Southbound

Bugs and Slugs

September 1, 2009

This morning I flicked eleven slugs off my tent, two off my hiking poles and several off my backpack. So, in the bug category, I would like to add a subsection: slugs. Reader: Slugs are not bugs, they are invertebrates. Ok, in the category of creepy, crawly, stingy, biting things in the woods, I would [...]

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Impossibly beautiful

August 23, 2009

Last night I stayed in a lean-to with an impossibly beautiful couple from Holland. They snuggled and kissed and spoke to one another in Dutch. I had to interrupt them, “Um, excuse me,” I said to the man, “would you mind turning away while I change?” This is what everyone does in lean-tos. Neither them [...]

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Reader Question #7: Going Southbound

August 21, 2009

Abe Y. from Austin, TX. Question: Why did you choose to hike the trail Southbound? Answer: Because I am a masochist and a misanthrope. Actually, I love people, so it is sometimes lonely to hike Southbound, but I am getting some good time to reflect and meditate. And I am importing hikers by getting my [...]

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