Date: 2004-03-28
From: Niday Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Turtling Ponderer3:30PM - Laurel Creek ShelterI had two milestones today.As usual the day started with a climb, from the shelter at 1800' to a ridge at 3400'. About the time I got to the top of the ridge I had my first milestone: 10% of my hike (217.4 mi) was completed. Since that basically took me three weeks (yesterday's milestone), at this rate it will take me 30 weeks. Add the two weeks I will be off the Trail in May, and that puts me on top Katahdin 10/17, two days after they close it for the year. Look for a bit of pick-up in my pace.My second milestone today was that I did my first 'turtle'. A turtle is when a backpacker falls (everyone does) and manages to land on his backpack, rather than on some more fragile part of his anatomy. The story of my turtle is rather long-winded, so if you are in a hurry you should click the 'next' link at the top of this web page to see what I do (did?) tomorrow, or at least scroll to the bottom of this entry since there may be some interesting stuff there.Once I got to the top of the ridge this morning, it looked like it was going to be a rather easy ridge walk. So I put my feet on automatic and began to ponder.I had noticed yesterday that I wasn't pondering so much lately, certainly not the things I came out here to ponder. Rather I have been paying attention to things much closer to the present, like 'where should I put my feet to cross this creek' or 'isn't that a lovely view' or 'boy, is this pack heavy' or 'I wonder how soon I will get to tonight' shelter'.Yesterday when I noticed I wasn't pondering so much anymore, I decided I would compose my own verses to the 'I Ponder As I Wander' song so I can sing it to myself as I walk along. (Don't worry, the results won't be published. The closest I have come to writing the lyrics to a song is to make up a few crossword puzzles. And they didn't get published either.)So, when my feet went on automatic pilot, I turned to the task of composing my lyrics. My pondering took me into topics in religion, and in ethics and morals (even though I was a philosophy minor in graduate school, I only learned logic and linguistics so never got the distinction between ethics and morals. The best I could figure out was that ethics became morals when sex was involved.).All of a sudden I became aware I wasn't on the Trail. What had started out looking like an easy flat ridge walk had turned into a boulder hop across a surface slanted to the side at an angle of more than 30 deg. So I stopped and looked around. Fortunately I spotted the Trail about 20' below me and managed to get back on it without much difficulty. After walking another minute or so I decided I had better check to see if I was still on the Trail (In a boulder hop the white blazes that connect Georgia to Maine are painted on the boulders rather than tree trunks, and are harder to spot).Since I was standing on a rock with quite a slant I thought it would be prudent to stand at a more level spot. So without paying much attention, already looking for a white blaze, I stepped to the rock below, which my peripheral vision told me was quite level. It was, but was covered with a slick mud, and the slight slant in the rock caused my boots to slowly slide out from under me, while my pack landed on the rock where I had just been standing. Fortunately I was no worse for wear, except for a slight scrape on my leg, but you can rest assured that my mind was much more 'in the present' for the rest of the boulder hop, and my lyrics-writing career was over, for the day at least.6PM - Laurel CreekOne scenic point today was the Keffer Oak. It is one of the biggest trees along the Trail, measuring over 18' around. It is estimated to be over 300 years old. Since I finally figured out how to use the delayed exposure feature on my camera, and the tripod Ken lent me, I was able to take a picture of myself and the KO.Saw lots of animals today: a deer, several kinds of bird and lots of butterflies. One field near this shelter had dozens of checker butterflies, all with just one thing on their minds.Saw half a dozen day hikers (and a half dozen dogs), though for a sunny Sunday I would have expected more. And after yesterday's spate of thru-hikers, I was disappointed that there were none today. Not even a single section hiker either.This shelter is in a very pleasant setting. I'm glad that it is the stopping point of a short day so that I could enjoy some 'slack time' here.See you on down the Trail------------------------------Have you ever seen a rock scrapethe sky? www.pocketmail.com