Date: 2013-07-29
From: Sussex, NJ

To: Wawayanda Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

In the morning after breakfast, Ken read something from A.W. Tozer about desire--our desires lead us to where we are going. I made me think about what my spiritual director and I have talked about regarding my desires--Do I really believe that what I desire is also what God desires for me? That has been something I've thought a lot about, especially regarding my hiking the AT. I do believe that my desires, if not motivated by sin of course, are in fact what God desires for me...and he probably desires much more than that! It also brought to mind the oft-quoted prayer by Thomas Merton which I will share with you because it has been something I've prayed much of the last year and, thanks to Rhoda whom I visited in Shippensburg, I now have a copy of: "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone." I had to stop at the Glenwood P.O. again to get a package from my brother and sister-in-law and the tent from SIS before I could get back on the trail. When I got to the post office, we found out that SIS's package was at the Vernon office, so we drove there and I mailed Weatherman's tent back to him (can't carry 2 tents on the trail!). The other package hadn't come yet, so I filled out a mail-forwarding form to have the package sent to Pawling, NY. Then Ken and Judy dropped me off at the trail, we took some photos and said goodbye. Thank you Ken and Judy for your great hospitality and help! It was so nice to see you again and get to visit! It was a gorgeous, sunny day and I was hiking on a half-mile stretch of boardwalk going through a beautiful, peaceful, wetland, so I put up my umbrella. When I got to the suspension bridge, I met two ladies and a guy who, when they saw me, asked, "Is that a REAL hiker?" "Yes!" I said. They were so nice and full of questions. This is how the conversation went (and is how the *majority* of conversations go):"Are you hiking ALONE?!" "Yes...but I know a lot of other hikers." "Aren't you AFRAID?!" "No." "May I ask, How old are you?" "I'm 32.""Really? I totally thought you were 19 (or 22)". "Yeah, I get that a lot.""What's your trail name?""Poppins.""Like Mary Poppins?""Yep, because I carry an umbrella!" "Cool! ....Well, be safe!"I said goodbye to them and hiked up to Heaven Hill Fram, just .1 mile from the AT to get some ice cream and eat lunch. I happened to check my phone and was surprised to get a voicemail from Thelma who said her flight to China was cancelled and could she come hike up the mountain with me? So I called her back and she came and we hiked up the mountain together. It was steep in places so we took our time and when we got up to the top we could see out across the valley. It was so nice to have someone to hike and talk with. We talked about Africa a lot--Thelma spent most of her life in the Congo and CAR so we got to talk more about what it is like to live in Africa. We also saw a bear! 1st in NJ, 9th overall!After she left I had less than 3 miles to the shelter. It was a short day but what a great day it was! I was tired and after a supper of quinoa with leftover chicken and corn from the BBQ, I was in bed at 7:30. I journaled for a while before exhaustion took over and was asleep by 8:30, my earliest bedtime on the trail...