Post #8 Tramily

Thanks to my niece and nephew, Scot and Dawn, who live near the AT, I was able to enjoy a zero day after a week of hiking. They shuttled me to and from the trail, fed me, let me borrow a car so I could visit Mom and a couple of my siblings, and Scot and Dawn’s five-year-old twins kept me entertained. There are many things that we do at home daily that we take for granted. But when on a long hike, things like using a flush toilet, sleeping in a bed, putting on freshly laundered clothes, or taking a hot shower are a real thrill. My body was grateful for the rest and my soul was nourished by the visits.

During my hike through MD and southern PA, it seemed like the trail led me through a state park every couple of days. Again I enjoyed the opportunities to use a porcelain throne and a picnic table. Often, either in or adjacent to parks, there is the opportunity to purchase a hot or cold sandwich and a cold drink. Since the trail goes through Boiling Springs and Duncannon, PA, we again treated ourselves to town food by going to an outdoor cafe for chef salads and picking up six dozen wings from a pub. Town food is always a highlight of my day.
You may be wondering why I’m using plural pronouns. No- I’m not referring to myself in the plural form. I was invited to join a tramily for the week. “Can Do It” is around 70 yrs. old and is hiking a section of the AT in PA with “Flap”, a Penn State grad student. They met on Facebook while looking for a hiking partner. “Classic Mathew” and “Learning Curve” are thru hikers, each hiking their own hikes, and they will return to their normal pace once the ladies head home. Even though I’m not used to some of the language I hear, nor am I accustomed to the occasional smell of weed being smoked, each of these individuals is a deep, caring person that would give you the shirt off their back if you need one. My trip is richer because of them.
I’m finding that I’m getting to know more hikers on this leg of my trip. I think the cause is that there are fewer hikers on the trail now. Instead of 16 people being camped in or around a shelter, there are now only 4-6 hikers there. I’m meeting one new person at a time.
Our tramily did just an eight mile day once because a late afternoon storm was predicted. After we finished eating our bratwurst and rolls that I had packed in for all, we noticed the sky getting darker so we retreated to the shelter. A few minutes later, nine phones started vibrating with tornado warnings issued by the national weather service. While the high winds did blow rain into the shelter, we all stayed safe and dry and none of us sighted a funnel.
Its kind of ironic how the closer I get to civilization, the more wildlife I see. I saw more animals in the first four days of Act II than I did during the four weeks of Act I, when I was in some remote mountains of the southern Appalachians. I saw lots of deer and cottontail rabbits while trekking across PA’s Cumberland Valley, skirting farm fields, interstates, expressways, truck terminals, and big box stores. A couple of days ago I sighted a wild turkey with her 8 chicks, and later, a fawn lying next to the trail.

The ability to laugh at yourself is a requirement for thru hiking. When Scot had dropped me off at the trailhead at 6 AM, he commented that my pack was heavy and I should take the rock out of it. I had a brief chuckle about that as we parted ways. Imagine the chuckle I had 4 hours later when I opened my pack to get a snack and found a 3 pound rock in it! Four days later I found myself wading through a beaver swamp that was about 75 yards long. My telescoping, adjustable length trekking poles came in handy to probe the murky depths as I slowly made my way across after I removed my hiking shoes and donned Crocks. As I moved along, I couldn’t seem to get away from the edge of the deeper hole that my right side trekking pole kept dropping in to. I couldn’t understand why the path cut through all the blowdowns in the swamp was where the water was the deepest. Finally, about 20 yards from the end of the swamp, it all made sense to me; I lifted my right pole again to re-plant it and noticed that one section had collapsed and it was now only 2’ long! There are times when I really out-smart myself.

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And finally, I finished the week on another high note as my friends, Steve and Deb Hagey, met me at a trail head and brought me lunch, a couple of Cokes, freshly picked strawberries, and most importantly encouragement and laughter. I can’t thank them enough.
Now, let’s see what’s over the next hill.

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