Date: 2013-04-20
From: Laughing Heart Hostel 

To: Laughing Heart Hostel 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

For those that celebrate, happy 420 day.I¢d also like to take a moment to recognize my dear friend T.A.K. R.I.P, sir. You are sorely missed.Yesterday I felt a little off, like I might be coming down with the flu or something. I didn¢t tell anyone because hikers treat other sick hikers like lepers. I went to bed at 9:00 p.m. because I¢m an old man and it was hiker midnight. I awoke at 11:00 p.m. and definitely felt ill. I decided then and there that I wouldn¢t hike in the morning and pondered ways to quarantine myself for the weekend. A few hours later, I awoke again and felt nauseous and feverish. I took two Ibuprofen to help with the aches and fever and I pulled out a gallon Ziploc bag, in case I got sick. A few hours after that, I awoke in a hot sweat and threw off my sleeping bag and unbuttoned my shirt. The good news is, I awoke at 7:00 a.m. and the fever had broken and I felt almost normal. I still decided to take the day off, but with any luck, the worst of this is over.Since I¢m staying, I grabbed some coffee and paid Chuck Norris $8 for another night. Many hikers were up and making breakfast, and Maw made fresh homemade cinnamon rolls for everyone. I chatted with Nimble, a kid from Minneapolis, and Jigsaw, a girl from Cedar Rapids. We exulted in the spring we¢re enjoying here while knowing our homeland is still covered in snow. Hey, Minneapolis, it¢s warm and sunny and green, and I¢m wearing shorts. Ha-ha-ha! :-) I also listened in as St. Nick and Puffy commiserated about their foot injuries. They¢ve been laid up for four and eight days, respectively, with sprains. It seems that right about now, hikers are beginning to push themselves harder, but you need to listen to what your body is telling you. I can do about 15 miles before my feet cry, so I¢ll keep it there for now.After breakfast, I bleached my water bladder and drink tubes. There were some moldy-looking spots in my bite valves, and since it has been over a month, I decided to freshen them up.For lunch, I grabbed the burger that St. Nick recommended. It was a burger between two grilled cheese sandwiches, with fries, for the incredibly ridiculous price of $8. While it didn¢t break the bank, it was a gut-buster. Full and content, I made my way back up the hill to the hostel. I was low on energy, so I decided to chill out in the community room. I played on my phone and lazed on the couch. Eventually, I crawled into my tent, intent on napping, but after an hour of laying around, I gave up on that. Hoping that I might head out early tomorrow morning, I decided to hit the outfitter to refill my fuel bottles. While there, I also bought some AT logo postcards to send out. By then, it was 5:00 p.m., so I decided to watch the rubber duck race.While standing on the bridge over Spring Creek, I chatted with Paul Bunyan and told him I had seen Connor early that day but that he was on his way out of town. ¢No,¢ said Paul Bunyan, ¢He¢s down there catching rubber ducks.¢ And so he was. PB told me about his ankle injury that is forcing him out of the hike, at least for now. His brother is coming tomorrow to take him home. He hopes to get a job to earn a few dollars but intends to come back to Trail Days in Damascus.I know the suspense is killing you, so let me just say, a yellow duck won the race, but it wasn¢t my yellow duck. It was Brown Squirrel¢s, aka Warrior Hiker Steph. She won something like $250, which is GREAT when you¢re on the trail! Since I didn¢t win the duck race, I decided to check my raffle ticket. To my surprise, I had won a 1-liter Platypus bladder and a box of chocolates. Super! Now I¢m all set for my ¢Forrest Gump¢ hike. I gave the box of chocolates to Paul Bunyan, and he used them to make friends.When Connor came out of the creek, I said hello. He explained how the Hot Springs vortex had pulled him back in, just for one more day. We then stepped next-door to the Hiker Ridge Ministry since they had a free grill out. I enjoyed a hot dog, baked beans, potato salad, chips, and a lemonade. After filling my gut yet again, I made my way back up the hill to the hostel. Instead of ¢The Hobbit,¢ all eyes were now transfixed on a 25-year-old video entitled ¢How to Prepare For and Hike the AT.¢ The lat ¢80s clothing, hairstyles, and glasses were so RAD! Seriously, hot pink, orange, and teal was everywhere. One hiker talked about his ultralight backpack that weighed over 4 pounds; by today¢s standards, UL packs like mine weigh around 2 pounds. The video was so antiquated it was great--an instant cult classic. I imagined how silly a video taken today might appear 25 years from now. That audience might find it funny that we carried anything rather than allowing our drones to portage our gear. Ha, stupid 2013ers!Before the video ended, we were interrupted by an invitation to join the locals and the Warrior Hikers at their adjacent picnic. Seriously, more free food! I mostly stuck to the desserts, like pecan pie, strawberry pie, and cheesecake, but ham, meatloaf, chicken, beer, beans, and potato salad were also up for grabs. If hikers burn 5,000-6,000 calories per day, I know I¢ve eaten that today!As dusk began to fall, most hikers made their way next-door to the chapel to watch ¢Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?¢ I, instead, shaved my head and showered up. When I was done, I stepped outside into the cool, star-filled night. By then, the drum circle behind the lodge had started. I decided to skip it and made my way to my tent for some shut-eye. The drums banged on until about 10:30 p.m., but for some reason, I had insomnia until 1:30 a.m. That¢s bad when you¢re hoping to hike in the morning.