Date: 2012-06-03
From: Honest Abe

To: Ridgeline north of Lambert's Meadow
Miles today: 12.9

I woke up early in the hotel room and went out in search of breakfast and laundry. The sink actually didn't do a good enough job in terms of cleaning our clothes but did serve as a wonderful pre-rinse. I took the clothes down the hall to the laundry room and noticed a little sign saying that the change machine was broken and to go to the front desk instead. So I went to the front desk but they didn't have quite enough quarters to get the clothes dry. I went back up and started the load, figuring we would be able to gather up enough quarters to get the dryer running. I checked out breakfast and it looked pretty paltry for $14. I went back to the room and got to quietly installing my new filter element from MSR. I was being too noisy so I left the room and bumped into Mike who was looking to get some breakfast too. After rounding everyone up, Yelp sent us to the Omelette House in Salem. We had plate-to-plate contact even after consolidating food onto fewer plates. It was glorious. I do love breakfast. We then went to the Food Lion for a resupply. I picked up six canned Jumex nectar drinks, a couple of avocados, chips and some Tapatillo. This was not my standard resupply. We were all planning to hike up to McAfee Knob together. I was going to hike on alone after that. Mike and Sharon were going to take Jumanji home and deliver PMo somewhere north on the trail. PMo wanted to hike a little slower and really enjoy her time out here so the idea was for me to catch up and we would continue on for a bit until her time in the woods was up and she had to go back to school. I wanted it to be a celebration of different directions rather than a sad time to reflect on endings. So I packed a party for the hike up on top of the normal resupply. It was only 1200' feet up in less than four miles and then all that weight would be gone. PMo was in on it but I was the only one who needed to carry a pack so I had to carry the load by myself. The look she gave me when she picked up my pack was priceless. We did our best to pack up and get out of the hotel room but it was slow going and mostly my fault. I was changing out lots of gear and was learning the new packing sequence plus trying to hide a six-pack and a giant bag of chips in there. Sharon saw that I was stressing and secretly went to bring back the laundry I had forgotten about. Everybody was patient with me and we eventually got moving down the highway back to the trail. Having hiked mostly by myself for much of my life, I had forgotten the speed at which large groups move, you are always at the mercy of the slowest person, and there are always a few more things to do with a group. It took us a long time to get on the trail. Then, Sharon wanted to carry my pack but I realized that if she was ever going to want to go backpacking in the future, this was not the pack to be carrying. I made up some excuses about adjusting straps and whatnot, insisting that I carry my own pack without sounding like a jerk. It was all very comical but we got going and even in the correct direction. The hiking was pretty slow going at first. There was a ton of stuff to see and both Mike and Sharon know an incredible amount about birds, trees, rocks, roots, animals, and plants. I haven't met too many people on the trail who actually know what is what out here and these two perfectly dovetailed into a fun, hiking encyclopedia. It was great! We stopped at the first shelter and took the tour, meeting Felicia on her annual mother-son backpacking trip. Her son was nowhere to be seen and she gave us a message to relay. We later realized that we had no idea what her son looked like or even how old he might be. We took a mostly-simultaneous, five-person pee-break before getting to the top of McAfee. Once up top, we ran into 65. He wasn't feeling so hot and was sitting off in the shade. We took some photos on the knob with big clouds off in the distance and broke out the food and drinks. It was a nice surprise for everyone, including 65, since I brought six drinks and there were only five of us. We shared stories and talked sitting on the warm granite in the sunshine. A little ukulele, a bunch of smiles, some big hugs, an immense amount of gratitude and we parted ways. I hiked north down into the valley with a substantially lighter pack and crossed the lowlands before climbing up to Tinker Cliffs. I saw 65 again at Campbell Shelter and he was talking about getting off the trail. He was burning muscle and felt dizzy often. He was writing his register entry declaring his plans. He had hiked from the Florida Keys and was going to Canada. I wished him well and sincerely hope he can get back on and catch me when gets a little healthier. The trail will be a different place without him. Up at Tinker Cliffs, I was surprised at how it felt to be alone again. A lightness. An emptiness. I sat in the beauty of the big bus-sized boulders in the golden light and hopped along them exploring while eating oatmeal raisin cookies. I noticed several deer off in the woods behind me nibbling on plants whose names I didn't know in the fantastic (but closed) campsites. A spent a lot of time here examining my feelings. Then I moved on without knowledge of what the future would hold for me. I hiked down to Lambert's Meadow Shelter. Nooga was there. I hadn't seen him since taking each other's photos under the arch the morning after staying at Neel's Gap. I believe that he was part of the Tom, Dick, and Harry hiking group. I also met Trekking Pole and Beast Mode. Unfortunately, it was a buggy shelter and there was no way I was going to stay there. I ate dinner consisting of a peach, an avocado, a kiwi and a banana. My pack is getting ever lighter! Then I headed off down the trail next to a quiet little stream. I was up on a ridgeline as the evening was cooling down. Then I saw it. Close to the horizon was the biggest moon I have ever laid eyes upon. It was the color of freshly churned butter and was so big and glowing so bright that you almost didn't see it. It just didn't register. Until you gave your whole attention to it. I realized I had stopped walking in my wonder. It was just too much for me. I watched it rise through the trees until I could see the whole thing. The whole night was available for walking with this kind of light but I was done. I found a nice set of trees spaced parallel to the ridge and I set up my hammock. This night was mine. The choice was my own. It could be made the instant it was ready. I went to sleep a happy man. This was certainly my favorite day on the trail so far.