Project Eveningland

5/24/2023 Wednesday

Last night and this morning I tried some PT exercises from last summer on my foot. A nerve glide and one other stretch seemed to bring me significant relief from the pain and stiffness I’d felt yesterday. Huzzah!

So the day began on mostly high notes. Lisa and Scott at the hostel/B&B cook a mean breakfast. There was a fruit plate at each setting with tiny portions of many different fruits. Is that kiwi?! A fruit plate after my own heart! Lisa and Scott seemed disappointed that I only wanted butter on my toast, and not jam or anything else.

I packed up the last of my stuff in my little basement room and prepared to set off. Chatted briefly with a young couple—Bird and Bean—who were after a package that had been delayed. They had to go into town to resupply instead. And yet they still made it to the same shelter as me with only about an hour gap.

The forest today was magnificent, and a haven from the heat of the day. The first mile or so followed a fence with barbed wire which was sometimes covered in thick vines. The trail was more forest-y (as opposed to ridge-y) today. There were a few pastures filled with tall, waving grasses, and wide promenades beneath the tall canopy. A few trunks are of a width to make you wonder—new growth or old?

I took an early lunch break and did some stretching at the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter. Poppins and Wiley (white poodle) were there! Good to see them again. A note to all women hikers of a certain age: if you hike the AT with an umbrella people may try to give you the trail name “Mary Poppins.” You don’t have to accept it if you don’t want to. Met a guy named Conductor at that shelter also. I’m sure his name would have thrilled my father, who observed this past weekend that if he was hiking the trail, he’d go by Railroader. Sounds like a trail name to me, whadya say folks?

Later I crossed a set of railroad tracks that had real Stand by Me vibes. I thought about walking down the line to see if my hike would turn into a coming-of-age film, but I am too old for that. Plus there was a sign at the RR crossing that read No Bildungsromans Allowed, so I thought it best to move on.

I’ve started collecting pictures of pocket forests—little patches of growth tucked into knots or rocks or other natural “planters” in the woods. Pics today didn’t come out great but I’ve got a while to get some good images.

Saw another scarlet tanager. I tried to get close enough for a photo but he disappeared. His black and red plumage looked crisp, with neat lines.

Hiked the last four miles of the day on very little water. I’m camped at Whiskey Hollow Shelter. Whiskey Hollow could be a good name for a mid-market barbecue sauce. Sounds sugary.

There aren’t many tent sites at this shelter area. When I arrived, a sassier guy (who was pointedly busy talking to another hiker when I got there and began scouting for spots) said, “good luck finding a level spot.” He finally turned his attention to me a minute or two after I had nodded in his direction. I didn’t know what to say to that blast of shade so I kept scouting and said, “hmmm.” “Yeah that’s what we all said when we arrived.” he added. If only Ben had been there so I could look him in the eye, nod my head toward the snippy guy, and say, “what’s her problem?”

I found one of my signature marginal tent sites over on the other side of the shelter. It has precisely enough level ground for my tent’s sleeping area. The ground actually slopes away sharply beneath my left vestibule.

I walked 15 miles today. Just a really classic, AT-in-early-summer kind of feel. The dappled sunlight, intermittently audible traffic, and occasional bursts of urban decay among the green reminded me of a summer afternoon in Pittsburgh.