|
Sunday, July 30, 2006
I did 7 miles before noon and went into Lee Mass. For a meal then I called the Boston Global to see if they were interested, I will call again tomorrow or the day after. Going into town a man picked me up, his son is on his second tour, he is checking out the web site and writing a letter. When we get enough letters out they can’t ignore us. That sounds bad, like they are not working for us, who else could they be working for? We have to let them know what we want; if we don’t tell them they will never know. I want a minimum of 2 wks of intense workshops to help them deal with P.T.S.S. for each soldier before they are discharged.
Met Lightening Bolt, Spit Ball, Zienon, Yellow Belly, and Pete at upper Goose Pond cabin where I went for a swim & canoe ride. One of the hikers told me he was out here to decide weather or not he should go into the Navy Seals; I said that he should be convinced believe in the cause and do it for the right reasons. He said he wasn’t sure of the cause but he would kill, I said then follow your heart and know that if that’s not who you are you don’t have to wear that uniform forever. He asked me if I was a coward, I said I don’t believe I am because when I believe in something I will storm the gates of hell if I have to. He looked me in the eye like someone trying to see my soul and said, you are no coward.
Do you have any idea how hard it was being a Marine taught to kill, finding honor in war, standing up to your peers, refusing to go knowing you would do a minimum of 5yrs in a Marine Corp Brigg run by Marines who had all been over and lost buddies there? I could have run to Canada but thought that was cowardice, I would stand and face the consequences for my beliefs and actions. I believe every act is an act of self definition. The conscious ones are habits, thoughtless (which can be good if they are ones I have thought through and still who I choose to be) or what our society, religion, or peers tell me I am and I go along with it. (Thoughtful or thoughtless). I may not truly know who I am until I experience, Then I will know or I may know who I am and not be it or experience it which to me is a life wasted. I may try on the role as a soldier and see it isn’t who I really am, I can choose to drop that role and choose another.
I don’t have to beat myself and say I was bad, I made a mistake, I can’t forgive myself; it was an opportunity to define myself and find what I am not or experience something else and go on. Like I tried something different on the menu, found out I don’t like it so now I know I won’t order that again, I definitely don’t beat myself over it and carry it with me for a life time. How many times have I done that with a life experience which may or may not define me?
Monday, July 31, 2006
Today I met Moonbeam, Too Much, Enough, Baltimore, What, Trickster, Chef, Catch Up, Bright Eyes, Light Weight, Old Drum, and started taking pictures of hikers. Most of them are on the trail website. Also met Sassy and Buck Boy been married for 1 ½ months and seem to have mastered negotiations. I am envious, how many relationships have I destroyed because of my stubbornness, selfishness, and having to be right? They also had given themselves individually and as a couple more AKAs (also known as) than a family in the witness protection program.
Swam in a beaver pond, not the most pristine water I have been in because of all the organic matter rotting when they dam and flood the area. The 3 beaver there came and checked me out, slapping their tails on the surface to warn the others. Made it to the shelter and stayed there. It was so hot I slept on top of the bag and sweat thru the night.
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Didn’t sleep too well, made it into Sheiffield by noon (it was almost 100°). Called the Boston Globe several times, the last time I called they told me to send a press release. Wish they told me that 2 days ago. Got a call from Patrick Murphy, a vet running for office in Penn. I look forward to meeting him.
On the trail today I met Jutebox, Swollen Nipples, G-Man, Pill Box, Route Step, She Bear, Repunsal, Kentucky, Widget, Map Man, Robin, and Sam. We had a thundershower here after 5pm; it broke the hot spell, thank God.
Any of you out there that belong to any type of organization we would appreciate your group writing to your representatives for a mandatory intense workshop for soldiers before they get discharged. The VeteransforAmerica.org has just gotten behind us to help us with this; thank you.
I stopped at the Corn Crib, a vegetable stand 1/10 mile to the west of the trail on Rt 7. They are a very generous family letting hikers get fresh water and shower, and a place to set up your tent. Got picked up by a local with a beard, shaved head, tattoos, and body piercings; he said it’s hard to get a ride. I agreed. He said a few days ago ha had to hitch hike, walked half the way, said people probably thought he was a criminal (never been in trouble) because of his looks. I agreed again. How many times have I judged a book by its cover; how many times have I judged others’ choices in how they chose to exercise their freedoms?
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Last night I was added to the menu for another bug, those little gnats that live in the grass. Between that another stifling night along with the fact I walked thru a mile of poison ivy (yes I’m allergic to it) yesterday; it was another night in paradise. Getting a late start the bugs (all of them: gnats, ants, mosquitoes, and deer flies) had a head start and I was breakfast.
Met 42 (from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a reference to the meaning of life), I Rock, No Pliers, and the Wonders (a father, 12-year-old son, and 18-year-old daughter) a family thru hiking, the children are home schooled. The 12-year-old’s pack was as big as he was. They did over 600 miles in one month. I was honored and impressed to meet such a family. They were happy and united. What a shame that seems to be the exception not the norm.
Yesterday Sam (a teacher) said that it would appear that the country is trying to bankrupt the public education system (just what he has heard and an observation). It’s odd for we have some of the best schools in the world but rank with 3rd world countries on illiteracy. Are we doing something wrong in school or at home, or is it both? Would it be better as private schools or would it matter with all the children from broken homes starting off from a disadvantage? Did the dysfunctional homes and broken homes increase after Vietnam or Women’s Lib or is it a combination? I am sure when we get the troops the intense workshops they need the number of broken and dysfunctional homes will decrease dramatically.
This afternoon one of the hikers said the heat index was 115 (I have no clue what that means other than it might have been hot enough to fry an egg in 115 seconds). I met Alvery, Willow, Switch, Wyoming, Sleeping Ninja, Old Ranger Dog, Model T, and Story Teller. Model T, a retired marine, is walking for the Salvation Army to raise money and awareness for their homeless shelter in Tennessee. Check him out on ModelT.net. We first met in 98 when he videoed me, now he is walking with Old Ranger Dog, a retired ranger. They are both going to write their reps and tell their groups. Thanks guys.
Also ran into a camp group of about 15 kids who asked about 100 questions. One girl was writing it all down for her journal, said she didn’t plan to publish it.
I am wiped; did 15 miles in this heat.
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Had the best night sleep; slept by a stream which seemed to cool things down a little. Met Old School, Be Red, Dirt Diva, Compass Rose, Squirrel Master, and Contagious. Only did 7 miles into Salisbury, Conn. And stayed at Maria’s who opens her home to hikers. Going into her home was like going into he past about 50 years with the old style furniture and fixtures. She and I got along well with similar humor (family banter) and we played cards (too bad she doesn’t play pinochle).
Maria let me use her phone to call the local paper and I made other calls. As I was on the phone Squirrel Master and Contagious walk in just as she yells at me to get off the phone (she smiles as she does it); Squirrel Master goes outside and says to me she seems pretty mean. I say she’s OK so he comes back in. Before he says anything I tell Maria they weren’t going to stay but I talked them into it. It was easy to see myself in her for I will kid around with a stranger who doesn’t know me well enough to know if I am serious or not. I do know usually behind every jest is the truth, so I did get off the phone, eventually.
The local paper cane and did an article. There was a storm watch and some rain and a good night’s sleep after playing cards past my bedtime (sundown).
Friday, August 4, 2006
A breakfast of raw eggs and milk, raisin bagel and cream cheese with raw garlic (had 2 deer tick on me yesterday; this garlic should slow that down) and a dessert of Mr. Good Bar. The grass is wet from the rain; saw a humming bird; started hiking at 7am thru 8 miles of the nicest ground covering yet and some of the prettiest trail next to a river. What was God thinking when he made this planet? He must have been in love!
Met So Alive, Treck, Breeze, Joe Crow, Giggles, Catskill Eagle, Keystone, Hitch, Dadgum, Piece of Work, Chuck Buster, Baloo, Old Rebel, Cleto, and Thirsty Joe. Joe and I talked about PTSD. He said that a traumatic experience changes your neurological hardworking (in layman’s terms). It is a survival thing. What was interesting about Joe was that I thought he had fire extinguishers strapped to the front of him and I said so. He told me that it was for black bears and dogs (he had heard of attacks). This caused me to think of 2 things. One was the joke from Car Talk about how they can now tell the difference from black bear scat and brown scat. Black bear has berries and seeds in it while brown bear has bits of plastic and metal with traces of mace and meat. The other was the different ways people pray. Now Joe seemed to be the kind of guy that if he didn’t have the mace, it would always be on his mind about being attacked by the bears to the point where he would almost cause it or bring it on himself, like he knew he would be attacked. His internal conversation (maybe audible as well) might be something like this (if he believed in God): ‘please God don’t let the bears get me’; but saying it from a place doubting God’s will or knowing he will be attacked. If he is an atheist he might say a prayer to the bear or anyone who he thinks might be listening. (I myself prefer God because when was the last time you saw a talking vegetarian bear?)
Now that Joe has the mace he doesn’t give it another thought and if it does come up he knows he can handle it. He is grateful and knows ahead of time the outcome. That is a very powerful place to come from in a prayer, which also reminds me of another joke. A devout Atheist is hiking in the woods and a bear comes and is about to eat him. The Atheist cries out to God, the heavens open, the bear freezes in place. God says after all these years you’re ready to believe? The Atheist thinks a minute and says ‘No, but I would like the bear to believe’. God says fine and disappears. The bear kneels down, blesses himself, and says grace before he eats the Atheist. When I come from that place of ego I am not praying. I am trying to figure out what I am trying to do. When I surrender, give up, and ask knowing it is done already, it happens. Like when I was small and would try to pick something up that was heavy for me, I knew as soon as I asked my parents it would be done, but I had to try everything I could before I asked. (Some might call that stubborn; I like to think I was persistent and resourceful.)
Saturday, August 5, 2006
Woke up and my back was a mess: it hurt to take a full breath. It eased up as the day went by but it made for a short hard 12 miles. Met Junko (who remembered me from 98), Bumble Bee, Forester, and Stinky Feet with his wife Machungo. They are section hikers who were major trail magic. They brought me into town, gave me a drink and brought me back out to the trail which stopped me from pushing another 4 miles to get to Kent which wouldn’t have helped my back. I will take a zero day and see a chiropractor if I can’t get it out myself.
Today I meet a young man Steve Weston going to WestPoint, told him what I was doing and told him to believe in what he is doing and make a difference (or be the difference you want). He was happy and full of hope and plans to make a difference, I wished him well. I just hope that if his beliefs change of he sees a better way that he has the conviction to speak up or take action. How many times have my beliefs changed but I did nothing but go along same old, same old because I was to lazy, to afraid, or just didn’t care?
When I would see a beaver I would wonder how big a tree they would chew down, well today I found out. Along the Nousatonic River I saw trees 3 feet through the center that were half chewed through. This beaver has got to be the Rambo of beavers; he’s probably going to sell rights to G.E. for a hydroelectric dam.
Got off the trail, went from Kent back to Sallsburg because of price and stayed at Maria’s. My last wife drove me all over and took care of me. She even rubbed that icy-hot stuff on my back; you have to be careful with that stuff, if it gets in your eyes it burns (let alone any other sensitive areas). Maria likes to play cards so Sue and her became good buddies.
Maria talked about how some lady in town had her children in the car with safety belts on windows cracked open, parked in front of a store and goes in for a few minutes. Someone calls the police and the lady got into a lot trouble. I understand if a person hits their child in public the same thing can happen.
I find it amazing that our society is like this. Then they will send our children to a war and won’t do the best they can to help readjust when they come home, but we get in trouble if we leave them unattended or discipline them. Seems a little hypocritical to me; I understand that there are extreme cases that warrant that kind of vigilance but they are the exception not the norm.
|
