Our son Jesse and our nephew, Adam came down to visit Dreamer and hike three days with him, to experience part of the trail and get just a little closer to the dream we've been living for all these months... It was quite a revelation for both Jesse and Adam, to see exactly what Tom and I have been hiking on and what the trail community is all about! Of course, it was quite a treat for Dreamer and Charlie to be together again! What a reunion it was!! It involved lots of jumping and licking on Charlie's part!!
Tom (Dreamer) is at about the 802 mile marker and (Socks), Terri is able to walk 2.5 miles on flat ground and has been through some physical therapy, enabling me to get around without much of a limp and with high hopes of starting to do some limited climbing and some incline hiking in the coming couple weeks!!
Being separated by 10 hours and 600 miles didn't work very well for us, although, we've learned a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a couple during this time, we thought it better for all of us, if I were in closer proximity to both Tom and the trail, so.....
Charlie and I packed the car full of 'trail magic' and some simple belongings and we headed towards the trail. Snagging Dreamer from the trail at Glasgow, Virginia, we reunited for a couple days, just spending time together, sharing our experiences from the past couple months.
We reconnected together to the trail doing 'Trail Magic', blessing other hikers on the trail with free food and drinks! Trail Magic is random encounters with fellow hikers, setting up our roadside/trail side table full of COLD drinks, sweets, cookies and all the goodies that hikers are missing from their civilian life. COLD Mountain Dew, peanut and butter sandwiches, chips and all salty crunches known to man, fresh fruit and even pudding cups and cheese sticks! Our first day out, on Memorial weekend, we served 45 hikers!! Many of which Dreamer knew and I was able to meet as well!
Dreamer is looking pretty rustic these days, resembling Grizzly Adams more than Tom Shaver!!
I'm feeling the need to feel closer to the trail and be more physically connected to Tom and the trail, so I will be staying in the vicinity of Dreamer and the trail I have become such a part of.... I am heading to Wood's Hole Hostel near Pearisburg, VA, working at the organic farm and hostel that supports hikers along the trail. I'm thrilled that Michael and Neville want me to come back and spend some time with them. This is my dream home and farm...
Much like Tom and I started with many years ago in our quest to be self-sufficient... we started with 17 acres, 50+ chickens, goats, sheep, a wood stove and two babies! Now, we're left with the acreage and the dream of living like that again.... I'll get to live our dream life for the next few weeks as I heal and gain strength in my knee, awaiting the time that my feet are again on the path northward.
Reading this put the biggest smile on my face. I'm so happy you and Charlie were able to join Dreamer again, even if you can't quite hike yet. You'll be there before you know it! I've truly enjoyed following your journal and videos this year. March can't get here soon enough!
ReplyDelete