Date: 2006-06-16
From: Port Clinto, PA

To: Windsor Furnace Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: broken clouds

A good visit come to an end. The trail waits for me.I woke to a quiet house again this morning and went outside to the patio. Outside feels natural . I listened to the birds and nothing else while working on the journal. I went in when I saw movement in the kitchen. Ron was up also waiting for the rest to wake. I put on coffee for both of us and we sat enjoying the peace. It was nice and probably the first time we've ever relaxed together over morning coffee. Conversation was easy, not merely polite. We touched on the usual topics: family, health, what we've been doing since last visit. This time though I took more interest. I'm glad I asked him to come down. Hope told me yesterday that he had his suitcase packed and sitting by the door just in case.We moved out to the patio. I talked about the trail and he talks about the walks he takes to keep himself in shape. Not often we share experiences we have somewhat in common.I saw Mark pulling out of the garage headed for work. He was waving up at Elle's window. She was peaking out the blinds waving down, looked like a morning ritual. I thanked him for the visit. It's been what I need, quiet and relaxed. He and I didn't get much chance to reconnect. There's been some strain there too. I saw a chance to start setting things right.Kids up, the morning activity began. Elle was asking for breakfast, Hope was organizing the day and keeping everything running. Dan was observing all from his seat in his bouncy chair and occasionally commenting as babies do.Elle decided on waffels. Egos for her, me and Ron. She gave instructions on how to pour syrup correctly, as the 3 of us sat in a row at the counter. A sweet tableau. Grand daughter, grand father, uncle. Afterwards I had more errands as did Hope. Before I arrived I'd wanted to spend as little time in the car as possible, but it was a necessary evil. Hope drives fast on the winding country roads so we get where we needed to go pretty quickly. I needed post office, pharmacy and a place to buy socks.A family effort with Hope pushing Vand (??) and Elle switching hands between me and Ron.Once home prep for the trail continued. Elle sat fascinated as I popped a blister and bandaged my feet. She passed me all the tools as I called for them. Then the usual packing and repacking.Elle made my afternoon when she asked for lunch. I said that yes, I could eat a little something too. I polished off a mound of chicken wings, left over veal chop, cheese and pasta salad in about 5 minutes.Back in the car, we made it to the trailhead by 5:15. Pictures of all of us under a white blaze followed by good-byes and I Was on trail by 5:30. With just 6 miles to the shelter I figured I'd be in by 8:00.A very good visit. I left feeling renewed like I should after a good zero day. It was more than that though. I also left with a sense of peace restored. I credit the hike. There's some transition going on that I don't notice until I'm put in relation to familiar situations off the trail. Somehow there's a resolution of conflict, a change in attitude and outlook.6 miles to Windsor Furnace Shelter. More rocks, high humidity. Woods are prettier with a few more clearings. Passed a couple of trail runners going south. A stopped on a bridge over a stream, the Hamburg Watershed, to get my bearings. A trail runner told me the shelter was just around the next bend. For once someone was right. I'd learned to ignore the advice and directions of other trail users. They're well intentioned and usually wrong.I passed the tents of a group of adventure scouts and parked at the shelter where I met Stiches and Upload and a new hiker called Charlie Foxtrot. He went to set up his tent and I stayed to visit. I've only met this couple a few times. They'd done a 20 mile day. Upload talked about his day's hike and his hike in general. He doesn't like it. He doesn't like backpacking, he doesn't like the woods. I admitted to not liking it every day but loving the experience as a whole. He doesn't. He's doing it to keep his committment and say he's done it. We both agreed that it's not a vacation. He's planning a cruise at the end of the trail. I said that being in the woods and on trail is still my idea of vacation and that a cruise would be a nightmare, Disney World ranking number 2 on the nightmare scale. Not Upload, he loves the mouse. When I get the chance I'd like to know if Stiches feels the same as her husband. If so, what's the point?I put up my tent next to Charlie Foxtrot's. We started talking right away. He's 41, from England, as sees this hike as a way to turn life around. Another hiker on a quest and appreciative for the experience. We clicked. A we talked and I whacked at the huge amount of spiders swarming over the site, other hikers came in. Figgy said the big group from the other day had zeroed in Port Clinton. They did the same short hike in as I did. While Charlie Foxtrot, acronym for Cluster Fuck, sat talking others came down to visit. FIrst Hui then Rad. Rad sat and stayed for a while. We all retired finally, around 11:00, a ver late hour. I whacked a few more spiders of my tent screen and was asleep.A very satisfying day on and off the trail. I givith and it taketh away. Today it gaveth.