Date: 2017-08-31
From: Elkwallow Wayside

To: Hawksbill Gap
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Angry words(And a shout out to Washington & Lee University freshmen trekkers) Never is heard a discouraging word¢¦ Nor an angry word. Out here we are all stressed, stretched thin like silly putty. From wretched weather, to gear failures, aches, pains, to bites, blisters and cuts, or maybe the trail or Mother Nature is smacking us in the face. Any of this could justify swearing, getting angry, shouting at the universe or each other. Doesn¢t happen. We take sourest lemon and make more lemonade. But four days ago I let loose an angry word. It begins with a ¢D¢ and has ¢n¢ and ends with a ¢t.¢ Do you know my trail water system? I have no Nalgene water bottles¢those weigh 4 to 6 ounces each. I have a 2-liter Platypus bladder attached to a long water tube with a bite valve. The bladder is shoved top down into a side pocket of my pack, the water tube runs up the side of my pack, loops over my umbrella and clips to a shoulder strap where the bite valve dangles near my chest, ever at the ready for sipping water. I use a Sawyer Squeeze filter attached to a one-liter Smart water bottle and a 20-ounce soda bottle for reserve if I ever need it.¢DON'T!¢ I shouted and gave a hard push to the body. Me shouting; I never get mad. (Frodo: Well, hardly ever.)  The lady started to cry. Last Sunday, at the trailhead when Nicky our daughter and her boyfriend James were being picked up, we¢d all dropped our packs and leaned them against a fallen log. A car pulled up, two ladies exited and out bounded their dog. No leash. The tan Labrador retriever raced over and just as the owner indicated ¢She¢s friendly,¢ the dog lifted its hind leg and peed a long stream right next to my pack¢and the yellow water squarely bounced right off my bite valve. That¢s my water supply. That¢s where I put my lips. ¢Don¢t!¢ I shouted and I shoved its rear end.When the owner realized what happened, she started to cry. In the end I ended up comforting her. ¢It¢s okay. These things happen.¢ No, I didn¢t make much lemonade from this one, and it took me a few days to write about it. I walked off, having borrowed Nicky¢s bladder, water tube and bite valve. Frodo cleaned and sterilized mine yesterday, so I have my own set-up back now.Today Franky is hopeful again as we start from Elkwallow Wayside. Today will be his day to see a bear. He's never seen a bear in the wild. Shenandoah National Park is rife with bears. We have driven two hours from Bethesda to the trailhead¢thanks Frodo¢and get a 7:40 start hoping to hike a bit over twenty miles. What a change from the day of rain two days ago. We can see and there are views. There are even times I can see the mountain we are going to climb ahead. There¢s the Pinnacle peeking out through a gap in the trees. And there¢s Stony Man Mountain. I know that sounds like it should be a common occurrence. But don¢t underestimate the green tunnel. It was a joy to see what lay ahead. And the trail tread was a testament to the care showered on our National Parks. Climbs were smooth, full of switchbacks. On the approach to Stony Man three times I saw ahead boulder-strewn slope ahead above the trail. I knew what that mean¢trail turning to boulders alone, with the occasional white blaze mark so you could find your way amid the jumbled large stones. Nope. Here they had cleared an actual path and the only boulders near my feet were the ones that lined the path. Now that¢s a concept. Here's a photo of me on a Stony Man overlook. http://www.trailjournals.com/j...¢Bear!¢ That happened twice today. First for Dot alone this morning. ¢He was about the size of a large dog.¢ No she wasn¢t scared. I¢d say, fascinated, elated with maybe the smallest swirl of concern. Poor Franky, no bear. But at the end of the day when I saw the two of them, he had bagged his bear, too. He said it was quite small. But it was a BEAR. And he got photos.I hiked by myself today. But it was two days before the Labor Day holiday weekend and I ran into a few folk who I chatted up. The Washington & Lee freshmen trek crew were particularly uplifting. I ran into them just as I was climbing the Pinnacle. I had to limit myself to fifteen minutes with them. They were so enthusiastic about being out here. Annie said she was going to save the world, or at least her part of the world: Selma, Alabama. They gave me food, but better yet, they gave me hope on so many levels, hope that the next generation of outdoor protectors will be there, hope to see so much optimism in the face of what¢s happening in the world, hope to see them looking forward to starting college and to their lives ahead. I gave them AT tattoos¢it¢s what I had to give. So, a big shout-out to the W&L Shenandoah North Crew: Andrew, Katherine, Ellie, McLean, Jonathan, Annie, Jon Claire and Rit.  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...I cleared twenty one miles, hit the parking lot to see my dear Frodo. We are staying at a classic almost 80-year-old National Park lodge tonight. (Frodo: my husband is very good to me.  I'm sure he would just as soon sleep in a shelter.)  Tomorrow she¢ll make the short drive back to Hawksbill Gap where she will drop me off early and I¢ll hear her say once again, ¢Make wise decisions.¢