Date: 2017-04-28
From: Helveys Mill Shelter

To: Trents Grocery 
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Viktor E. FranklBefore dozing off last night, we talked about food.  It's astonishing how often food is the center of conversation.  Corky praised the food he had eaten the previous day at Trents Grocery.  The burger and fries he described were mouthwatering.  He also extolled its wondrous campsite.  That settled matters, I was going to reach the Grocery today.  So I pack up early and head off by 7 a.m.Morning is to me the best time of the day to hike.  The birds are singing madly, and the sunlight is picturesque.  The heat of the day is yet hours away.  I startle a deer, which walks away behind me, almost in a constant arc, until a tree is between it and me.  I let it be and continue towards the burger waiting for me 16 miles away.On the way I pass the 600 mile mark. Wow! The number is getting big. I later cross a suspension bridge spanning the Kimberling Creek.  It bobs and sways as I walk across so I cannot walk a straight line.  That brings me within 0.5 miles of the Grocery.  It is off trail, but I don't care, there's a burger up ahead waiting for me.Trents Grocery is actually a gas station with a grill inside. The lady behind the counter is gruff.  She seems annoyed that I place an order. She's so rude to me I almost ask her if she's from Massachusetts, but I don't dare, for the fate of my burger is in her hands. I notice there are tables inside where I can eat, however, I don't want to leave my pack ouside because of all the auto traffic. So I work up my nerve to ask the lady if I could bring my pack inside.  She just says no. Period.I eat outside on a bench near the door.  The burger is delicious.  As are the fries.  There are no other customers inside, so she comes out for a smoke and stands two feet from me. I decide I will not camp here tonight. That will teach her a lesson.After my meal I realize I have no legs left to go back to the trail.  I will camp here after all.  I meekly approach the shrew and ask for a site.  She collects my 6 bucks and goes about her business.  I stand there lost in confusion.  She notices me and says "Just go into the field." I look out the window and see fields everywhere.  Noticing my befuddlement she adds, "Go through the gate." I see no gate, but can't muster enough courage to ask. Instead I ask, "How much for the shower and laundry."  "Included," she says.  Now that's good news.I leave the store, grab my pack, and wander about looking for a field behind a gate. The best candidate is a gravel road that leads into a trailer park.  There are no tents, just several abandoned looking trailers.  There is hiker trash everywhere.  There is a trash heap with appliances piled high at the end of the road. A tractor drives slowly by.  Two men are riding in it. I flag it down and ask if I have found the campsite. They tell me I have.  "Can I set up my tent anywhere?" "I can," they say, but that's no help because this place looks unsuitable for tents. They also show me the building with the showers and laundry room.  It gives me the skeeves. They leave, and I watch as they go to the trash heap to drop off a rubber tire.  I peek inside the showers and discover there are no towels. The tractor comes back, and I ask for a towel.  They tell me towels have been walking off.  I promise them I will leave it when I'm done.  They acquiesce, say they will get me one, and motor off.While they are away, I find an open area equidistant from the showers and hulk of trailers, and set up my tent. The tractor returns, and the driver hands me a towel that's the size of a washcloth, and a washcloth that's the size of a postage stamp.  I am profusely grateful.I take a shower, an immeasurable delight, and I start my laundry.  There is no detergent, but I find fabric softener.  Afterwards, my clothes still smell nasty, but they feel great. As I am doing the laundry, Hookset and Razorback arrive and set up their tents near mine.  Hookset is effusive.  "Isn't this place great? A campsite, shower, and laundry for just six bucks."  Razorback is equally ecstatic.  He FaceTimes his wife and shows her the nearby mountains, creek, and horse in the neighboring field. He is genuinely delighted.  I am amazed at their attitudes and disappointed at my own.  They see the bright spots in the situation; I focus on the negatives. I am humbled.