Date: 2005-05-14
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was an even better day than yesterday! Still not one of those "best days of my life", but getting close. Very close, in fact.First, an update on the knee: every day it seems to get better. I still get the occasional twinge, however, I was on it all day yesterday walking around town for hours, and it felt fine. Today it's even better. I had been consciously favoring it, but increasingly I am not even mindful of needing to do that, and I am walking as if I have two normal knees! It really boosts my confidence that it's ok to get back not just to the trail, but to the Smokeys. The Smokeys are a very tough part of the trail, and there are only two places to bail out - after 40 miles and at the end of the park after another 30 miles. After four weeks off the trail, and with my knee concerns, I'm going to have to be careful, but I'm feeling ready for the challenge and will consider it a major accomplishment if I can traverse the 74 miles from Fontana Dam to the Standing Bear Farm Hostel successfully - and hopefully within 7-8 days. So, back to my day. I was up at 5:30, got an early shower (before the crowd - given that there are three bathrooms for about 50 people). I had breakfast with Thirsty Boots and three other hikers I hadn't met before - a young couple from Montana and a section hiker from South Africa. It was a very pleasant conversation and while I don't expect to see them again (they are way far ahead, and he's getting off the trail), it did remind me that I will have much in common with whoever I meet along the way when I start out from Fontana Dam on Monday.Most of my day was spent essentially goofing off. I wandered down to the vendors' area for awhile and then went to the gazebo to watch the hiker talent show. It was, well, how can I say this in a generous way... eclectic. I think my favorite act was the group of five, including Sunshine and Bruce Spruce, singing an original composition about the travails of hitch hiking - entitled, appropriately, "The Hitch Hikers' Blues." In addition to one of the guys playing a stick with another stick, Bruce Spruce played the "belly flute", which consisted of his kneeling down and blowing on Sunshine's stomach as she lay on her back on the stage. Her previous contribution to the act involved her moving a small, yellow car over her head, yelling "varoooom, varooom" (again, while laying on her back on the stage) at appropriate times during the song. They were good, but somehow failed to win first prize. Gee, I just don't understand. But then again I have the same problem with some of the outcomes on American Idol...Later this afternoon I participated in the much-anticipated Hiker Parade - with the class of 05 as the parade participants. I wore a tee shirt and swimming trunks that I'd brought with me from home and carried my newly acquired water weapon. The tradition is that the hikers spray the crowd lining the route with water with return fire from those of the audience who are suitably armed. As it turns out, the crowd was rather better armed than the parading hikers, upping the ante with lots of water balloons and an ocassional garden house. Just before the parade was to start, however, the skies openned up and the rain just poured down for about half an hour. After it let up, the parade started, and I must admit it was great fun. I ran out of water too soon, but the parade was only about a mile long, so I didn't feel too badly. After the parade ended, I walked back to where a local Boy Scout troop was offering a free spagetti dinner, which was really good. Along the way I passed a young boy of about six who was pleading with his dad to buy one of the coveted oversized water weapons 'cause "Daaaad, everybody else has one. Pleeeeeezzz." Dad declined as the parade was over. I just smiled at the kid and handed him my rifle - confident that I was leaving it in good hands and I sure wasn't going to be taking it with me. I looked up to see the dad smiling with approval and then it happened. The kid just blasted me, dead on. Only goes to prove that no good deed goes unpunished.Now stuffed with spagetti (and wet), I went back to do some laundry. Not long after, the Troop Scout Master showed up to drop off the leftovers from their event, including a ton of cakes and cookies. At that point, I ran into Breakaleg in the kitchen and had chance to chat. Well, actually, it really wasn't all that much of a conversation, as she had discovered the newly delivered cake. It turns out that Break has a serious addition to chocolate, so she kept deserting me to dash into the dinning roon for more cake. She would then shove handful after handfull of cake and frosting into her mouth, spilling crumbs all over the floor, which she would then wipe up with a dish rag. So the "conversation" consisted mainly of erudite, insightful and hugely witty remarks by yours truly. Such was punctuated, however, by grunts and mumbled comments from Break that that were rendered completely unintelligible as tending to her chocolate "fix", volume notwithstanding, as that was clearly the priority. I understand that treatments facilities have been quite successful with this sort of thing... In any event, it was good to get to know her and I'll always remember our, uh, quality time together. (Her mother, who I understand is an avid ready of this journal, will be ever so proud...) For my part, I just can't WAIT for her to read this entry. I'm sure I'll hear all about it from her, as she is always so very pleased whenever I make mention of her in shelter registers or my journal. (Postscript: The next morning, we went to breakfast together and, in fairness, she actually held up her part of the conversation fairly well. Apparently there was sufficient stimuli via the sunday commics she was reading as there was no chocolate cake immediately at hand. (Reading at the table, with a dining companion no less. Do you believe it?? I think..well..never mind, let's not even go there...)   In realty, of course, she is a brilliant linguist and journalist - though her journalistic endeavors could benefit froma bit more discipline. Say, something more current that April 23...)I was going to go down to the main campng area for something they call the drum circle - a campfire around which dance alcohol imbibing young people in various stages of undress. While such events would normally have great appeal for me, it was raining pretty hard and I was tired, so I took a pass. For those of you interested in a detailed description of the festivities, I will turn the microphone over to my transcriber, Shelly Hale. Rumor has it that Ms. Hale was fully represented along with her good friends Georgia Dog (who is a dangerous companion for Tenatious Tenassi, as she is equally incorrigible and they just encourage each other) and the famous Ms. Janet of Erwin hostel fame. Meanwhile, I'm going to bed!Stay tuned, Longhaul------------------------------Sent via PocketMailEmail Anywherewww.pocketmail.com