Date: 2005-08-13
From: Ore Hill Shelter

To: Hikers Welcome Hostel (Glencliff, NH)
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

9:56pm - Much Ado About NothingIt was a typical morning - up and at 'em. I made good time covering 7.5 miles to Glencliff, where I had a few packages waiting at the PO. I was there well before eleven and retrieved the shoes and stove I had mailed to myself. I then walked across the street to the Hiker's Welcome Hostel, where my cold weather gear waited in a third package. I enter the Whites tomorrow; the rules are changing.For a change, there's lots of hikers here - all northbound, too. Sam-I-Am and Origami were the first people I saw when I walked through the door. They confirmed my suspicions that they had slacked a few days ago. I hadn't expected them to zero here, but then again those two appear and disappear at will. Lion King, a rather well known trail figure who released his own trail movie earlier this year, is helping out here and showed me around the place. Songline showed up just after me; I hadn't seen him since we briefly crossed paths in Waynesboro. The caretaker, Fat Chap, showed up before too long. Completing the hikers was a fellow named Just Bob - the fourth Bob I've met, behind Wilderness, English, and Buffalo.I lazed about reading after a shower, waiting for my laundry to dry. I spent a good bit of time getting to know the other hikers - for the most part, they're all new faces with new stories to tell. Especially interesting was Mala, another trail figure bouncing around from town to town with his black lab, Tucker. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that Wood Rose and Male Skinner are also here with their dog Bella. Like I said, it's a full house that only became fuller when yet another trail figure arrived - Mad Elephant. He's been working on some trail crews in the area, and delivered the sad news that the Stratton Pond bench I so liked has been demolished. It wasn't pre-approved by the ATC so it was an illegally built structure. Stupid bureaucracies.We had a nice cookout here this evening - hot dogs, chicken, and small strips of steak. There was far more food than hikers to eat it, so those coming through tomorrow will likely benefit, too. The night was rounded out by s'mores. Once again, I was witness to another person trying s'mores for the first time. Sam-I-Am approves of this invention. She'd never tried it because she figured how the flavors would combine and it didn't appeal to her; she figured wrong. Another latecomer, Snowbunny, also tried s'mores for the first time tonight. He and Hareball had hiked to North Woodstock but came back when they couldn't find cheap lodging.All in all, it's been a great day. It's good to see people again. Perhaps I'll even see some of them tomorrow, too.Finally, it might be worth explaining what I mean by 'Trail Figure.' Sometimes the trail won't leave people alone when they finish. Something draws them back. Some people thru-hike repeated times; others may do section hikes of their favorite spots. There are those who bounce from hostel to hostel, enjoying the chance to mingle with this year's crop of hikers. Still others join up with trail crews each year. Regardless of the specifics, these people are out on the trail in some fashion year after year after year. The trail is their soul - or perhaps they become the soul of the trail.