May 12

May 12 AT 2024, Day 13: Nature Screams “SPRING!!!” Today

Roo Giordano

Day 13, Sunday, 5.12.2024

Start: M. 652.9, Nothing Special Stealth Site in a Saddle

End: M. 669.7, War Spur Shelter—the one with the park bench

Miles Hiked: 16.8

Total Miles: 167.3

Elevation Gain: 3,400 feet

Today was a good day for spring wildlife. I noticed:

First Ladyslippers showing off their bulbous, veiny pink blooms. Look too closely and you just might blush.

Spotted my first Junco nest today.

A wild turkey was roosting in a tree and decided to fly down just as I was passing underneath. She almost hit me in the face and had to nerve to blame me, squabbling and clucking as she ran off into the woods.
A pair of phoebes had built a nest under the eaves at the shelter and they were busy shuttling food back and forth to their hungry, peeping babies.

At Wind Rocks, where I stopped for lunch, a bold mouse kept trying to break into my bag of bagels and when I moved to a different spot, he followed me and kept jabbing me in the butt like a toddler not getting his way.

Still in the awkward phase…

I’m not alone at the shelter tonight, but I was the first one here and snuggled in early. I’m not avoiding the other hikers., But tonight I’m not making an effort to join in, either. I don’t recognize either hiker. Normally I’d sit at the picnic table for dinner, but I already ate and I’m ready to be horizontal.

I’m in the awkward phase of jumping into a hike mid-stream. The thru-hikers don’t know me, yet, because I haven’t consistently crossed paths with many of them. They keep to themselves, just like the section hikers who congregate in their own groups. As usual, I’m struggling to find where I fit in.

I ran into Jiminy at a shelter this morning. I met him on the bus to Marion. He stands out because he has a fabulous mustache, waxed at the tips and turned up into a smile exactly like Mr. Monopoly (aka Rich Uncle Milburn Pennybags). And he wears a skirt. (So maybe this is a they/them situation, but I didn’t ask.) Instead I told him and the other hiker about the Junco nest and how to spot them.

I don’t think they cared about the junco nest. I forget most people don’t care about the little miracles that nature offers.

But sometimes they do. So I just keep trying to share the wonder, sure I’ll meet spirits kindred in our awe of nature just doing its thing out here.

At breakfast break, I sat by a stream and sketched the water as it tumbled through a rocky ravine.

Mashed Potatoes? Okay, I get it.

For dinner, I tried Idahoan mashed potatoes for the first time in my long distance hiking career.

I know, right! What took me so long to indulge in this thru-hiker staple?

Verdict: I may be in love! The potatoes make my cold-soaking strategy a little more bearable (but, to be honest, I miss my stove and wonder if I’ll make it to Harper’s Ferry without caving and having Ralph send my stove).