Little Old Ladies
It is Tuesday March 19........ I think. I have been told that there is a ton of snow in Minnesota. (Yes. I am still saying Minneeesoooota, and hikers are still laughing and quoting the movie "Fargo").
I can not Imagine the snow. It is interesting how quickly we adapt to the environment that we exist in.
I am in a motel room in Franklin, North Carolina........hesitant to get out of bed, and start getting my gear........which is tossed everywhere......... organized. It is good to be out of the rain.........the thunder, the lightning.....and the reliably constant wind. The wind just blows and blows........ all the time, on the mountain. Oh yeah...... and the hail too.
(Yesterday afternoon, several hikers accepted the offer of a ride into town, in Ron Haven's Van. It was not raining that hard at the time, and pretty early still, so I accepted a bunch of food from "Apple Butter", and hiked on....
Then it got pretty dark, and poured rain. Then the lightning and hail started. As you know, lightning scares me, really scares me. I draw the line at lightning. From a little way up on the hill, I saw an SUV pull into a trailhead lot, and a young couple scrambled in. I had to catch that ride! It was Ron's wife..... and she had room. What luck!
Of course, I have been hiding out here at the Sapphire Inn .....warm and dry, and full of restaurant food, paid for by another charitable soul. Hiding so that "Apple Butter" will not see me in the same motel....after getting all that free food, and assuring her of my intent to boldly venture on. I do not want her to know that I wussed out because of a little hail and lightning..... after all. Not after I went to all the trouble of building that macho man image.
Wow. It would be easy to hobble down to the office, and beg them to let me stay another night. No. I am not going to the free church breakfast at 7:15 am. No. I am not catching the 9 am shuttle back to Winding Stair Gap. Yes. I will drag my butt out of here in time to catch the 11 am shuttle. I have a couple of serious climbs ahead of me today. That's what we hikers call hauling our packs up a really, really big hill.....a climb. At night we look at our elevation, ie. topography maps.......kind of like watching the news before bed..... and see how big the hills will be tomorrow. We are always looking forward to a really big hill. Standing Indian Mountain has been the tallest so far at 5,498 ft. Today, I have two that are over 5000 feet, but I will already be way up there for the second one.
My "in town" routine is shower...... to avoid skin problems.....(I do not give a crap about smell any more)...... then do laundry at the coin operated laundry, which is always one washer and dryer in an unheated, open door, room. You stand around half naked, freezing your butt...... doing your one load of everything you own.
And then I find some food..... and go to bed.
Ok. I am finally getting to it, the one true hardship of this adventure so far. It is the damn little old ladies! I am slow like the tortouise ( ok turtle.....I can't spell tortious ......see). Anyhow the turtle, (me), does not worry about getting passed up on the trail, by all of the young, studly, dudes......... and since there are a surprisingly large number of women hikers, say one out of four..... I have forced myself to accept ..........grudgingly (how do you work Spell Check on these Phones?). Anyhow, I realize that some of these young women are going to fly on bye. But it is these damn little old ladies, that really piss me off!
Yes........ you heard correctly. I am being passed up by little old ladies! Yesterday, it happened twice. Oh the indignity! They always have something nice to say, as I step aside and let them blow by. Starting today...... I absolutely refuse to let another one, get bye me. I know that you are supposed to adapt to the trail....... not try to beat the trail .....but I simply cannot stand being passed by even one more sweet, smiling, little old lady! Hawkeye.
Ok. I am finally getting to it, the one true hardship of this adventure so far. It is the damn little old ladies! I am slow like the tortouise ( ok turtle.....I can't spell tortious ......see). Anyhow the turtle, (me), does not worry about getting passed up on the trail, by all of the young, studly, dudes......... and since there are a surprisingly large number of women hikers, say one out of four..... I have forced myself to accept ..........grudgingly (how do you work Spell Check on these Phones?). Anyhow, I realize that some of these young women are going to fly on bye. But it is these damn little old ladies, that really piss me off!
Yes........ you heard correctly. I am being passed up by little old ladies! Yesterday, it happened twice. Oh the indignity! They always have something nice to say, as I step aside and let them blow by. Starting today...... I absolutely refuse to let another one, get bye me. I know that you are supposed to adapt to the trail....... not try to beat the trail .....but I simply cannot stand being passed by even one more sweet, smiling, little old lady! Hawkeye.
No comments:
Post a Comment