Day 5, July 18 - part 2

Continued from Day 5 -- part 1.

So, trail friends, I arrive for dinner just in time. The young man who passed me on the trail (who had checked for me on the time dinner was served to hikers, and whom I had told that I could not make it because I walked too slowly) told me he had planned to see if he could get a plate for me. Then he told me a story of accidentally leaving socks behind on a rock (after washing them) early in the long steep climb up from Belden (my day 2). When he reached the top and got cell coverage he called the bar down in Belden and asked if there were any thru hikers there. He spoke to a woman hiker, trail name Wonder Woman, and asked if she would find and carry his socks. He would wait for her in Chester and buy her a beer as thanks. Of course she did, as any hiker would have. Nice story. 

The dinner was served family style to hikers at outdoor picnic tables. Photo 7 shows hikers serving themselves. 

 

Photo 8 shows my plate with its generous portions of pork with fruit sauce, peas and polenta. Earlier we had salad and good bread with butter. I had prosecco. And yes I ate everything. I decided that my fear of food from the poop problems was taking the zest out of a whole dimension of hiking (looking forward to food in trail towns)and that I was just going to risk it. I even ate a chocolate chip cookie. Gluten dairy wheat alcohol --everything I might think I am sensitive to or might be hard to digest. Okay I know this belongs in the poop journal. Sorry for the seepage. Here's my gorgeous plate. 

 

Photo 9 shows the charming (trail names) Prince and Mary Poppins (not a couple, hiking friends --but they have been hiking together since the quarter mark south of Yosemite and we've now passed the halfway mark, so for almost 700 miles.) he's in transition from a first career as a musician in the military and will be studying clinical psychology. She is an acupuncturist, tai kwon do practitioner and teacher, surfer, dancer. Two interesting young people. (Not as young as I thought-/ he is 40, she 39. ). He was originally from Minnesota and reminded me a lot of my nephew Elliot. We had great conversation about the trail as "spirit walk" and what it meant in each of our lives. 

Last, photo 10 shows the whole group of hikers being fed (at discount rates and with generous portions) at Drakesbad. It also shows this beautiful place. 

 

I followed Prince the Musician and Mary Poppins the magical martial artist/dancer/surfer through the dark to the campground and an empty campsite we could all share. And here I am having difficulty falling asleep in the bright light of the full moon and so writing my blog to you instead. It was a full and wonderful day. Thank you world. 

POOP JOURNAL. Not too bad. A couple smeared poopy pads in the morning and semi solid diarrheas that made it to a toilet in one case, a hole dug off trail in the second. But after my noon rest stop there was little or no seepage. I didn't change the pad until bedtime. I assume these are the usual inexplicable fluctuations -- as complex and unpredictable as weather -- in inflammation, auto-immunity, and intestinal bacteria overgrowth. I have been talking with my tummy and big and little intestines and they seem as mystified as me, unsure if foods make a difference. Realizing that my fear and avoidance of possible culprit foods has really dimished my quality of life, I decided to give this a try. We'll see what happens. One never knows what will be around the next corner, over the next rise. 

I do feel a little like the bear in part 1 who opened his mouth and let the salmon jump in. The trail teaches me a new and happier way of relating to the unknown. The day leaves me feeling "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." The hike, the dinner, the meaningful contact with other hikers. A great big "yes" to whatever comes. 

Thanks as always for walking with me and giving me the motivation and energy to make this hike into a story. It's hard to explain how important this process -- and your presence that makes it possible --is to me. The thought came to me " it isn't a story if no one is listening. " I think in some sense stories "exist" in the space between people. Not that we can't tell stories to ourselves but it just is not the same thing. 

Goodbye for now. See you on the trail tomorrow. No. See you off the trail tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a genuine day of rest. I walked this long day chanting to myself: dinner, prosecco, massage, hot springs. I am going to do a good job pampering myself tomorrow. And as my trail companions, you have earned the right to a day of pampering too.