4/6/2023 Thursday Had I decided to sleep in the shelter last night (I ultimately decided to tent) I would have been awakened near midnight by the arrival of Honey Badger and SQRL (pronounced “squirrel”). Continue reading

4/5/2023 Wednesday I spent some time in the morning chatting with Lefty and Helium—Helium’s name was written on her dry bag, so that’s why I associated it with “bag” yesterday. The human memory is so idiosyncratic. Continue reading

4/4/2023 Tuesday The Damascus Diner is an oasis of human warmth on a cool spring morning. Heavens, that sausage and that sausage gravy! I can still taste the slight peppery bite. They only had bananas as a fruit topper for the waffles I ordered. Continue reading

4/3/2023 Monday I’m still nauseated but doing much better. It was way easier to eat today. I am so damn glad that the last dose is behind me. Will reached out last night—he’s in the area—and offered to drive me around today. A chance to see a trail friend and get a strip mall haircut!… Continue reading

4/2/2023 Sunday By morning the blackout and the nuclear anti-protozoal meds had reduced me to a lump curled on the bed beneath every blanket I could find. The power was still out. Continue reading

“My husband was a great traveler, so I’ve spent many happy evenings without understanding a word. The thing is to keep smiling and never look as if you disapprove.” -Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham 4/1/2023 Saturday I woke around six AM feeling pretty damn good. The antibiotics seemed to have “dropped a train” on… Continue reading

3/31/2023 Friday My high little ridge campsite stayed warm last night. I watched a tiny brown mouse poke around under my tent vestibule in the bright moonlight. He didn’t linger—there’s no food in my tent and, judging from the amount of ash in the fire ring, this site gets used a lot. Plenty of crumbs… Continue reading

3/30/2023 Thursday Tiny valleys are cold at night. The frigid air settles in all the crevices. I was glad to climb the ridge to my pre-dug cat hole because it meant sitting in the sun in the morning. Continue reading

3/29/2023 Wednesday Finally, I found some sleeping accommodations that didn’t leave me cold at night. Two heaters and a toasty Doug/Rhetoric. What a treat. Speaking of treats: I used the breakfast sandwich method this morning. Two sandwiches totaling somewhere around 840 calories. I was hungry again 45 minutes later. Continue reading

3/28/2023 Tuesday I wish I could share with you, just as an intellectual exercise, the feeling of losing your phone or not having a way to recharge it while you are alone out in the woods. Boomers and older folks may find it difficult to identify with this feeling. The next several paragraphs may cause… Continue reading

3/27/2023 Monday I ate a bratwurst late last night for “fourth meal” but still woke up around six in the morning with a stomach so empty it hurt. Continue reading

3/26/2023 Sunday Do you know what happens to “boiled buttered potatoes” (a Cloud family staple of old) when they sit in the fridge overnight? They become breakfast potatoes. They find their way to the griddle with some oil and become crispy and very, very agreeable. They will get neighborly with any old thing—eggs, toast, breakfast… Continue reading

3/25/2023 Saturday A hearty breakfast can really smooth things over. A world-class, southern, gourmet breakfast for $12, on the other hand, can lead to full and total amnesty for a negative hostel experience. There was egg soufflé, potato casserole (four inches deep, unbelievably creamy, perfectly soft shredded potatoes all the way through), spicy kielbasa, regular… Continue reading

3/24/2023 Friday In the morning I walked down a wide stone path cut through the fine spruce and fir forest. I walked up two balds—Little Hump Mountain and Big Hump Mountain. The paths through the wide open grassy landscape are just murder on the ankles. The trail is very exposed, and the sun was hot.… Continue reading

“Well, what do we got on this thing, a Cuisinart?!” -Dark Helmet (Spaceballs) 3/23/2023 Thursday When you’re the youngest of four, it’s hard to keep up. Many of my childhood memories are colored with a general feeling of “c’mon you guys, wait for me!” Continue reading

3/22/2023 Wednesday I had misgivings from the start. Twenty miles, this early? Going backward? In the cold and rain? Well, at least we (Lost-and-Found, Wedge, Hide, me) would be slack packing, and we’d be returning to a warm cabin (single wide with wood paneling). Continue reading

3/21/2023 Tuesday Wedge, L&F, and I have come to quite like Steve, the shuttler. He’s a retired postal worker, very helpful, really takes care of people, understands hikers. He dropped us at Spivey Gap just before eight. Continue reading

3/20/2023 Monday The cold was well and truly brutal last night. I woke at 4:30 very chilled. I had turned off one heater to make room to charge my cellphone. I dunno why I did that. It rather spoiled my last night. It was a fantastic few days at Nature’s Inn. Lots of good people… Continue reading

3/19/2023 Sunday I did everything I could to block the draft under the door, but the heater couldn’t keep up. Room stayed in low 50s. It reminded me of my first shabby apartment in Pittsburgh (not to be confused with my second shabby apartment in Pittsburgh). It was on the first floor of a lovely… Continue reading

3/18/2023 Saturday I changed my mind and decided to catch a shuttle to Devil’s Fork Gap, then hike to Sam’s Gap (the main pickup point for the same hostel). It was a slack pack because I left my tent, sleeping bag, and other equipment right in the same room where I’ll be sleeping tonight. It… Continue reading