one score years ago...

best. birthday. ever.

well, folks, twenty years have passed. and, although it has been a very random few days, i must say it has been celebrated in a way that i believe will be quite challenging to beat.

it all began last night....camped alone for the first time. had the most random day yet on the trail; meaning i hiked over 20 miles, only 4.6 of which were actually on the AT. put that in your pipe and smoke it. but, anyway, this story has a beautiful ending. was hiking along, down the blue ridge parkway, and a small girl in a small car pulls over and yells out the window, "are you a thru-hiker?" i said, "yes!" and she proceeded to leap out of her car and lift the trunk to reveal, through the magical sparkles of happiness, a cooler full of whole foods products, of which she unloaded on me fresh strawberries, a whole mango, all-natural orange creme soda and organic blueberries. i shoved them in my pack for later and hiked onward....it was getting dark and i was getting tired and cranky...found a tiny sign pointing to the left promising "overlook, 200 yds," and followed it in hopes of a campsite, nothing more. found instead a haven...the perfect place.

picture this...a rock overhang facing westward, the whole western world spread out before your eyes. the sun is setting, the sky ignited in reds and oranges, the sun a ball of fire sinking slowly below horizon. its just you, alone on top of the world, its the day before your 20th birthday and suddenly you find yourself with everything you could ever need, in the only place you could ever hope to be. and then, just when you think its really getting good, you realize not only do you have the beautiful place and the beautiful moment, you have fresh mango and all-natural orange creme soda, you have a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from the little grill, you have bob dylan on the i-pod and you have nothing to do but sit there and enjoy it all until the lights of the far off city twinkle at midnight.

yeah, it was a good moment.

then, today. hiked 17 miles into waynesboro...got to talk to my mom on the phone for an hour (she's nuts)...hitched into town and did some annoying hiker chores until MAURY LYNN HOWELL arrived for a visit. ate pancakes then went to kroger. at kroger, i purchased:

1 16-pack crayola crayons
1 disney princess coloring book
1 pack 24-assorted small plastic dinosaurs
1 pink, sparkly my little pony with green hair named "bunches-o-fun"

yes, i'm twenty. no longer a child.

now i reside at the free hostel in waynesboro...grace lutheran church. i'm surrounded by happy hikers and church volunteers who just filled their bellies with birthday cake and ice cream provided by maury...they're playing with their plastic dinosaur party favors and we're going to watch death to smoochy.

oh. my. god. they have cinnimon toast crunch here.
yes, sir. going to be a hard birthday to beat.

onward and upward. into shenandoah national park tomorrow...back to harrisonburg for a nother LGC visit and to see some importantly beautiful folk soon. i love you.




"look around you to the people you see
how many of them are happy and free?"