Bunny made it home before 5 yesterday. Her dad had already been discharged from the hospital and was home, waiting for her to get there. All I know is that he’s getting back to his old self. Since I’m not allowed a phone of my own, I will be out of contact until Pearisburg. Ignorance is bliss. (2+2=5, war is peace, freedom is slavery, etc.)
I didn’t sleep very well last night. The hostel doesn’t provide pillows or sheets for the bunkhouse so I just couldn’t get comfortable. There’s the added possibility that Bunny’s absence played into my lack of sleep (but I don’t want her to get a swelled head about it). I gave up on sleep well before 7 and made me some breakfast—I was famished because I didn’t eat any supper last night. (No Bunny complaining about starving to death so I didn’t eat). I did make two cowboy pizzas for lunch yesterday, so I wasn’t really hungry.
Since it was just me, my pack was packed all night, I was up before 7, I was able to hit the trail at the startlingly early hour of 9. Bunny made me promise to go slow and I only had a little over 11 miles to go today; what’s the point of rushing. I was convinced I would not see anyone I knew today—they are all 1-2 days ahead. Feeling a little glum, I turned off the road to get back on trail. Not 50 yards in, I hear “Hey, Easily Forgotten, over here.” It was Little Blue and Gnome on the other side of the creek.
We talked for a bit since we hadn’t seen each other for a few days (there’s always trail gossip). Gnome took off while Blue and I chatted a little longer trying to decide where everyone we know is. I eventually left Blue so he could eat and pack up. I caught up with Gnome in about a mile and we walked together the rest of the day. We were expecting Blue to catch up with us before we made it to Chestnut Knob Shelter—but we never saw him again.
We took our time and stopped for several snacks along the way. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but I am eating for two these days (only out of necessity to lighten my load). We saw no one all day, so we fully expected the shelter to be empty. Imagine our surprise when we went in to find three sleeping sobo section hikers. The two old men got the top bunks. Eventually Soldier turned up to take the last spot. He told us Blue was camping and he had spent last night camping with Patches. As far as I can tell, Dirty R and Grape Stomper are further back.
I have one small (I hate to use the word “small” with this discussion) concern with my plan to walk into the woods naked when I am about to die. What if a dog were to grab my “package,” take it home, and drop it on the porch? If it were recognized as mine people might read more into it and think “Now we know why he got divorced,” and “Poor Bunny.” I will be unable to shout from the great beyond “it’s just shrinkage!”
In retrospect, it probably wasn’t a good idea to get the tattoos “Reward Offered” and “for the safe return and reattachment to Curtis Himstedt”—I was very stressed out by the whole Lorena Bobbitt episode (for those who don’t remember, she cut her husband’s off while he was sleeping and threw it out of her car window. It hit a pedestrian in the head making him cock-eyed). The tattoos are above each other on me, lengthwise, with “Reward offered” above the rest (no, I’m not hung like John Holmes. It was more of an old classified news print style, very small and fine. As a side note, the top of the foot is NOT the most painful location for a tattoo).
Anyone who has had a tattoo or seen an old tattoo knows, the ink disperses over time, so I doubt if anyone will be able to read my name. In fact, with the ink spreading, it now looks like I’ve merely underlined the words “Rewood ordered.”
With all the excitement we’ve been having with Bunny’s dad, we barely noticed what has been happening with my parents. My dad will turn 86 this year and he’s afraid he will fail the required driver’s license written test. To that end, he has decided it is time to move into an independent living space. My mother is showing signs of Alzheimer’s with almost no short term memory retention. Fortunately, she has also become extremely lovable and sweet, always ready with a hug and kiss for everyone. My brother has made a couple of trips up from Florida to help them find a place, and this week, to move them in. During the last month, they have sorted out what they want to keep and gotten rid of everything else. They even sold their house without even having to list it. With it being so easy, we are convinced this is how things are meant to be.
My mom keeps asking me when we’re going to come visit. I keep telling her that all depends on Bunny—she walks slow and now she’s going to have to make up a couple hundred miles before we will be done. “Well, tell her to walk faster.” I do, mom. Every f’n day. I do.
EFG