Date: 2015-03-21
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs-Zero Hour
Miles today: 0.0

Fresh stop on the way to a new beginning...Today we whip out a northern eclipse on the first sliver past the new moon with a 12by12 Zero Hour in Hot Springs... celebrating with imaginary trail friends "EQKnox" and "Miles-1915-Yeti" ... that's about all I know (w/1914.8 miles to go...). Those that have been following might recall there ain't much intel coming in from the field, so I glean what I can. I sometimes embellish a little, sometimes a lot. This journal entry is (another) prenup-gift to the kids so they can reflect later on their adventure, even if it only captures the time, place and flavor of the most recent 10,000 steps. The following is a light-hearted fictional story that may offend some sensitive individuals, so if you might be one ... no need to read on. Bless you. (Rated PG-13 or so, video link contains a 4-letter word.) For those interested in Azure-Blaze Side Trails... Cheers! Here goes....================================================This just in from Hot Springs...3/21/2015 (another missive fiction, mind you)Hungry for a Job,...The Dude meets the MayorHaving just cleared the treeline, the couple stripped pack on the side of the quaint small town road. Ripe off the trail, the Dude freshened up with the last two of their diaper wipes, ran his cold wet fingers through his hair several times...and dialed the number on the back of an old worn business card he'd been keeping for just this moment. Meanwhile, Beau-Bo tried to get the hiker's clutch rearranged nonchalantly. They idled for 20 minutes, regretting the hour extra in their bags before the short hike out...trying not to think about hot food and AUCE waystops. They exchanged only awkward reassuring smiles, steam visibly rising from shoulder strap stains.This leg was more important than most. They were running low on funds and needed some help. They abandoned Yoga exercise to practice the art of "Yogi-" instead, many pointless-up-and-downs ago.A stretch-limo finally pulled up with the door already sprung. The Dude jumped in with a wide-open grin and long, "Hey...maaaan" as they rolled off toward the center of town. He accepted the offer of a weak White Russian with genuine enthusiasm, (been a while), and started his prepared pitch (without Power-Point and Tablet). Information he put together during long peaceful nights on the the trail...ready to work his (truncated) Virginia Tech marketing degree pretty hard. Just out of sight by now, Beau-Bo was dragging two packs down to the coin-op past the the HoJo, not real happy having to take care of dirty laundry alone again. (Details of that self-conversation are not fit to print.)As an aside, through a happenstance section hike in 2009, the Dude actually met (stumbled upon) high-rankers including a guy going by the trail name "Just-Gov" from Sanford somewhere or another. The Dude was able to recall the late spring day in mindful favor...years later...though details in the saddle of Argentina Gap are sketchy at best.Official story is that the Dude helped a fit elderly man and his neice find their way back to the AT whites from a badly marked (rainwashed) red-blaze side trail. (If you can believe that one...)Through legitimate connections...years later by a smidge more than coincidence...the Dude was able to secure an immediate meeting with the Mayor and Commerce Director in Hot Springs early this very morning.The meeting notes included "Enlightened economic opportunities and complex initiatives of Thru-Hiking Commerce..." The meeting premise was errant negativity cast on individuals (like the Dude),...he meant to offer new insight that might help improve public stereotype of AT hikers. To perfunctuate....well....hard to explain, it's best to view the Dude in action...(Cover your ears or don't click... if you don't speak French....) "This stop ain't zero... it's infinity..." Same thing, according to Stephen Hawking...and now the Dude. From the null set springs endless possibilities -- he was back in deep thought stepping from the limo to the road.The meeting seemed unusually short to Beau-Bo. The Dude swaggered arms-wide into the Wash Tub Laundromat sporting a bottle of Boone's Farm and a huge smile, saying only that it was time to go. So, again with pack-gravity high...clothes a quarter shy of dry...off to the next job inter.......well ... off to the next series of hard-earned vista-views... anyway. (Someone said they saw the couple heading north before noon, skipping past Lover's Leap Rock.) Most hikers value the memories and hours spent in quiet reflection, but as far as expenses go... "AT silence doesn't pay..." (?)Let's just say for this story the Dude and bride-to-be have enough now to afford the Golden Road tolls...Pleasure and pain through the last stretch in Maine.============================================== end fictional missive... thank you for blazing saddles...and thank Jeff aka ¢NoBurntBridges¢ for inpiring this tale...