Date: 2004-08-03
From: Upper Goose Pond Cabin

To: Upper Goose Pond Cabin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Zero day at Upper Goose Pond Cabin. I am not sure who twisted whose arm the hardest, but the decision was made to take a zero day here. Maybe it was the pancake breakfast with thoughts of another pancake breakfast tomorrow. Or maybe it was the gravity was really bad, but whatever the reason, we spent a wonderful day laying back, reading, resting, telling other hikers goodbye as they packed up and left and meeting new hikers as they came in. After helping the caretaker, Peggy, with some housekeeping chores, I grabbed my book, my thermarest pad and sat up on the upstairs balcony to spend the next few hours reading. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, with a gentle breeze blowing just often enough to keep you cool. Peggy had some fresh corn and cooked it, then invited us to share lunch with her on the picnic table in the back. The three of us women talked and talked, with quiet Hans just listening. Hans has been here for several days already. He was beginning to suffer from trail burnout and was trying to get back the excitement and enjoyment of hiking. He says in the artificial life, he tries to live life to the fullest, keeping bills down and works various jobs to support himself and his wife. Hmmm, we need more people like that I think. Lunch time brought a surprise as Shagbark, who I had met July 4 of this year, hiked in for lunch and was quickly sucked into staying by the thought of pancakes for breakfast. Mid afternoon a woman hiked in and climbed the stairs to where I was sitting. "Bumpkin" she exclaimed. I was at a loss as to who she was, but she had met me last year around Fontana Dam and recognized me. Her name is Katydid; she is out here again this year doing a long section hike. She is hiking with another hiker who goes by the name Shagbark, so for a few minutes, we thought we were going to have a show down as to who was the real Shagbark. It was all in fun though. And age won out. Trish had bought a package of fully cooked ground beef which she was carrying, and I found a box of macaroni and cheese in the hiker box, so we decided to combine our resources and made hamburger helper. The ground beef tasted like a cross between spam and potted meat. After each of us eating a plateful, we were glad to find a hungry hiker to eat the rest of it and wash the pot! We definitely do not want to see that meal again. The group of kids left this morning and in their wake, they left marshmellows and hot chocolate mix in the hiker box. We all sat around drinking hot chocolate and some of us even roasting marshmallows on the gas stove. By late evening there was a full house of hikers inside, all the bunks were taken and if anyone else came in, they would be tenting on a platform outside. There were a group of Taiwanese that hiked in, with an interpretor. They flew in to the states one day and were on the trail the next. Talk about culture shock! They had a video camera and made Peggy a star as she explained the composting privies into their whirling camera. One day she may be a national star in Taiwan! They were intrigued and inquisitive about everything they saw us do, whether it was filtering water, or cooking on a tiny soda can stove. I think they had more cameras and accessories than hiking gear. The rest of the evening was spent talking with other hikers and swapping trail stories. This is one of the things about the trail that seems to take hikers by surprise. There is a whole social sub culture along the trail. News, whether bad, good, or indifferent travels north and south at an amazing speed. One can find out where another hiker is, if they are on or off the trail, romances that blossom or fade, the news is right there. Where the best trail magic has been or the best water source, the worst shelter for bugs. Who needs emails, cell phones or newspapers? All we need are people going in different directions to carry information forward. Like the lack of blueberries in our pancakes this morning. Word had been sent with the exiting north bounders to tell the south bounders to stop and get blueberries from a farm right on the trail and bring to the hostel. Sadly though, no south bounders had hiked in, so our pancakes in the morning will be plain. Plain, with syrup, well it sure beats oatmeal again. By late evening a thunderstorm rolled in and I could lie in my bunk and watch the lightning race across the sky, followed by loud claps of thunder. When I first went to bed, the upstairs was stuffy and hot, smelling like a bunch of hikers, but shortly after the rain started, the temperature dropped and it became quite pleasant to sleep.