Date: 2015-07-07
From: West Cornwall Road

To: Riga Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: moderate rain

Red Panda is the lucky sister today. Aviary has a broken car, Candace is sick (and I am extremely worried about her), but I got to pack up and deliver trail magic this morning. Sorry, guys...I cut up the last watermelon and divided the rest of the fruit between three coolers, to be left at different trail locations. I added as much extra stuff as I could fit (candy bars, hot cocoa mix...). First priority is distribution of the fruit, though, before it goes bad.I have no doubt that hikers will be able to clean out those coolers.Dad needed to borrow my car this morning, so after he dropped me off on the trail, I entrusted him with the task of dropping off two more coolers (thanks, Daddy!). One went to South Egremont, and one went to the picnic area in Falls Village.I felt much better hiking today, especially compared to how grumpy I was was yesterday. I don't know why yesterday kind of sucked. Maybe it was readjusting to the trail after three days off (so many zeros! Too many...), or maybe it was because I knew that my bubble was leaving me in their salty, smelly, lonely dust.I actually don't mind that much. They are all awesome and amazing, and I am so glad that we got to enjoy such awesome trail magic, but I do like the solo hike.Having ditched those horrible running shoes, my Merells reclaimed their star role as the best shoes so far. I did fall once today, sliding on slippery rocks, but no blood! I am keeping my fingers crossed that I won't inflict any more serious injuries upon myself before the wedding. I don't want to have to cover the majority of my visible body surface in order to be presentable. My legs are already in rough shape. Even though they are mostly healed, they are still about 40% scar tissue at this point. I will have awesome AT battle scars for the REST OF MY LIFE. Totally better than any tattoo. Although my own clumsiness is probably not something to brag about. "Tumbled down The Priest and fell face-first three times in one day in Pennsylvania." is not a great resume line.This morning I passed a father and his very young daughter headed south. He asked me if the red panda toy on my pack had anything to do with my trail name. I replied that yes, I was Red Panda."YOU'RE RED PANDA!"Apparently they had hit the cooler in Falls Village yesterday. They were SO EXCITED about having had watermelon, they asked to take my picture. Kind of adorable. I explained about the picnic and that my friends and family were responsible for the tasty gifts. They were so sweet.Best of all, I got to tell them that another cooler, with more watermelon, was waiting for them a few miles ahead, at the road crossing where dad had dropped me off. "Take as much as you want," I encouraged them. "That's what it's there for!"Much to my displeasure, I had to complete the detour before the picnic area (where we had the picnic) and iron bridge in Falls Village today. It sucked. So much road walking. The road, so flat and hard, hurts my feet so much. And it was a very long stretch of road.The good part was that I knew there would be picnic tables at the end, where I could sit and eat lunch and rest my poot distressed toes. And let me tell you, I made a beeline to the first one I saw, dumped Gertrude, and fiercely dug my food bag out from her stinky bowels.My food bag was getting so gross. It is starting to fray and has multiple holes. Even worse, it SMELLS. It smells picnic, . Too many months of food have been smooshed into the fabric. It is in my laundry basket waiting to be washed, but I don't expect it to last until Katahdin. I bought the cheap dry bags from WalMart to get a replacement, and tried the biggest one out today.I think it might be too small...That itself is probably a sign that I need to stop eating so many snacks. Although the other day, at the hiker slumber party, people were comparing the weight of their food bags. Chris's was under ten pounds, which made Muddy Duckling exclaim, "My SNACK BAG is SIX pounds!" I felt very proud of her. My biggest AT rule is: You can never have enough snacks.After my lunch, I headed back into the woods, where we had left a cooler the other day. Dad had dropped off more trail magic goods there this morning after leaving me on West Cornwall Road.And magic happened! Guess who was there, eating a granola bar?!It was Funk! I was so excited to see him. I had been disappointed that he hadn't been able to make it to the picnic, but at least he got to benefit from the excess magic. He said that Rise had passed by, too, saying that the plastic bin I had stuffed full of awesome things this morning was practically a resupply. Mission successful.Funk passed on some sad news: Neon, who had lost a lot of weight and was feeling very weak, decided to get off the trail to rest. I hope she is able to make it back, though not at the cost of her health.Funk also said that he has been feeling extra fatigued lately. He said that he always feels tired, especially climbing hills. I told him that I have been feeling exhausted all the time lately, too. He said that maybe he wasn't eating enough ("I know I eat plenty!" I patted my chubby tummy), though he hasn't been losing weight. He was considering getting tested for Lyme. Last week, after hearing about Yellow Bird's Lyme, I had similar concerns.At this point, I think we are all just exhausted after months of hiking. This weekend, everyone was so happy to rest at the picnic and hiker slumber party because they NEEDED it. I know I needed a break. Discussing the symptoms of Lyme, we all acknowledged that we have been tired lately.Hiking can be hard! Your body can do so much, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't need a break, too. I have no idea how Scott Jurek is doing it. So intense.I left Funk, who passed on profound thanks for the magic. He was also especially psyched about the watermelon (double thanks to Fran and Bonnie for those). As a hiker, watermelon is hard to obtain. You can't buy a whole one, what would you do with it?! In town, you could buy part of one, but you would have to find a good grocery store, and it's more expensive to buy divided, and most hikers operate on a shoestring budget (which is why I have done shower laundry many times).The hike today was so nice. It went by too fast, even though I kind of straggled for the last few miles. The afternoon brought some pleasant scattered showers and thunder (though nothing serious). I love looking up at the sun through the leaves when it's bright overhead, and illuminates them like stained glass. Overlapping leaves create so many different, brilliant shades of green. So pretty!The only bad part was that it was so hot and humid, I was soaked with sweat all day. Uncomfortable chafing occurred. A morning application of Body Glide will be in order tomorrow. I miss my skinny legs. Most of all, I miss being comfortable in my own skin. The post-Katahdin diet is already being planned.Today's landmark AT accomplishment was crossing the 1500 mile mark. Someone made an awesome fancy sign, so I even knew right when/where it happened. From there, only 689.2 miles of trail lay between my sausage toes and Katahdin. We can totally make it!I decided to stay at Riga Shelter tonight instead of slackpacking and having someone pick me up and take me home. There is an amazing view here. Months ago, I saw a gorgeous sunrise picture someone took from here, and have been considering the stay for a while. Then Havana also recommended it, which convinced me, and here I am!As I lay on my ThermaRest and mosquitoes attempt to feast on every bit of exposed skin, I am treated to forest below and before me, and fields, farms, lakes, and mountains stretching into the distance. I am enjoying the AT, falling in love with the wilderness. It is so nice to be OUTSIDE!Apparently a homeless guy (like... homeless homeless, not thru-hiker homeless) caught part of the shelter on fire. Luckily the damage isn't severe.Klank was here when I arrived but decided to hike on. Before he left, he happily howed me a jar of chocolate peanut butter that Mel had donated to the picnic and which I had placed in one of the bins to be placed on the trail this morning. "Did you pick that up today?" I laughed. His response? "It's CHOCOLATE peanut butter!" His tone was as if to say, "Seriously, Red Panda? How could I NOT take a free jar of something so magically scrumptious?!"I am glad that hikers I know and like continue to benefit from the trail magic.There are two young women who just started their thru-hike in Pawling (named Frog and Toad), and a young female ridge runner named Fable(s?) sharing shelter space with me tonight.Apparently dad, after dropping off the trail magic in Falls Village this morning, drove past Fable(s) and Klank this morning, alerting them to the magic ahead and inviting them to help themselves.I am a little peeved (though not at dad, he is such a sweetheart to help me and excite hikers). Why is Red Panda an angry grump yet again, even AFTER dinner and M&Ms?!Because this ridge runner ate the trail magic that my friends and family and I provided for THRU hikers. I know I am being a jerk. I wouldn't even mind if section hikers took some trail magic... like I said before, every hike is equally legitimate (within reason). Everyone needs a little magic sometimes.I wouldn't even mind if a ridge runner took some candy or granola bars... except THIS ridge runner. She is very talkative, in a very annoying, self-important way (and, being my introvert self, I just want her to shut up so I can enjoy the view in peace). More than that, I think it's horrible that she would take food for thru-hikers. She is getting PAID to eat that food. AGH IT IS SO FRUSTRATING.But the things that I think really pushed me over the edge? What probably were the things that really make me dislike her and her thieving (ok, I know that's slightly over the top) ways?She is drinking AND smoking at the shelter. While on the clock. She isn't wearing her uniform shirt, only a sports bra. When she went over to talk to a group of teens out on a YMCA excursion, she put her shirt on, but I don't think she buttoned it. Usually, it doesn't bother me if people smoke in or near shelters. Usually, however, they ask first. I can't tell you how many times hikers have asked me if it's okay if they smoke near me. But this girl? Nope.I don't like her. Big personality clash here. I am not pleased that I am spending the night next to her.Does this make me a bad person? Maybe. I don't care. I feel how I feel, and I am just being honest.If dad hadn't told her to help herself to trail magic, I might have actually said something, and I am not one to pick a fight. I prefer to avoid confrontation. But really, Bulky Red Panda almost turned Hulk on this girl. I chatted with her and the others for a while but then I just couldn't take any more and put in my headphones. Maybe I should have tented like the crazy wilderness weirdo that I am transitioning into.Soon I am going to develop into a real insane hermit and just stealth camp every night so that I don't have to deal with people anymore. It is almost hiker midnight and I am eager to not be a zombie at sunrise, so good night from the trail!I am thankful to my dad for placing coolers in the woods today. He even brought one to Massachusetts! Coco and Magnus apparently encountered it. So much magic EVERYWHERE. It is awesome! I am so, so thankful for my health, my friends and family, my trail friends... and this amazing view. ALSO I AM SO THANKFUL MOM IS PICKING ME UP TOMORROW BECAUSE I ALREADY SMELL SO BAD (hahahaha sorry, mom). Okay, now I have to add some things to this. Hindsight is 20/20, right? So, a few days after my initial tired, grumpy, post-hike evening anger at Fables, I have a few more words to say.I totally think that every hiker deserves a little magic, whether they are intending to complete the whole trail or not. ACTUALLY, I even corrected one of my signs on the trail magic I dropped off to say "For AT thru-hikers and long-distance section hikers" because I do know that there are people out there hiking LONG sections, and they might as well be thru-hikers, for the work and miles they put in. I come across trail magic all the time that says, "FOR THRU-HIKERS ONLY". I think this is totally reasonable. Day hikers usually have more resources, and better food (because they can carry heavier, fresher food if they are only out for the day). I don't think that it was unreasonable to be disappointed that a ridge runner, who basically has a dream job, had taken goods that were clearly marked "thru-hikers".That same day, I had passed a family that clearly was NOT thru-hiking, and invited them to partake in the trail magic that lay ahead. They looked like they needed it. And they deserved it.I think that one of the reasons that I was frustrated was because I promised my family and friends that the goods they dropped off were going to go to thru-hikers. Someone commented that it's sketchy to put my name on the trail magic, but it's totally common for people to do this. I am GLAD that other people have done it, especially fellow hikers, so that I can thank them in person when I cross paths with them. I think that my family and friends did a hell of a job to put forth a TON of stuff for hikers. Some people spent HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. ON COMPLETE FREAKING STRANGERS. I think they DEFINITELY deserve some freaking recognition for that (I hope my repeated use of the word "freaking" indicates to you how strongly I feel on this subject)! Kim mentioned that Lil Mermaid posted on her trail journal that she got some of my family's trail magic. This makes me happy, because I can copy and paste that section of her journal entry and email it to my friends and family so they understand that they made a positive impact in someone's life - an impact big enough for this person to write about.I felt GUILTY passing stuff along to someone who barely fell into the category of a long-distance hiker, when I promised my friends and family that the goods that they paid for with their hard-earned money would go to deserving folks (not that she wasn't deserving, but I don't think that she was as deserving as some). And most of my family probably wouldn't have cared. But still... I try to stick to my word.Of course, if I got to know her better, I would probably eat my words. I meet hikers out here all the time that tick me off at first, but who I end up loving after a few more meetings. The other night, the girl's attitude bothered me. I felt like she wasn't professional at all. Instead of engaging with hikers in a respectful way, she was lounging about, saying "Man, I wish I had some pot." I guess she assumed that because I am young, I wouldn't care that she was so laid back and casual. If she wasn't getting paid, I sure as heck wouldn't have cared if she smoked pot, got drunk, or smoked without asking. I told you, I am a huge proponent of hike your own hike. Do whatever floats your boat, as long as you're not negatively impacting others. However, I didn't think that she was appropriately representing the Appalachian Mountain Club.Also, she ate the Oreos that I personally paid for which made me sad because I worked hard for that money, and she's already getting paid to play out in the woods all day, while my bank account is hemorrhaging daily. Sure, maybe she did deserve that magic, and maybe I am being bitch Red Panda about it (sorry for the language), but I can't love everyone.I wasn't trying to be a jerk. I'm sure I was, though. Hey, I'm only human. I take full responsibility for my jerkiness. I'm sure it'll happen again, and I'll try to learn from it.SORRY. RANT OVER.FOR NOW.