[at-l] finding partners

[cballs@mindspring.com (cballs@mindspring.com)]

One morning while having one of the champion bacon, eggs and pancake breakfasts at Hiker's Paradise in Gorham, NH I overheard a group of thru-hikers I'd occassionally seen since Virgina, telling about which thru-hiker was with whom, which hiker had gotten married to another, who was having an affair with whom, when the divorce would be final and when the baby was due, hopefully before Katahdin.  It caught me completely by surprise and it upset me.  I stood up in the middle of the restaurant and proceeded to read some hikers.  "Do you mean to tell me that people have been having whole marriages out here complete with sex, and having extra-marital sex in the bargain?"  "Bahhh," they sheepishly acknowledged.  The forks of the other guests stopped in mid-air and half-chewed bacon and eggs fell out of their half-opened mouths into their laps. "How long has this been going on?" I demanded.  "Since Springer," they whispered, thinking I didn't hear them.  "Well how come no one offered!
 me any?" I boomed.  I was livid and hurt.  And then I threw the stink bomb.  "Do I stink any worse than the rest of you stinkin' Ovis?"  They just sat there with egg on their faces, speechless, their guilty silence signaling the answer they'd all been too embarrassed to tell me.

So here's the hiking partner scene as I lived it: I hiked with several people off and on for a great part of the way.  I started my hike solo and was less alone on the Trail than I have been for long stretches of time living in New York City.  I would often hike alone during the day, even when with a sexless partner, but I was alone at night only about three times. The closests I came to flagrant delecto was with the mountain goats in Virginia (Details in my journal.) I hiked with some very interesting and special sheep of all ages and backgrounds, and a few goats.  So will you.  Just don't expect anything but scintillating conversation.

Ovis Balls