Date: 2012-06-16
From: Ivy Creek Peak

To: Big Meadows Lodge
Miles today: 13.8

I went to bed backwards in my hammock for better fire viewing but woke up in the middle of the night needing to turn back around. I checked on the fire while I was up. Everything was fine. We had left it smoldering as we drifted off to sleep, probably in mid-sentence, and I buried the tiny pile of coals still alive with heat. Back to bed.We hiked back to the trail from the ridge and headed north. PMo was meeting back up with her fianc© Kurt today and was going to meet us at one of the many road crossings coming our way. We did second breakfast at Pinefield Hut and PMo dug into her Junior Ranger ketchup stash.We hiked on and eventually ran into an odd car full of gear and smelly people that handed us a six-pack of assorted 12-oz bottled beverages as we got to the road. They drove off happy that their grab bag was going to a good home. There was root beer, cream soda, and domestic beer. We each took a non-alcoholic brew and stashed the rest by a tree that only a thru-hiker would see. PMo's phone rang and she arranged with Kurt to meet us at the pull-out as we enjoyed our frosty sodas in the sunshine while sitting in the parking lot.Kurt showed up with some moonshine he had procured earlier in the day and we all celebrated PMo's ten-year reunion hike by raising the mason jar. We piled into Kurt's SUV and headed for town. Kurt wanted to take us to Red Lobster. I wasn't opposed. The AC was blasting, I hadn't eaten in a few hours, and it felt good to zip along at highway speeds. Lunch was lobster, crab, shrimp, and fruity drinks. We all left in need of a nap.I hadn't finished enough miles for the day so we figured out a way for me to hike part of the afternoon and they would pick me up later. Kurt and PMo needed a place to stay for the night and they were going to figure that out while I walked a few more miles. As we were driving through the park, Kurt asked whether we had seen Gypsy lately since he had met her and her family at Woods Hole Hostel when he drove down to rescue us from Baxter the super good trail dog. Just then, Milton, Gypsy's husband, came into view walking down the shoulder. We stopped to talk.Turns out, they were doing a funny slackpack day-hike and he had hiked the wrong direction from his car and it was now very near the time when he was supposed to pick Gypsy up from her hike. The only problem was that they were hours apart from each other, and their car was in the middle We picked Milton up and drove to where Gypsy was supposed to be. She was right on time and we took them both to their car. During the ride, we talked about lodging woes and Gypsy mentioned they had an entire extra room since the last room at the Big Meadow Lodge was a suite. Kurt and PMo now had a place to stay! The universe provided exactly what they needed and we all drove to the Lodge which would now be home for the night.I packed up my day pack essentials and headed out for the afternoon, meeting a very cool ranger out for a hike going the other direction. I was mostly in the trees for the hike but found a little outcropping to watch the afternoon colors change from deep blues and greens to a softer set of orange and peach pastels. I had to run the last few miles to meet up with Kurt on time and as I emerged from the woods, gravel crunched about as he was pulling off the road. Perfect timing.We each cracked open a beer and drank sitting on the tailgate until he made motion toward the cab. Then he started the vehicle. I was astonished. I had never before driven in a car possessing an open container, let alone by the driver. Call me a prude, but it bothered something deep in me. It was totally fine in this particular instance but it certainly crossed a line in what I was taught about stuff.I met the group for dinner at the Lodge which cooked a pretty decent steak (properly rare, no silly sauces) but didn't offer much variety for Gypsy and Milton's gluten-free diet. We listened to live irish music downstairs in the bar. I eventually used the restroom and snuck back to the suite to find my floor bed for the night. The funny thing about the comforts of civilization is that everything is dirty and uncomfortable. Nature just does it better. Every time.