Nimblewill Nomad
Long Distance Hiker/Author
Journal 153-ODYSSEY 2021: Bama to Baxter-Hike On!
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Thursday–July 22, 2021
Trail Day–153
Trail Mile–-14.4/1,757.7
Location–High Point State Park, then to Mosey’s Place Hostel, Port Jervis, NY, AT Mile 1,339.0
Not all hostels serve meals, but Mosey does, and early enough for those of us that like to hit the trail–coffee, bacon ‘n eggs, plus fried potatoes. Barry has brought some peaches, which he’s pealed and sliced–all topped off with a V-8. Plenty of energy now to do another bone-jarring 14+ miles through the New Jersey rocks. Barry has me, St. Paul, & Potato Chip (two of my friends) on trail well before eight.
Another glorious day for hiking. It’s such a blessing to have dry trail (say rocks). Negotiating this treacherous rock-strewn gauntlet is difficult enough with dry conditions. Thank you, Lord! The up rocks and down rocks continue, to be augmented by more than enough boulder fields to satisfy the most daring among us.
I trip and tumble my way best I can, with hardly a normal forward step. Concentrating every second is next to impossible, and mid afternoon it happens–I stumble, can’t recover, and suffer a jarring fall directly into the rocks. In the process I manage to not only severely rack up my left forearm, but I bend one of my brand new Leki trekking poles. Time to get serious about pain relief, a switch from ibuprofen to enteric coated aspirin.
Constant ups and downs with a couple of so-so views (I chose not to climb the fire tower) and by late afternoon I’ve somehow managed today’s hike.
Dairy Queen is right on our way back to Mosey’s Place, so of course a stop there is in order–for a burger, fries, and a large chocolate shake. A long soak-my-bones in Mosey’s tub, hot Epsom salts water, and this day’s a done deal…
We must embrace pain
and burn it as fuel for our journey.
(Kenji Miyazawa)
Nimblewill Nomad 