Morgan Stewart Shelter to HVA; Distance = 30 Miles; People Met = 4
I found out why I had been lethargic the past couple of days as a slight intestinal disorder manifested itself. And with a potluck supper awaiting us at the end. Curses! Fortunately, our daughter Charissa did a wonderful job lightening the mood.
Charissa lightened our mood
We did not repay her well. On our first full day together we only went 8 miles because of rain and my disorder. At least that gave us a chance to meet Craig (“Diesel”) and his 12-year old son Hunter (“The Kid”), whose school was fully behind him taking time off to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail with his father. I asked Craig what kindness he experienced on their travels and his first reply was the kindness of his son taking care of him during the hike.
Thru-hikers Craig ("Diesel") and 12-year old son Hunter ("The Kid")
The short day led to us going 22 miles the next, the day we crossed into our last state, our home state of Connecticut. Our goal was HVA near Cornwall Bridge, where I used to work. Along the way we bumped into section hikers Scott “MacGuyver,” and “Take Care” one last time. As we neared our destination Theresa hailed us from her front porch, wanting to know if we needed food or even shelter. We declined, but not without noting the kindness of our travels lasting right up until the end.
Theresa did her best to offer to help us
Everyone at HVA had left for home by the time we arrived, but they left us goodies and a few gifts. One was a new cap to replace the HVA cap I had worn through much of the journey.
I left HVA to become a writer and a musician. The book I wrote, Systems out of Balance, led to this journey of drawing attention to kindness and community for restoring balance. Now that journey led us to the doorstep of my former career, but just for a brief, nostalgic stop. The nostalgia was likely to build further over the course of the last two days.
Unsuspecting
