We only have ten miles to walk on our last hiking day on the trail. We have microwaved crap at the petrol station for breakfast. A bear has been caught in the trap, last night. The trap is a huge drum on wheels and has a couple of peepholes. We lift the lid and see some black fur, 2 inches away from us. No eye looking at us thank goodness.
A mile down the road on the trail and we are welcomed by the bureaucrats of the national park. Having roamed the Appalachian mountains for 6 months as free-agents without having to book a campsite, we are now required to fill out a form to register for a spot at The Birches Lean To, with all sorts of threats if we don't. We dutifully fill out the form.
We walk along the river and have our last ford to cross. We are starting to feel sad - last river to cross, last hill to climb. At the park offices, there is a huge cake, left by another hiker. We eat the cake - a huge gooey concoction triple layered with cream and chocolate, and have grins all over our faces. Thankyou hiker! We buy a load of firewood so we can have a big fire to celebrate our last night with other hikers. In the late evening, Stucco and Boss arrive, plus a group of hikers we have never seen before, who must have been a day or so behind us for the last 6 months. We are counting down for our last day.
No comments:
Post a Comment