Project Eveningland

7/7/2023 Friday

The Lost and Found Hostel is a welcoming place—I felt welcomest where the AC was a blowin’! I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to hike in the heat today.

The bunk room I slept in is in a converted one-car garage. It’s very clean and the bunks are of the home-built variety, which is a good thing. It means they’re nice and solid and can hold an adult male hiker’s weight. Six bunks total, sealed concrete floors, high white walls. One AC unit doing yeoman’s work. And a fan with clipped blades so no one on the top bunks gets a fan blade to the face. It was full, and certainly comfortable enough. The snoring and odd lighting meant that I needed a chemical assist to sleep.

When I woke in the morning I remembered the reason I’d been excited to arrive here—my resupply from my parents includes a new hiking chair and there was also a care package from Ben waiting! Mom is getting skilled at putting together resupply boxes. Dad sure knows how to charm ‘em down at the Post Office. I sampled some popcorn from the box. I’m sorry to report it doesn’t stay fresh in a baggie—news to me.

I sorted through everything in the morning light. Most of the other hikers were long gone by the time I was up and around.

When I walked out into the hallway Wedge was there! I knew he was coming. He’d offered to slack pack me (drop me off with a light pack and pick me up at the end of the day, miles away). He had this whole sweet setup in his trunk for when he does trail magic. He’s at home right now resting a knee.

He warned me about the rocky scrambles ahead, though what one is supposed to do with such warnings I haven’t the foggiest. Leave extra time? My trail name might as well be Extra Time.

I hit the trail at 10. Another hot one! Still fairly humid and not much in the way of breezes. It’s a drippy day. I was wet almost the whole time, despite a total lack of rain. I don’t mind being hot nearly so much as I mind being drippy all the gosh darn time. They’re going to have to start calling me Wet Bulb on trail.

Many of the creeks are brown and warm. Safe but unappealing.

I buried the lead. My new chair! It was divine to have a place to sit where I wasn’t worried that ticks were crawling onto me. I don’t have to cast about for level rocks. I always have somewhere to sit while I’m filtering water. It comes with a high weight penalty, but for now it’s worth it. It made “drying breaks” much more enjoyable, if at no point actually dry.

When I’m wet the leaf litter sticks to me. My phone doesn’t recognize my fingerprint. My eyebrows drip salty water onto my face. Droplets of sweat mix with my mineral sunscreen and bead on my arms.

I saw a beautiful beetle with a rainbow carapace and interesting blue piping along the its midsection. It was in quite a hurry!

The rock scrambles were rough at times, though the beauty is some consolation. The trail ascends and descends rock “waves” that seem frozen in the act of passing through the landscape. They are round-edged and massive.

In one stretch of forest a tiny waterfall trickled down a mossy stone wall. A grand, steep stone staircase ascends to the right of the trickle. Good (that’s a trail name) was gathering water from the waterfall as I passed. I’d already filled up from Trout Brook, a clear but warm stream near a road. Wished I’d waited!

I didn’t make it to 13 today. I was wiped by 10.8 and decided to call it a bit early. It’s good to still be making miles despite brutal conditions. And it’s good to be sleeping in Wedge and Cindy’s air conditioned home. I have been spoiled by kindness lately.