Date: 2012-06-13
From: Cedar Cliffs

To: Wrong Way side trail
Miles today: 17.5

PMo was up and got out early. Semplesee and I took our time and had a little blueberry muffin party with the leftovers from Andy. Clear views from the rocky cliffs encouraged me to sit down and take it in. We hadn't had views like this in awhile. Semplesee got moving and soon I was left to myself, the noises of the animals, the wind in the trees, and the landscape as it changed with the sun. Haze formed over the valley and I felt it was time to go. I met Kleenex and Castaway up on the rocks as they were walking through. I had last seen Kleenex on day 3 of my hike with her sister from South Dakota and I had last seen Castaway on a reverse slack-pack over a ridge. It was fun to see how people change and I was excited that they were still on the trail and hiking strong. The three of us ate lunch along the trail in the sunshine. Kleenex had dehydrated peaches from home and shared with us the fruits of her labor.A few miles down the trail, I stopped at the river while Kleenex and Castaway went up to the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter. Sitting on a big boulder in the middle of the river under the shade of the canopy, I was fiddling around with my filter parts trying to get it to backflush. It was very peaceful, birds singing, water bubbling and rushing, light dancing about the bright green foilage when all of a sudden, catastrophe strikes. All my filter parts fall into the river. It was embarrassing the amount of cursing that came from my mouth. Later, Kleenex told me that she thought somebody was getting in a fight down there. It turned out ok, I found all of the parts, thankfully they are bright and float. I now had wet shoes but that was ok too. The only problem was my reaction to the problem. The problem wasn't even a problem. I am realizing that things aren't really in balance right now for me. I am going to work on making them so and accepting the things I can't do anything about.We hiked up and out of the little valley to the road where PMo was waiting for me. She had been waiting for two hours in the hot sun and watched everybody else we had been hiking with get rides into town. Most people would have been upset but she was really cool about it. This is something I have always admired about her. She always finds the good. She told me a story about how a ground hog had tried to surface right near her feet while she was waiting. So much to learn from this woman.She called Santa's Helper who was in town doing some wonderful trail magic and he came and picked us up to take us into Waynesboro. He also shared his root beer with us. We went to the outfitter and I bought some fuel and a little bottle to pack out olive oil in. Santa's Helper then dropped us off in town and we thanked him for the ride and the sodas. As soon as we opened the van door, we were met with a big smile from Semplesee. The three of us walked over to the Post Office and saw King of the Hill getting his new hiking kilt. He was pretty excited. We decided to go to Ming's Buffet. This place was amazing. The sheer quantity of food available all at the same time makes you wonder about things. I was building equations in my mind about cooking surface area, food storage, how long food can sit out.. it was miraculous how this was all possible.We then walked over the Kroger for resupply. We stacked our bags in an empty space near the carts next to the automatic doors and I took the first watch while PMo and Semplesee shopped. I looked up song lyrics to the Lil' Wayne songs until they got back and I went in to fill up on the good stuff since we had a real grocery store. Pop tarts and granola bars - you lose this time. Fruit, chocolate, and wine - you win, yay! I walked out of there loaded up. I noticed a small tear in my pack's hipbelt but didn't think much of it. We packed up near the kiddie carousel and waited for Santa's Helper. He was going to be about fifteen more minutes so I went walking and found Butch's Barbershop. He had a sign that read, "No females allowed." Nice.We loaded into the van again and Santa's Helper drove us back to the trail head. He entertained us with stories I am sure he has told many times. His intonation and timing are perfect and he is full of dramatic pause. I put my phone back in my pack and examined the tear. Then, my mind put it all together. Behind the tear in my pack was a smashed camera. It didn't focus, the optics weren't even seated in the housing. It must have happened at the grocery store. I remembered the bags being shifted when I got back and I visualized my camera being repeatedly hit by the automatic doors the entire time I was shopping. I realized that this was an opportunity for me to act on what I had learned this morning at the river. Detached from the camera, I calmly searched Amazon for another one. The S100 was out, which I considered getting before the trip anyway. It is slightly wider optically and 3g lighter. Here was my chance. And it was on sale. I ordered the black one but accidentally tapped the one-click button with my finger. This meant that it was being shipped to Tahoe. Sigh. So I tried to order another black one but there was a limit since it was on sale. So I ordered a silver one to be delivered up the trail a bit. Loopholes.Santa's Helper dropped us off, gave us a few words of wisdom, and sent us on our way into the fading light of sunset. I still had cell coverage so I gave my brother a call. We had a nice catch-up and I did my best to limit my self-conscious feelings about dominating the conversation. I realize that I have been doing this with people lately. You get off the phone and realize you have no idea what they are up to.Semplesee, PMo, and I walked into the woods, packs heavy with groceries. We self-registered for the Shenandoah and night-hiked through the thick trees in the cooling air. We found a small, under-used woods road which offered just enough to set up a tent and string hammocks across. We drank wine, ate chocolate, and talked until we were delirious. I broke the only hard rule I made for the trip tonight, realizing how silly it was. Done and done. Funny how time and everything associated with it changes us slowly.