WATCHING THE SUN GO DOWN ON ANOTHER HIKE
As I mentioned before, many a Through Hiker can be seen working their way up this side of the gap in August and September. By this point in their journey many have that glazed over look as if all they can see is the trail ahead of them. As they pray for the smoother trails they've all heard about in the states to the South, they seem to have little patience.
So often when I try to talk to Through Hikers about the gear they have been using, they can sometimes be cold and even rude. It's all good though. They are a little tired by this point on the trail, whether heading north or south.
However this is not always true. As is in the case of a bright young man I met on the trail named Thor.
Thor (Kirby THOR Timoney) had taken some time off of work to hike the length of the Appalachian Trail with his father. Thor was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions about the hiking gear he and other hikers on the trail were using this year. Which included some very good Intel on the Sawyer Mini water filter I was using.
As in most relationships, the time you spend together is just as important as the time you spend apart. Especially when doing something as intense as hiking the entire Appalachian Trail together.
As only fate would have it, our chance meeting in itself was full of strange coincidences. I was hiking without my son who was very much on my mind on this journey. While Thor had found himself separating from his father when the elder felt the need to go into town to get coffee a day or so back. We both got a good chuckle out of how even though he thought he needed time alone, he had inevitably found himself hanging out with someone his father's age, while I in turn found myself hanging out with someone who was the same age as my son. We got an even bigger laugh when I told him, that I too would have gone into town for the coffee.
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