Date: 2007-05-22
From: Gren Anderson Shelter

To: High Pt. Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Tues., 5/22Hight Pt. Shelter13 miles - this is a good distance for me, especially over the ROCKS we had today! I started my trek this morning thinking, "Its a little like going to work: you go through your a.m. routine and then you leave 'the house' (shelter, grassy trail side, hostel, motel...). Your briefcase is everything you need to sustain your life- home, bed, kitchen, food, toilet paper, clothes- and you carry it on your back. Then you commute. You commute all day, in one direction, and arrive 'home' (the next shelter, grassy spot.....). All your work gets done commuting!" Ane what is that work? Well, thinking about your life and its issues, figuring out your take on the last person you met, questioning your food supply, analyzing body parts for reliability, taking in your surroundings, wondering if you'll see a bear, a rattlesnake, wishing a mile would get shorter, hitting your stride and enjoying your own energy and strength, wondering if you are still on the AT or missed a turn, worrying about tics in your hair and underwear, brain humming mindless tunes ( I can't shake "Jingle Bells' Rock" and the numbing theme to a kids tv show, "The Backyardagans"). Today I considered whether I'd like to give puppetry workshops to teachers again (I would) and enjoyed remembering some of my insights in that field. Mostly, though, you spend a lot of time thinking about your next footfall - getting it between two stones or atop a flat one, avoiding the limbs across the path (they trip you up more than the stones), choosing the easiest path up or down a rock pile or escapment, deciding whether to crawl over or go around a tree fall, etc. Today, for the first time, I started walking with a sense that today would be "routine" and I wondered if I was tiring of it a bit. Just then I turned the corner and upset a turkey who scolded me in no uncertain terms. She didn't fly away - ahah! "Chicks!" I thought. She wants me to LEAVE! Sure enough, three little two day old chicks ran peeping after their mom. OK, OK, I'll leave! For the next mile I smiled remembering the year we raised 7 turkeys on the farm. (Hey, I'm a little confused as to why it would be turkey hunting season if the chicks are just being hatched.)It turns out have to be at Usha's by the 28th, a week away. Unfortunately, I'm out in the boonies here, the "wilderness" part of New Jersey, such as it is. There's two practical ways to get back to NYC (and from there to DC): get as far as the Hudson in NY and take a commuter train or back track from where I am now and get a commuter train from Port Jervais, NY. Memorial Day weekend is just ahead, adding to transportation issues. Actually, the real issue is can I get to the Hudson "exit" in time and the realistic answer is "no". So, tomorrow I'm going off trail, clean up at a local motel, find a way to Port Jervais, and leave the trail for awhile. Its 7:30 and it looks ike I'm the only one in this lovely shelter tonight. Its very charming, with a creek running by, down amongst the maples. I'm glad NJ has bear boxes for food storage - its a major convenience.Oops, another backpacker just showed up. He's one of those people who think its his mission to "make the trail more fun for everyone". His funny hat, his handing out leis before taking a shelter-group's photo, his constant wise cracks and "clever" observations.   I'm reminded of what court jesters worked so hard at in the middle ages. I respect that for him this is a genuine gesture, and I'm sure there are those who enjoy it, but I just find it all distracting.