Date: 2003-09-20
From: (On the road)

To: (On the road)
Miles today: 0.0

So, let's talk about angels. Not trail angels, per se, although while you are thru hiking the AT, any angel can be seen as a trail angel. However, the five angels I want to tell you about came to me by way of the internet. First we have Steve and Karen. This couple belongs in a circle of people that I call my "folk friends", and they are, no exaggeration here, utterly delightful! I met them through our common love of folk music, but to my surprise, they have become two of my biggest supporters on this hike. Full of laughter and life, these are two of my favorite people in the world and as I hiked northwards I hoped that I would be able to see them when I went through New Hampshire. After months of recieving their warm, caring emails, we finally were able to work out a visit to see them. Timing was such that Bumpkin and I could come down, so we all planned to have dinner together. When we arrived, after bear hugs all around, and meeting their gorgeous kids, Steve took Bumpkin and I down to his office to show me what he had done with my journal entries. It is amazing! He has created the "Mudbutt Diaries", and has a fabulous web page designed around them complete with pictures and inter-page links to each entry! Then, he sends updates out to a whole bunch of people so that they can access the page and follow my trip! I knew that he was a big-shot software designer, and I knew that he was a genius, but to see his work in real life really brought those things home. Luckily, he has recently started his own company, so it is just a matter of time before the rest of the world sees how amazing he is! I am just so touched at how much trouble and effort he has gone to. These are angels 1 and 2........After enjoying a little down time, we all loaded into cars to go to Alan and Beth's home for a cookout. Alan is one of the people that has been getting the "Mudbutt Diaries" updates and he has been sending me supportive, knowlegeable emails for months now. It is amazing how quickly I came to look forward to these messages from this man I did not even know. He freely shared his experience hiking, especially in the Whites, and gave me constant encouragement. Alan and his wife Beth, had offered to throw us a cookout, so we headed over to their home. When we got there, I was subtley guided over to the walkway going up to the front door. As I walked along, I came upon a diet-coke sitting on a flagstone, beads of moisture rolling down its sides. Trail magic!! I was still laughing at this wonderful touch when I was guided up to the steps. Sitting there was a tin of smoked oysters. Isn't that wonderful?! I was delighted, not to mention touched, that they welcomed us with trail magic! :)Later, on the way home, Bumpkin said that she thought that the most special thing about it was that it showed that they were really enjoying our journey and that they noticed the smallest of details. I couldn't have agreed more.As I entered their home and was greeted warmly by Alans wife, Beth, I felt like I was meeting old friends. We had a scrumptious dinner of steak and chicken complete with vegetables that Alan had grown in his own garden, and warm, bubbly Apple Crisp that Beth had made. However, as great as the meal was, (and boy, was it good!), the company was better. It was on of the greatest evenings I have had on the trail! These are angels number 3 and 4........The next morning, after a good nights sleep in Steve and Karens guest room, we bid them farewell. The visit was much too short, and I felt like we still had a hundred stories to share, but Karen had a birthday party to throw, Steve had a soccer game to cheer at, and Bumpkin and I had a new friend to meet. So, with hugs all around, we headed out.We traveled a ways up the road to meet a woman from the WomanHikers list named Trisha. Trisha has been emailing both Bumpkin and I, and we had been looking forward to meeting her for some time. You know, this has been an aspect of the trail that I never expected....people that I have never met following my journal, sending me supportive messages, and somewhere along the way, becoming friends! It has been amazing!As for Trisha, I always think I can tell what a person is like from their emails. Along these lines, I knew that she was kind and sweet. But I was totally unprepared for her to be such a delight! Have you ever met someone that actually has light shining out of them? Well, Trisha does! Her laugh is infectious and her spirit is full of life. I immediately liked her, and could tell that Bumpkin did to!Later, after we had left her, Bumpkin and I finalized our plans for tomorrow. We are going to ride the ski lift to the top of the mountain and do trail magic. We both wanted Trisha to come join us, so after emails and phone calls, plans were set for her to meet us at Pinkham Notch. So, tomorrow we will be three! She was trail angel number 5!I have to tell you that as I write this, I am a little overwhelmed. So many special people have come into my life through this hike, and they have gone so far out of their way to help me and be kind to me. I just hope that these people know that not a day goes by that I don't feel awash with gratitude. I am the luckiest hiker on the trail, and I won't forget it! So, tomorrow, we will pay back a little to the karma bank! :) Before I started this hike, I told people that I knew that I would get lots of trail magic on this hike and that I wanted to do some of my own to put some magic back out there. However, as much magic as I have gotten in my hike...I will have to do trail magic for years to come to pay it all back! Oh well...I think I can handle that! :)Love, Anna aka Mud Buttwww.trailjournals.com