Glasgow (May 30)

This week has been one of my favorite weeks on the trail.  I’ve been hiking with the young German couple and several other friends the past few days.  They like to cook over a fire at night, which tends to bring people together.  Most people like to sit or stand by a good fire.  It’s been a good social week on the trail.

The topic of conversation this morning is the next town stop.  Glasgow is a small town five miles off the trail, with its own shelter in the middle of town.  And free hot showers!  Thru hiker Barrel is all about going to town, and he’s doing his best to convince the rest of us to go to.  I feel doubtful- I just stopped at a campground yesterday and got a good breakfast.  I tell Barrel I like to spread out my luxuries, but he just tells me I’ll regret not going.  After all, it’s a shelter in the middle of town, how many times do you see that?

I start hiking for the day.  Eventually my friends catch up and we head toward Glasgow together.  As always, hiking toward town makes us very happy.  All the conveniences and pleasures of life await.

Glasgow is a one street town with a large plastic dinosaur standing in the middle of it.  A quirky touch.  The shelter is really nice- it literally has electric outlets (for charging phones, etc.)  Often in the woods, I’ve seen outlets drawn on the sides of shelters and WiFi passwords written- a hiker joke.  The shelter seems to be a hangout spot for locals,  thru hiker wanna- bes and hikers.  It’s kind of funny.  I guess some people love the social culture of thru hiking but don’t actually want to hike.  I recognize one guy from the last time I was at a shelter near town, and I’ve never actually seen him on the trail.  I guess he just hitches from town to town.  Socializing and the camaraderie among thru hikers can be pretty great, but I’m not sure it would feel the same if I didn’t hike.  To each his own!

The outdoor shower is really great, with actual hot water.  A. and I are washing out our pots from a spicket nearby when we hear “Yee-haw!”  from the shower!  It takes me a minute, but then I ask, “Did your shower just get cold?”  He says, “Are you washing the pots with cold water?” and we laugh and laugh because then we know what happened.  This is the German couple, always so relaxed about everything.

We all go over to eat at the Italian restaurant nearby.  This is the perfect hiker town, you hardly have to move to get to the restaurant and grocery.  Hikers have their own designated special room in the restaurant.  Someone asks the waitress if it’s because we smell and she just laughs.

The next day I feel refreshed and ready to start back on the trail.  As I hike back toward the trail, Barrel calls out, “Wait, what about the pizza special at 10:30?”  I laugh all day about that as I’m hiking.  It’s good to be on the trail again.