so the choices and avenues leading up to moments unforgettable. But they all really simple things, like i set off alone just after sunrise the other morning, hiked a couple of miles and stopped in a small meadow because i saw some wild greens to harvest for a salad (i was really craving fresh saled). While picking red clover, chickweed, wood sorrel, violets, ect. i saw a bunch of milkweed shoots. Yay! bay green veggies. i started cutting the little stalks. my new friend Spoonman showed up, wondered what i was doing and wanted to learn all about the wild edibles. Then Huck Finn showed up, and Blessed, Startreck rolled on through....quite a trailside meeting of the minds! Blessed is also really into wild harvesting, he knows things i don't know and vice versa..he really wanted to know how to cook the milkweed. Anyway, the day went by and a whole group of us decided to camp together by a lovely creek, spoonman built a fire so we could boil all the water for the milkweed, i fixed up wild salad and spread it out on a (clean) bandana so peeps could help themselves. Startreck donated some fresh garlic and onions (yum) and we all had a mini sample feast...everyone was suprised at how good it all was. I was so happy, such a sweet crew. Also there was Soundtrack, K-Bar, Schooner, and Ferdie. Music was played late (late for us) into the night, and all was right with the world.
The next day Spoon and i were the last ones out of camp feeling highly Unmotivated. We ended up hitching a ride to a hole in the wall restaraunt for burgers, sweet tea, and ice cream. There were deer heads all over the wall,but where we were sitting was just a deer butt. Just the ol' rump. Hmm... we got a ride..witht the same guy back to the creek, still feeling lazy, swamm in the creek, spoon lost his sunglasses once, i found...twice for good...sunbathed and finally hiked to a sweet clifftop lookout, chilled, watched the sunset....nighthiked five more miles in the dark, cowboy camped by another little creek. Listened to the CRUNCH, crunch of the gyspy moth caterpillars out in full force!!! gross! They fell on me from the trees all throughout the next day. I had one hanging from the tip of my nose, by a thread. Distusting..i am sort of tough...but i don't dig those guys, or the flies, coming on strong! oh! i am covered in bites (natural bug spray sucks, don't let anyone fool you!!)
Trail Days was awsome!! There was so much going on at all times, it was overwhelming. I got to march in the parade wearing my sequence evening gown found on the side of the road (perfect fit!), we all swam in the river after and sang songs, then watched the "Talented Hiker Contest" hiker talent show.....from banjo playing, playing drums on an overturned kayak, Ahab did beatbox (awsome, he won!!!), juggling fire, spoken word, reggea(yeah,Crazy Horse!!one mile an hour) and other stuff. Participated in some contra dancing...that was fun! and back at tent city was just a huge party, lots of music playing and singing, a huge bonfire, drum circle, dancing around the fire, hula hoops, spinning poi(yeah firecracker!i love you mamacita, and, yes, we can be friends forever). Laaaaaate night. so fun, so worth it...and soooooo ready to get back into the woods!!!
Last night, that same group of folks from the wildfood night and i camped out up at this place called the 'Dragon's Tooth'. These spiky unbelievable rock formations sticking up all jagged and ever-so-climbable. We were all hanging out up there for the sunset, Soundtrack (who truly lives up to his names) takes out his flute and plays such an amazing tune, tunes for the moment, just perched up there on the highest peak. I just look around, feelin' so fine. Man, life is good. as it should be. i didn't think i could get any happier this morning as i was hiking down the mountain toward the town where i would meet my parents.....and then i turned a corner and saw a cooler sitting there on the side of the trail with a note that said, "Hey hikers!...i can't remember what it said now, but it was full with cold sodas on ice, i gabbed a coca cola (something i have never drank in my life! I love it now) said thank you to the spirits, and strolled on down the trail.
Monday, May 4, 2009
इ कैन'टी वेट तो हिके इन माय एवेनिंग गोवन
Hey Everybody!!
So i decided to spend another night in Damascus, VA....we were going to leave this afternoon, but it's raining, i hadn't updated or called anyone and a couple of friends are getting off the trail due to foot pain, blues, missing loved ones, and a couple others set out today but turned back, also because of foot pain and are back in town trying to find a solution. So, it feels right to stay. I'm not punching any time clock, so it really deosn't matter.
It's been a really nice week. A couple of Huck Finn's friends from college came out for a week to hike. John and Ben....had a wicked good time with some kindred folks. The weather was near perfect for some of the most spectacular hikes so far. We traveled through/over the Roan Highlands. They are these beautiful open, bald top mountains. Grassy and windy. One sunny day after sharing 3 beers (that were given to us by some folks at a road crossing) between five people, we were sufficiently buzzed (hiker tolerance!! Fun!) hike a short distance to the grassy summit and sunbathed for a delicious two hours. I managed a couple of cartwheels and handstands, i am finally not too sore to do that. Although i would not be able to do it first thing in the morning. It still takes me a few minutes to get upright and able to walk, but once i get moving, i am fine. One night we slept in this big old barn converted into a shelter, open to east and quite a few people got up for the sunrise, it was mellow and sweet. That next was my favorite hike over little abd big hump (i think) mountains. Highlands grassy tops with grazing cattle and a couple of huge longhorn bulls with some serious horns....i tried to not make eye contact. I didn't even take their picture, i was intimidated. After that i came to a psture of grazing horses, all on the mountain top...they're all fenced in and hikers have to go through this akward fence/gate contraption..it's good fun.
Another sweet time was a few nights ago we (huck finn, john, ben, and nightfight) camped out in a grassy meadow on a riverside, made a fire, stargazed, passed around the guitar and played music all night. It was perfect, lots of Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan flyin' around, learned soome new tunes. My friends, Bonnie and Teigan just got their backpacker guitar the other day...so now we can jam!!
The hostels are usually memorable because they're most often run by the coolest cats you'll ever come across. I got early one morning, packed up and took off like a rocket because i was anxious to get to Kincora hostel, for a much needed shower....it was time. I practically ran the 6 miles, got there in record time...my friends arrived later. Kincora is run by this amazing fellow, Bob Peoples..i don't know how to describe the warmth and coziness of the place. There's a small kitchen and living room w/ a couch a couple of armchairs, pillows and blankets, but you feel at ease, and at home. There's a big picnic table out on the front porch, where i ended up giving a couple of massages. The hostel runs on a $4 donation..for a bed and shower, laundry, sometimes a meal. Noone's making any money off this...it's a labor of love. So I did some massages for hikers for donations of any amount and whatever that was, i donated it to the hostel. So that felt really good to me. So many good things happen, it's nice to do something good.
There was another really cool bald mountain called Beauty Spot...when we got up there, it was like a miny tent city....a beautiful evening. There's a road that leads up there so quite a few people (former thru hikers, etc.) were there. A group of lovely wild ones brought up some trail magic for us....rotisseree chicken, cheesecake, baked beans, apples, soda, and best of all..Bubbles!!! It was a bubble fest!! Sunset bubbly!! Good fun, good fun. The sweetness of life is always exaggerated when there are bubbles.
I met Dave's cousin/2nd cousin here yesterday..Gypsy and Lone wolf. It's always great to be far and find a connection. It turns out that she is an avid hula hooper as well (Hoooray!! There's another one!) and will supply some hula hoops for some fellow hoopers for the Trails Days Fest which is coming right up in 2 weeks...a big hiker fest here in Damascus!! I will hike ahaed and then come back...there will be a hiker parade(i have plans for that one!!) music all sorts of fun things for little freaks like myself!!!
I must go...library closing!!!!!! Pecae, Love to all!!!!
MANY NAMES Melinda
So i decided to spend another night in Damascus, VA....we were going to leave this afternoon, but it's raining, i hadn't updated or called anyone and a couple of friends are getting off the trail due to foot pain, blues, missing loved ones, and a couple others set out today but turned back, also because of foot pain and are back in town trying to find a solution. So, it feels right to stay. I'm not punching any time clock, so it really deosn't matter.
It's been a really nice week. A couple of Huck Finn's friends from college came out for a week to hike. John and Ben....had a wicked good time with some kindred folks. The weather was near perfect for some of the most spectacular hikes so far. We traveled through/over the Roan Highlands. They are these beautiful open, bald top mountains. Grassy and windy. One sunny day after sharing 3 beers (that were given to us by some folks at a road crossing) between five people, we were sufficiently buzzed (hiker tolerance!! Fun!) hike a short distance to the grassy summit and sunbathed for a delicious two hours. I managed a couple of cartwheels and handstands, i am finally not too sore to do that. Although i would not be able to do it first thing in the morning. It still takes me a few minutes to get upright and able to walk, but once i get moving, i am fine. One night we slept in this big old barn converted into a shelter, open to east and quite a few people got up for the sunrise, it was mellow and sweet. That next was my favorite hike over little abd big hump (i think) mountains. Highlands grassy tops with grazing cattle and a couple of huge longhorn bulls with some serious horns....i tried to not make eye contact. I didn't even take their picture, i was intimidated. After that i came to a psture of grazing horses, all on the mountain top...they're all fenced in and hikers have to go through this akward fence/gate contraption..it's good fun.
Another sweet time was a few nights ago we (huck finn, john, ben, and nightfight) camped out in a grassy meadow on a riverside, made a fire, stargazed, passed around the guitar and played music all night. It was perfect, lots of Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan flyin' around, learned soome new tunes. My friends, Bonnie and Teigan just got their backpacker guitar the other day...so now we can jam!!
The hostels are usually memorable because they're most often run by the coolest cats you'll ever come across. I got early one morning, packed up and took off like a rocket because i was anxious to get to Kincora hostel, for a much needed shower....it was time. I practically ran the 6 miles, got there in record time...my friends arrived later. Kincora is run by this amazing fellow, Bob Peoples..i don't know how to describe the warmth and coziness of the place. There's a small kitchen and living room w/ a couch a couple of armchairs, pillows and blankets, but you feel at ease, and at home. There's a big picnic table out on the front porch, where i ended up giving a couple of massages. The hostel runs on a $4 donation..for a bed and shower, laundry, sometimes a meal. Noone's making any money off this...it's a labor of love. So I did some massages for hikers for donations of any amount and whatever that was, i donated it to the hostel. So that felt really good to me. So many good things happen, it's nice to do something good.
There was another really cool bald mountain called Beauty Spot...when we got up there, it was like a miny tent city....a beautiful evening. There's a road that leads up there so quite a few people (former thru hikers, etc.) were there. A group of lovely wild ones brought up some trail magic for us....rotisseree chicken, cheesecake, baked beans, apples, soda, and best of all..Bubbles!!! It was a bubble fest!! Sunset bubbly!! Good fun, good fun. The sweetness of life is always exaggerated when there are bubbles.
I met Dave's cousin/2nd cousin here yesterday..Gypsy and Lone wolf. It's always great to be far and find a connection. It turns out that she is an avid hula hooper as well (Hoooray!! There's another one!) and will supply some hula hoops for some fellow hoopers for the Trails Days Fest which is coming right up in 2 weeks...a big hiker fest here in Damascus!! I will hike ahaed and then come back...there will be a hiker parade(i have plans for that one!!) music all sorts of fun things for little freaks like myself!!!
I must go...library closing!!!!!! Pecae, Love to all!!!!
MANY NAMES Melinda
रैन अगं बुत माय स्काई इस नोट क्लौद्य
Greetings from Damascus, VA....463 miles all is well.....just wanted to check in, for those wondering why i'm online but not calling....no cell service again. i want to update more, got to run to the PO for a package, then the library, so hopefully i can write more ~*~
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
ट्रेल मैजिक
Hey folks!!
So, i really want to talk about Trail Magic. I could hike the trail without it... ...but i wouldn't want to. I definately believe in the goodness of people, it's something that has never really faltered through thick and thin. Now, after experiencing so much trail magic it's only solidified. These 'TRAIL ANGELS' set up somewhere on or near the trail where hikers are coming thru and basically feed us. Sometimes it's someone at a road crossing with sodas and candy bars, sometimes it's hotdogs and hamburgers, the last one we had, there was a note on a trailhead post giving directions to a house 300 yrds down the road for trail magic. So myself, Huck Finn, Firecracker, Bonnie, Teagan, Burning Man, and couple others walked to this house only to be greeted (and invited in!most people would not want hikers in their house because we are dirty!)by FAL(Free at Last) and Hercules (both previous thru hikers)for a sit down breakfast of belgian waffles, cheesy egg puffs(delicious) and coffee,immediatly followed by a lunch of pork stew and bread, dessert brownie sundea or applecrisp w/ vanilla ice cream...Everything homeade and delicious. We were there for at least an hour 1/2 and then sat out on the lawn digesting, napping and playing guitar for a while. Soo sweet.
So, why do people do this for people they may never meet again. Spending their money and time? This is something that Huck Finn and i talk about quite a bit. The beautiful thing about Trail Magic is that there is no agenda. There is nothing to get in return except for the pure joy of making someone else's day. Whenever we've had good trai magic, it's never, 'oh, i hope we get more good trail magic' , it's always, 'what kind of trail magic can we do when we are done?" cuz it just feels so good.....It's a really sweet and special thing that happens out here. And you get the addresses of some of these people and send them pictures of you up on Mt Katadin when you finish. They'll keep photo albums full of hikers they have taken care of.....So, when i say, 'Love is Everywhere!' ~that's just how it is.
I've been playing a lot more music lately, the weather's been getting nicer...which is awsome because doing the calculations we've had 50% prcipitation.
Gotta go...library closing.....339 miles so far getting closer to virginia!!
Peace Ya'll Love to Everyone
MANY NAMES (melinda)
So, i really want to talk about Trail Magic. I could hike the trail without it... ...but i wouldn't want to. I definately believe in the goodness of people, it's something that has never really faltered through thick and thin. Now, after experiencing so much trail magic it's only solidified. These 'TRAIL ANGELS' set up somewhere on or near the trail where hikers are coming thru and basically feed us. Sometimes it's someone at a road crossing with sodas and candy bars, sometimes it's hotdogs and hamburgers, the last one we had, there was a note on a trailhead post giving directions to a house 300 yrds down the road for trail magic. So myself, Huck Finn, Firecracker, Bonnie, Teagan, Burning Man, and couple others walked to this house only to be greeted (and invited in!most people would not want hikers in their house because we are dirty!)by FAL(Free at Last) and Hercules (both previous thru hikers)for a sit down breakfast of belgian waffles, cheesy egg puffs(delicious) and coffee,immediatly followed by a lunch of pork stew and bread, dessert brownie sundea or applecrisp w/ vanilla ice cream...Everything homeade and delicious. We were there for at least an hour 1/2 and then sat out on the lawn digesting, napping and playing guitar for a while. Soo sweet.
So, why do people do this for people they may never meet again. Spending their money and time? This is something that Huck Finn and i talk about quite a bit. The beautiful thing about Trail Magic is that there is no agenda. There is nothing to get in return except for the pure joy of making someone else's day. Whenever we've had good trai magic, it's never, 'oh, i hope we get more good trail magic' , it's always, 'what kind of trail magic can we do when we are done?" cuz it just feels so good.....It's a really sweet and special thing that happens out here. And you get the addresses of some of these people and send them pictures of you up on Mt Katadin when you finish. They'll keep photo albums full of hikers they have taken care of.....So, when i say, 'Love is Everywhere!' ~that's just how it is.
I've been playing a lot more music lately, the weather's been getting nicer...which is awsome because doing the calculations we've had 50% prcipitation.
Gotta go...library closing.....339 miles so far getting closer to virginia!!
Peace Ya'll Love to Everyone
MANY NAMES (melinda)
Friday, April 17, 2009
त्रुक्किन ओं अलोंग
Hey all~ my sweet peeps !!
So, I'm sitting here in Hot Springs, NC (the trail goes right through the center of town, so, hard not to stop) after a day a half of resting up, soaking in the hot springs(my body is so happy) eating amazing vegetarian four course meals at the most amazing hostel ever, and then going across the street for bacon and eggs! Getting ready to head back out on the trail after i write this.
This hostel, Elmer's is just so sweet. It's been taking in hikers for over fifty years, serving them organic vegetarian food, made with love by the folks who live and work there. We all eat together in the dining room. There's a music room with a piano, banjo, recorder, guitar , violin, dijeridoos, oh yeah! showers, cozy beds. It's an old historic victorian home full of cool antiques and things from all over the world and a huge library of kick ass books.....anyway, i could talk just about Elmer's all day.
It's been the most amazing rest stop, i think, because it was so truly deserved. We had some really hard weather and tough times in the smokies. Snow, sleet, hail, thunderstorms(watching lighting strike the from outside a shelter), high winds, mud, slush,slippery wet trail....everybody wiping out all over. I made the cocky mistake of stating, after days of other people falling except me, thaT 'i guess i just don't fall'....well that next day i was almost wiping out all day until finally i took the king digger that reminded me of Goonies when everyone falls off the log because Data has "Slick Shoes"....it was good. I miraculously did not land on my guitar! In the smokies there are some really amazing views at the summits..and Clingman's Dome is the highest piont on the trail, being at 6643 ft....alas they were all in the rain and fog. Near the end the sun came up in the morning, beautiful sunrise, the big moon was still up and glowing, there was a lake of clouds below us and everyone was so happy and glowing. It was awsome. I still have awsome thoughts of the smokies because evryone is so ridiculously cool, all suffrin' together, all packed in together in the shelter(you have to stay in shelters in the smokies) like sardines, lots of snoring, lots of bad gas, i haven't laughed so hard, maybe ever. We've taken to writing songs, uh, i don't know if they're good, or appropriate but they'rw pretty funny. Maybe we'll play em at trail days...that's the hiker festival coming up in May in Damascus, VA.....gonna be sOOOOOOO fun!!
I've hiked 271 miles so far. Mostly with my super hiking companion Huck Finn. We put in some killer days recently. Motivation being....smokin' the smokies and gettin to hot springs.....i needed to chill. So we did a big day, stopped at Standing Bear Farm Hostle where a bunch of hikers were staying, but we just wanted pizza and then we would hike on and camp. A hiker named James had found and harvested a bunch of morrell mushrooms and brought them in, sauteed in butter and had himself a fine meal....i didn't get to try any. We ate and were all giddy from good food, and i had a soda so i was cranked, Huck Finn, James, and myself(Many Names) decided to night hike...so we took off and hiked until midnight making it a total 25.5 mile day, and cowboy camping under the stars!! (cowboy camping is when you are not in your tent, just outside in your sleeping bag)..such a treat after having to stay with a million people in shelters. Next day we ended up doing another big day, 23 miles, it just happened that way.....and then, ahhhhhh, hot springs. Everyone's so happy to get to chill.
I've met a whole new crew of awsome people in the last 2 days, it's crazy. When you meet someone new and introduce yourself, it's always like, 'Oh, yeah, I've heard of you.....' you almost already know people and can't wait to actually meet them. Someone said that in the world population 35% are introverts, on the trail, 65% are introverts....which is funny because everyone i meet, myself included are so outgoing out here.......we figured it's just because we are with 'our people' so were just as real as we could ever be and no need to hold anything back. I met this one girl, Firecracker, we think we must have been separated at birth, we are so much alike! it's amazing. There's two deaf people hiking together (Western from san diego and Red Tree from Oregon) in their mid-late twenties, they were hooked up by friends to hike the trail together. They are super cool and our paths keep crossing,it's been slow to begin communicate but we all want to know each other..so it's beginning. Western and i had a great conversation about surfing yesterday and i learn a bunch of signs. I can say 'crazy, wierd, awsome, dreams, sad, thank you, you're welcome, focus, hike, great, tomorrow....i just need to get the alphabet down so we can really get somewhere. Who would've have thought that this kind of opportuntiy would be here un the trail. The unexpected things blow my mind. I am so in love with everyone and everything. I just feel so much gratitude all the time. I'm so grateful for the conciousness and ability to choose my own path, no matter how strange, wierd, winding or hard it might be. I choose it. And i'm happy. And the tree was happy......The forest floor is brimming with little green things growing, and smelling of spring...Hooray...Love to everyone!!!
So, I'm sitting here in Hot Springs, NC (the trail goes right through the center of town, so, hard not to stop) after a day a half of resting up, soaking in the hot springs(my body is so happy) eating amazing vegetarian four course meals at the most amazing hostel ever, and then going across the street for bacon and eggs! Getting ready to head back out on the trail after i write this.
This hostel, Elmer's is just so sweet. It's been taking in hikers for over fifty years, serving them organic vegetarian food, made with love by the folks who live and work there. We all eat together in the dining room. There's a music room with a piano, banjo, recorder, guitar , violin, dijeridoos, oh yeah! showers, cozy beds. It's an old historic victorian home full of cool antiques and things from all over the world and a huge library of kick ass books.....anyway, i could talk just about Elmer's all day.
It's been the most amazing rest stop, i think, because it was so truly deserved. We had some really hard weather and tough times in the smokies. Snow, sleet, hail, thunderstorms(watching lighting strike the from outside a shelter), high winds, mud, slush,slippery wet trail....everybody wiping out all over. I made the cocky mistake of stating, after days of other people falling except me, thaT 'i guess i just don't fall'....well that next day i was almost wiping out all day until finally i took the king digger that reminded me of Goonies when everyone falls off the log because Data has "Slick Shoes"....it was good. I miraculously did not land on my guitar! In the smokies there are some really amazing views at the summits..and Clingman's Dome is the highest piont on the trail, being at 6643 ft....alas they were all in the rain and fog. Near the end the sun came up in the morning, beautiful sunrise, the big moon was still up and glowing, there was a lake of clouds below us and everyone was so happy and glowing. It was awsome. I still have awsome thoughts of the smokies because evryone is so ridiculously cool, all suffrin' together, all packed in together in the shelter(you have to stay in shelters in the smokies) like sardines, lots of snoring, lots of bad gas, i haven't laughed so hard, maybe ever. We've taken to writing songs, uh, i don't know if they're good, or appropriate but they'rw pretty funny. Maybe we'll play em at trail days...that's the hiker festival coming up in May in Damascus, VA.....gonna be sOOOOOOO fun!!
I've hiked 271 miles so far. Mostly with my super hiking companion Huck Finn. We put in some killer days recently. Motivation being....smokin' the smokies and gettin to hot springs.....i needed to chill. So we did a big day, stopped at Standing Bear Farm Hostle where a bunch of hikers were staying, but we just wanted pizza and then we would hike on and camp. A hiker named James had found and harvested a bunch of morrell mushrooms and brought them in, sauteed in butter and had himself a fine meal....i didn't get to try any. We ate and were all giddy from good food, and i had a soda so i was cranked, Huck Finn, James, and myself(Many Names) decided to night hike...so we took off and hiked until midnight making it a total 25.5 mile day, and cowboy camping under the stars!! (cowboy camping is when you are not in your tent, just outside in your sleeping bag)..such a treat after having to stay with a million people in shelters. Next day we ended up doing another big day, 23 miles, it just happened that way.....and then, ahhhhhh, hot springs. Everyone's so happy to get to chill.
I've met a whole new crew of awsome people in the last 2 days, it's crazy. When you meet someone new and introduce yourself, it's always like, 'Oh, yeah, I've heard of you.....' you almost already know people and can't wait to actually meet them. Someone said that in the world population 35% are introverts, on the trail, 65% are introverts....which is funny because everyone i meet, myself included are so outgoing out here.......we figured it's just because we are with 'our people' so were just as real as we could ever be and no need to hold anything back. I met this one girl, Firecracker, we think we must have been separated at birth, we are so much alike! it's amazing. There's two deaf people hiking together (Western from san diego and Red Tree from Oregon) in their mid-late twenties, they were hooked up by friends to hike the trail together. They are super cool and our paths keep crossing,it's been slow to begin communicate but we all want to know each other..so it's beginning. Western and i had a great conversation about surfing yesterday and i learn a bunch of signs. I can say 'crazy, wierd, awsome, dreams, sad, thank you, you're welcome, focus, hike, great, tomorrow....i just need to get the alphabet down so we can really get somewhere. Who would've have thought that this kind of opportuntiy would be here un the trail. The unexpected things blow my mind. I am so in love with everyone and everything. I just feel so much gratitude all the time. I'm so grateful for the conciousness and ability to choose my own path, no matter how strange, wierd, winding or hard it might be. I choose it. And i'm happy. And the tree was happy......The forest floor is brimming with little green things growing, and smelling of spring...Hooray...Love to everyone!!!
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