[at-l] Ready's Hike August Aug 25 TD 73 Part 2

[kahley7@ptd.net (kahley)]

OK..that's it for today.now get to work <g>


You can write to Ready!  readyhiker@yahoo.com
We stopped at a rock overlook, a large group of hikers stood at a platform 
just a short distance higher than we. Their subdued tones revealed that 
they were as awed as we were at the spectacle.
As happens with setting suns, it was getting dark. We made our way to the 
shelter. It seemed longer than .2 promised on the wooden sign on the trail 
- was that only because it was in the dark, at the end of a long day?
Finally we reached the spring. I sent Spur ahead to scope out a site, while 
I got our water from the piped stream. Other hikers streamed past, the glow 
of their flashlights and headlamps lighting their way. Everything was 
hushed. Funny how the darkness causes us to almost automatically turn down 
the volume.
I proceeded up the hill with our water supply and stopped just in front of 
the shelter. The folks here had seen a thruhiker matching my description of 
Spur, but there was wide discrepancy over which direction he'd gone. I 
decided to wait here for him to find me.
Folks were milling about everywhere - quietly, of course. A few were 
already asleep in the shelter, 2 tents were crowded into small spaces by 
the fire ring, a reclining figure in what appeared to be a bivy tent was 
reading a book in the glow of his headlamp. That remanded me of Bander, 
who'd be far ahead of us by now. Somehow, the image of a hiker reading a 
book is a touching scene.
A father and 2 daughters were seated in the middle of the quiet comings and 
goings. They were in awe of the concept of a thruhike, and asked many 
questions in whispered voices. We chatted quietly as I waited.
I recognized Spur's silhouette immediately as he emerged from a side path 
behind the shelter. He was with Lori, the caretaker. She was getting me an 
egg-carton foam pad to add to my sleep system for the night. Spur had told 
her about my sciatica. The previous caretaker had left the pad at the 
caretaker tent. What incredible luck!
As we waited for her return, Spur informed me, that per the camp log, 
Bander was somewhere up here, too! Really? Hey! I had a thought.... 
"Bander?!" I called out. The figure on the ground, reading, responded 
instantly, "Yeah? ...Is that you, Ready!?" Small world! :-)
We proceeded down many winding, precarious pathways to our tent site, 
weaving past many platform sites, as well as other stealthsites. Had Lori 
not been there, there is no way we could have found this wonderful spot!
Spur pitched the tent while I prepared supper. We enjoyed our meal under a 
magnificent starry sky. The moon overhead was now a brilliant glow.
It was bedtime and journaling time. I had only enough energy left to type 
in some notes; I'd have to write my entry from the notes at a later date. I 
was fast asleep in no time, cozy on my "double-soft" mattress.


--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/mixed
  text/plain (text body -- kept)
---