Wasting the Day at the Chinese Buffet

Well, I'm finding myself in town, waiting for my cell phone to charge so I can make more calls to friends back home.  In the meantime, I might as well type something up here to those I won't be able to call. My original plan for the day was to be 'kidnapped' by a fellow thru-hiker who has her car here for a bit to go see some of the historic sights a few hours away.  Due to her schedule with family obligations and my desire to not be off the Trail for 4 days, it ended up not working out.  So, now, I find myself in town, wondering if it's worth it to hike out today, or just wait until tomorrow.  No matter what I do, I'll end up feeling like a drowned rat with 24 hours of hiking out because of the rain, so staying a day in town is just delaying the inevitable.  But they have a really good Chinese buffet here, so it may be worth it.  No, really, this is an amazing Chinese buffet.  I don't say that easily.

Since I'm finding myself with a little time before my phone is charged, here's a few sayings I've heard (or said) multiple times on the Trail.  These just give you an idea of the nature of how some of us out here hike, plan, and just do our day...

1.  "The Trail provides."  Everyone says that.  If you need something, just say it.  Somehow it will almost always be provided.  Yesterday, I was concerned about hitching a ride into town.  When I got to the trailhead, an older man came up to me and asked if I needed a ride.  I asked where he was from.  He said the hostel in town.  I asked which hostel.  The only one, he said.  Ah, well, funny, that was exactly where I wanted to go.  To make it even better, he had root beer and nutty bars in the back of his van.  I didn't even have to stick my thumb out for a ride.  It was already there, waiting for me.

2.  "How's the Trail look today?"  "Well, there's an up, then a down, then an up, then a down, then another up..."  Next day, same person asks, "How's the Trail look today?"  "Well, there's an up, then a down, then an up, then a down, then another up..."  Following day, same two people, same conversation.  At some point, don't you think they would catch on?  Perhaps not for one VERY good reason...

3.  "It doesn't matter.  The Trail is ALWAYS up."  Yeah, you can look at AWOL's guide.  It's an awesome guide.  But I don't care if the guidebook says you're descending.  The Trail is ALWAYS up.  When you think you are done with the up's for the day, no, you're not.  When you glace at the book and see if "all downhill" into town.  Oh no.  You WILL be mistaken.  The Trail always goes up.  Both ways.  In snow or rain or heat or bugs.  Sheesh, I've turned into the proverbial grandparents.

4.  "I have 39 hours of hiking worth of Snickers bars."  "How many Snickers is that?"  "39."  It would be an interesting study to see if there is a correlation between type II Diabetes and hiking the Trail.  Oh, and by the way, this is an exact conversation.  Snickers is the highest calorie candybar for the weight that it is.  Why carry dehyrated veggies?  Those are too low in calories.  Silly me.  However, guess what I bought at the grocery store today?  Yup, Snickers (in addition to my healthy food.  I use it only as a dessert).

5.  "How far are you going today?"  The answer to that question has morphed over time.  It used to be a definitive answer: "I'm hiking 13.8 miles to such-and-such shelter."  Now that we have gone over 1/3 of the Trail, the answer is less definitive.  The answer is more like, "I'm heading 20 miles or so, maybe I'll stealth camp, but if the weather holds out, I might just keep going another 5 or so.  I'll just listen to how my body is doing."  Gee, have we all let go of some of our control issues out here, or what?

OK, enough quotes.  Here's a few more pictures.  This was from my first camera - so it's from Georgia and North Carolina... (sorry if any are repeats from a previous post)

Just a really cool tree somewhere in NC (if I remember right)

I slept in this cloud the night before.  I took a picture of it as I got above it.  In NC.

Just a gorgeous picture.  That's all.

Wild Willy airing his stinky feet out on top of Beauty Spot.  I had just woken up from a nap.

Just before my camera died (hence the partially blacked out view).  This was at Mountain Harbor Hostel.

Day 1 in Wisconsin, before getting on the Greyhound.  Gosh, I don't know if you see it, but I feel like I've changed.  Such a long time ago. Wow.

A more recent picture (in Erwin TN).  I have joined the hiker trash.  Yes, mom, 'hiker trash' is a compliment.  That was a few hundred miles ago.  I've changed since then even.  Not so much in looks as in... hmmmm, soul-being?