"Are you going to carry a gun?" This was usually one of the first questions people asked me when I told them of my plans to thruhike. You think I'm going to carry that heavy thing 2000 miles? I'm not going to need it. I would probably accidentally shoot myself. No, the AT was just as safe or safer as walking around at home. I still hold this belief.
The Wapiti shelter is the former site of a murder. The story goes a man and a woman got in an argument with a convict who followed them to the shelter and shot them. Though that was in the 90s, I was still nervous approaching the shelter. The whole place seemed cursed. I was glad to have Firefly with me.
I was relieved to see a pair of trekking poles leaning against the side of the shelter, evidence of another hiker. We rounded the corner and all comfort vanished when I saw what he had. In a holster on his right hip gleamed a pistol. Shoot. What was I supposed to do?
Now, I've I imagined many scenarios about what I would do if a guy pointed a gun at me. Most of them ended with me knocking the gun out of his hand with a ninja move, stealthily attacking him from behind, or running away dodging and leaping. At the sight of the gun, however, I realized all of those acts would be futile. If he really wanted to shoot me, he could. My own vulnerability hit me like a bullet.
"Just so you know, I am carrying a gun," he read my mind, " but don't worry, I'm licensed to carry." Like that was supposed to make me feel better, a license wouldn't prevent someone from suddenly becoming a murderer. "I'm going to make you famous," he continued, "I need your trail names, and I'm going to take a picture of you and post it on Facebook." So you take a picture of all your victims before you shoot them. "Yeah I've taken over 500 hikers photos and I like to look back at them when I'm missing the trail. I've hiked this section over the past six years and met many people. I like to look at the list of names of those who made it to Maine and see who I've met... Yeah, you know there was a murder here a bit ago, but this isn't the actual location. Once those people were killed they rerouted the trail and moved the shelter. You can still follow the old trail up to see it though." The guy sure did talk a lot.
I started eating lunch, keeping my pocket knife open and ready. This cheese-slicer can also be used as a weapon, and if he threatened us it would arc in a perfect spin to its target. Fortunately I didn't have to use it, for the guy never threatened us. On the contrary, he was rather a nice guy (though I am aware nice people can also kill.) Two other ladies soon joined us which made me feel a little more at ease and soon we finished lunch and packed up. Out of hearing distance, Firefly and I broke into conversation about recent events. The fact that it was that shelter where we net a gun guy is what had made it so freaky.
A huge hill stood before us, and we focused our energy on the climb. I didn't hear the thunder til we were on the ridge, and then it came quickly. The lightning was too close for comfort, and I prayed the trail would lead us downhill soon. As soon as the lightning quit, the hail started. What is it with the universe trying to kill us? I was cold and soaking within 30 seconds.
Running through the hail on my achy feet... at least it was something to distract me from the pain. Soon it was over, and all that remained was the thrill of living through something intense, as often accompanies experiences like these. It was a treacherous last few miles to the hostel, and man, after 23 miles, did that chair feel good. We joined other hikers for a huge family style meal, and crashed on the most comfortable mattress in the world.
The next day I was able to check out the hostel a bit better. The buildings were all log cabins. Animals roamed behind fences and the garden was full of vegetables. It was my kind of place. After a fascinating deep conversation over a delicious breakfast, everyone left, leaving Firefly and I alone. We did our laundry on a washboard and hung it out to dry.
I relaxed in the hammock for a while, then enjoyed a smoothie. Finally our clothes dried and we were able to take off around noon. The calming vibes from the hostel must have lingered because we had a very long, deep conversation while we hiked.
We met another thruhiker at an overlook. "You guys hear about what happened at Wapiti?" he asked. We told him our end of the story, then he tells us his. Apparently he and his brother were nearing the shelter and a SWAT team pulls up, pointing their guns and searching all their stuff. They had gotten a call that a man was "brandishing a pistol." Upon finding them innocent, the team ran to the shelter, but everything must have been fine because they came back empty handed.
Later we talked to another hiker who was at the shelter at the time, and said some "lunatic who didn't believe in the second amendment" overreacted and called the cops. It was not the SWAT team who arrived, but some "rangers and a few locals." I am more likely to believe this end of the story.
We entered Pearisberg and got a hotel-- the first one all trip, and had a luxurious night in the comfy beds, with showers and a tv. This was thruhiking? Yup.
We had stayed up til two a.m. watching a movie on TV so we only got six hours of sleep. Two donuts and a quarter gallon of chocolate milk later we tiredly headed back to the trail. There was a big hill to a shelter where we took cover from a brief rain shower, then a bit further to a campsite. Six or so section hikers (those who hike the AT in sections over many years rather than all at once) joined us, and I went to bed with deer roaming around. Safe and sound in the woods.
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