Date: 2012-07-17
From: Dawn Hill Road

To: Falls Village, CT
Miles today: 15.5

SOS got an early (for him) start today at 7:30. The weatherman said that people in this area should not be outside today...temp going up to actual 97 but SOS wanted to hike so off he went with lots of water and gatorade. Trekking Pole came out of the woods while we were there. I LOVE his name because he is from Poland and does not use trekking poles...he says that he IS a Trekking Pole!! I went back to the room for awhile and then decided to go to the antique store/used books store across the road. That was sort of misleading because the whole store had to do with fly fishing and fishing in general. But it did "kill" some time and was somewhat interesting. I even bought some fishing line for use at Grandma Camp after consultation with the 2 men who run the store on the best type and weight of line for my project. They took it very seriously and were very helpful.On the other side of the street is the General Store so I went in to have a scone and coffee. I sat in their comfortable chair at the back of the store and looked at a book on the local history of the town/area with lots of old pictures. I learned an interesting thing...in 1870 Theodore Kellogg was elected to be the town "hayward". He was "responsible for making sure farm animals were securely fenced in". Who knew such a job ever existed?? You never know what you are going to learn in a general store in a tiny town in Connecticut while eating a great scone and drinking good coffee! I checked on SOS 3 or 4 times to make sure he was not overdoing it in this crazy heat. There is no shade at this motel so our car is boiling hot inside when I try to go anywhere so just decided to stay put this afternoon. When I went to pick up SOS, I found a delightful library in the village of Falls Village. It is a large ornate brick building that was once a school. It has many of the old pieces of furniture from the former use but also is well organized for modern use. There was an art show displayed in one area with works by local artists. I loved a piece by an artist who wood-turned many kinds of local woods into little vases of various sizes...beautifully done. (see in photos)It was $250 so will have to stay in CT:-) When I drove on for about a mile to the pick up parking lot, there was a camper with a woman organizing her things. I walked over an asked if she was Joy and she said yes,...are you Trail Mama? We had heard of each other but had never met until today. She is assisting her husband also and has gone all the way with him. They live in Nova Scotia and bought a truck camper to use on this adventure...might have been a good plan for us...would have solved the every night where to stay dilemna! We sat in the shade and talked...she is a knitter also...until SOS showed up. While the 3 of us were talking, here came Boots and Melody (from Switzerland). They reported that they had a great time in NY City but Boots, being a math teacher was full of questions such as...if everyone in NYC eats 2 eggs a day...where do all those eggs and chickens come from?? We were all laughing at him..a math mind at work...reminds me of SOS somedays... I drove us back the 11 miles to our room...on the way a BOBCAT crossed the road in front of us! So for today that makes 4 chipmunks (this morning)and 1 Bobcat (this afternoon) that crossed the road in front of me..WOW! I don't remember that happening in Fort Wayne, IN! We tried to find a place to eat but everything nearby was either closed or out of business so just ate in the room...a one pot medley of dehydrated veggies, macaroni, tuna, and cheese...not bad at all! Did laundry in the sink..(my new strategy to avoid suffocation by hiker funk) and read my new strange book that I can't stop reading. No road name today..maybe tomorrow...it is moving day again..but SOS is under 700 miles now and that is a definite WOW!!SOS here:Today at 12:40 PM I had my first encounter with a SOBO - that would be a South Bound thru hiker. His trail name is Old Bay. Ask him if there were any SOBOs in front of him. He thought there were only 2. I must have missed them. I gave him a high five for being the first SOBO I met. Between us at that exact moment we were a combined thru hike - to me this was an awesome moment. I would encounter another SOBO before the day was over JR from Dallas.How hot was it, well for the second time on the trail I saw rocks that looked like they were sweating. It must have something to do with the humidity in the air and the rocks being cooler. It was so hot and humid that I was drenched from head to foot with sweat. I was hydrating constantly all day.It took me 10 hours to hike 15.5 miles - normally I could hike that distance in 7 hours and 45 minutes. I expect that this may be a new normal as long as the unrelenting heat continues and the terrain is much more up and down. You might say I was delighted to see Trail Mama at the end of the day.It has been a week of accomplishments as far as miles. I reached the 2/3rd's completion mark earlier this week and as Trail Mama stated above I have less than 700 miles to go before I reach Katahdin. I will also break the 1,500 mile mark hiked later this week. WOW!Today for the first time I heard a hiss - rattle rattle. Yes it was a rattle snake in the weeds. After warning me he was in the area he slithered away from me. I did not attempt to chase him or get him into the open to take his picture - sorry.The last two days have had long level stretches that have followed the river beside the trail. The ten mile river was so inviting yesterday that I removed my hikng boots and soaked them in the water while I ate my lunch. It was very tempting to take a dip but I resisted. There were two young men fishing and one was doing more swimming than fishing.You know whenever you try to plan your days on the trail something or someone always comes up to change that plan. Like in the last two days Trail Mama got to meet Comanchee from Maiane and Manfred from Germany when she dropped me off at my second starting point yesterday. They were there and for them to be there at that exact time is unlikely but just the same they were there. Today she met Trekking Pole from Poland again just as she was dropping me off at the starting point. The odds against a hiker I know and Trail Mama has not met crossing our paths at that exact moment is very unlikely, but just the same it keeps happening. What is great about this is it makes it much more our hike to Katahdin when we both know our fellow hikers.This leads me into how my life's journey has been touched by others. My first day on campus as an incoming Freshman at IU Bloomington. I meet Rich Green and Mike Troyan. They were roommates across the hall from me at Foster Quad. Rich and I would later become roommates after Mike would leave to become a drill sergeant with the US Army at Fort Campbell KY. This was during the Viet Nam era. Rich was a communication major at IU and I was a history major. We became good friends - such good friends that we would be each others best man at the others wedding. Our friendship would remain over the years but life has a way of getting in the way of friendships staying in close contact. Close friends may drift apart but the bonds alway remain and the memories continue to influence even long after one of the friends is gone. Sadly, Rich has passed away. BUT that does not mean that he has not influenced who I am as a Christian and as a person. Rich was a stong Southern Baptist Christian. Rich and his mother moved from Arkasas to Indianapolis when his father, a life insurance agent, passed away suddenly while take a Sunday drive with his family. After his father's death, he and his Mom moved to Indianapolis to be close to his older brother who was serving in the US Army at Fort Harrison at the time. They needed his brother's support because the life insurance agent father did not have life insurance on his own life. I believe there are two lessons in that last sentence - the first is protect your family and the second is have integrity in what you do for a living.Rich would end up being an anchor newsman for the independent Channel 4 station in Indianapolis and later write the news for others at CNN. I was always impressed with Rich's strong Christian beliefs and how active he was in Church. I remember once after college him telling me about being the narrator of the Christmas Pageant at his Church there in Indy. Rich never quit being my friend and the last time I saw him was in the Atlanta Airport. He took the time to spend time with Trail Mama and I when I told him we had a layover before a connecting flight. Rich and Elise were the only non-family member (excluding the nursing home ladies) to attend Trail Mama and I's wedding. You see the ties and respect were strong. I am certain I will see Rich again and I will thank him for being my friend even though he knew all my failings. I think that is what are Lord taught us is to love without boundaries. This is what I believe. Thank God that I had Methodist Church Camp - Epworth Forest to attend when my faith was being formed. May that camp be there for my grandchildren and for their grandchildren.May it be a camp that is relevant to my grandchildren and may it touch their souls as it did mine. Please join me in supporting UMC youth camps by giving to the capital funds campaign at www.rightfuture.org. Let us make them church camps second to none. Thank you!