Date: 2003-07-23
From: Wedding

To: Wedding week-off trail
Miles today: 0.0

July 17-23 Wedding week went off without a hitch. As for the wedding itself: The setting was my brother's small farm, green and shady from old oaks. The Wisconsin weather was perfect, 78, breezy and low humidity, just the sort of afternoon you'd want to spend outside. The bride looked radiant; the groom, my only living brother, cleaned up surprisingly well. And I loved how they looked at each other.For me, it was a physical break, the first deep rest I'd had since March 1. I retained the infamous "hiker hobble" - best displayed upon rising, after sitting for a few minutes. But my knees and arches stopped aching for the first time since Neel's Gap, GA.I'd lost some weight after all, apparently. My brother, upon giving me a welcome hug, commented he could about wrap his arms around me twice. My face did seem thinner in the mirror. But the scale reads about the same, so it must be muscle gain.Food presented interesting observations. I had decided not to go wild eating everything in sight this week, to see how bad it was going to be upon returning to a life - a life where I wasn't wearing a constant 33-pound weight strapped to my back, or climbing the equivalent of 150 stories every day.It was going to be bad.First of all, your metabolism is going a million miles an hour and demands feeding. Secondly, your body is in starvation mode, recognizing the very next meal might only be ramen noodles AGAIN, so it conserves calories as best it can.The upshot is a frantic urge to consume every carbohydrate and fat calorie in sight. While I did tone down the worst cravings by the end of the week with careful applications of lean protein and lots of vegetables, I confess a jelly donut or three made its way down the old gullet. It was very instructive.The other thing is, you have to relearn how to eat. Whaddaya mean, Slim Jims aren't a fine source of protein...? Aren't mashed potatoes a vegetable?Well, I'm happy to report I removed all dietary strictures for the wedding feast, a yummy smorgasbord of barbecued beef brisket and grilled chicken, heaps of vegetables and salad, my beloved mashed potatoes and tons of wedding cake. Mmmm, wedding cake...Terry, the bride, had a brother with a sound system and a boatload of great tunes, so after the ceremony we danced on the farmhouse lawn. I didn't fall off my high-heeled shoes, which was a great relief. Can you imagine a hike-ending sprain thanks to "The Chicken Dance?" It would be too hard to explain.The days prior were spent decorating the big white tent. My primary task was constructing two dozen huge purple satin bows, and decorating with lilacs, glitter wire and tulle - living proof, I suppose, that even the most unlikely have some Martha Stewart lurking in their murky depths.Dale, my brother's friend, came out pre-wedding to inspect my gear. He'd been instrumental in helping me find a rental car while on the Trail, no small feat when I couldn't tell him just where I'd be until right beforehand. To top it off, his wife Beverly had baked up huge batches of my favorite chocolate mint cookies, and packed them along with other treats. I ate about a half-pound of cookies on the spot! They even had a care package for Itchy, of whom they'd grown fond via the journals. Of course, I ate the freeze-dried ice cream bar out of his. The devil take the hindmost!Thanks, guys, for that special bit of Trail magic a thousand miles west of the AT. Dale and Bev also came back out to the farm with a specialy-cut, tin cat food lid, to replace my rusted pre-burner.On the return trip, with a fun stop in PA, doing in hours by car what would take me months on foot, I again avoid traffic tickets and incident. I get a note from Itchy via Lupe: "Goddard Shelter had no swimming hole, it rained on top of Glastenbury tower, ski lift closed for the renovation. Shoes leaking, feet soaked. Having a good time wish you were here, Itchy."I also get pocketmail notes from Chief and Notes, they hooked up at Goose Pond Cabin. So perhaps I will connect with them yet. Near as I can figure, Wench and Hotdog are close too. Aloha Anne is up at The Inn at the Long Trail, a week ahead.Upon returning the rental car, Cosmo came and got me from Pittsfield at a late hour, put me up, let me hardboil a half-dozen eggs, then schlepped me back to Bennington, VT in the morning. This wedding trip would not have been possible without his physical help in assisting me to get to connections. I try to give him money but he says "I hate taking money from homeless people."And so, I am back on the Trail.I tried very hard not to let "the outside world" craziness taint me, and was only partially successful. I will have to give this re-entry business some more thought.But for now.... Ahhhh...