From the 104th Floor

by Leda Rodis (age 14 in 2001)

When the plane hit the building
rocked first
to the right
then
to the left,
and outside all the skyscrapers
of New York
seemed to tremble.
The alarms screamed louder
than we did, and I knew
it was time to get away. It’s funny
what you notice:
a pen rolling across the floor
my screen saver flicker and go off
a picture of you
and me
at Coney Island.
So much to leave behind. And yet so little.
Running down the hall I remembered
my mother
taking me to the top
of the Empire
State Building when I was just
a little girl,
telling me that a plane
had crashed there a long
time ago. So I thought that maybe
that’s
what happened. Just
an accident. And accidents
happen everyday.
Under the blown-out exit sign
a crowd
is screaming,
crying,
pounding
on the door.
I know:
There’s
No
Way
Out.
You have to believe that I tried. I’m not the one
to give up.
Back at my desk, I rescue
the rolling pen,
stare
at the blank screen, and
hold
my picture
of you.
I look out
at the blue morning.
I expect
to see God there.
But what I really see is
another plane.
And I know what it means.
But I don’t know why…
I always thought that life was full of choices.
It always has been.
What to wear
Where to eat
Who to love
(and you know who I chose).
Now my choices have been taken away from me.
The men in the planes have narrowed my choices
down
to
two:
Death by fire, or death by fall.
I see the smoke
rising
filling the room
It’s hard to breathe
I look towards the open window.
What
would falling feel like?
I remember the roller coaster at Coney Island.
The wind tugging at my hair
How good it felt to scream.
The feeling in my stomach.
And how all the way down
I was with you.

Excited!

This time next month I will have hopefully returned from my section hike and will be able to move.  Hopefully I won't still be lying on the side of the trail somewhere above Harper's Ferry, or be buried in a hole dug by poop shovels or, as my 9 year old son warned me, end up missing because Bigfoot or a UFO abducted me (I really shouldn't share all my research on ghosts and the paranormal on the AT with him).
In the meantime, I'm getting all my gear together.  There will be a last trip to REI next week for the hubby's pack and some online sales to get the stove and other various odds and ends (I'm taking my small Olympus Tough camera so I'm getting extra batteries- worth the extra weight for me because I love taking photos, plus I want to be ready in case I see Bigfoot).
Sunday our group is meeting to plan all the logistics of the trip.  At some point this weekend, I want to start preparing food or at least experimenting with some recipes.  Part of me thinks it would be far easier at this point to just stock up on Mountain House food, but as someone who has high blood pressure, I can't really have the amount of sodium that Mountain House has.  It's a shame, really, because some of there meals are darn good. 
So, with the flurry of activity, I'll post here when I can about updates on the gear choices and food.
I'm so excited!

And for your listening pleasure, one of my favorite songs:

The Countdown

This time next month, I'll be on the Trail somewhere.  I'm not sure if I'll be actuall hiking, or if I'll be lying on the side of the trail telling people to contiue on without me.  Either way, I'll be on the trail.

In a last minute push, I managed to get back into the gym.  I've only gone one day so far, but I went back.  I tried not to push too much because I didn't want to cause issue with my muscle injury.  For a few days afterwards it was a little touch and go.  The heating pad was my best friend.  Then I took one of my prescription anti-inflammatories, went to bed and woke up the next morning completely pain free.  And for 2 days now, I haven't even had the typical constant ache.  I'm hoping it lasts.

I haven't been able to do much actual hiking.  September came and my world exploded with school meetings and scout meetings and popcorn meetings... I did have my grandson visiting for a weekend and we managed to take him to the Battlefield for a short hike.  No doubt he loves the outdoors and hiking, but he just runs with no sense of potential pitfalls.  Luckily he had his uncle there to help him along. 

Just need a few more things to round out my gear and figure out meals and I'm good to go!

It's Here!

When I arrived home from work, my new tent was sitting on the porch waiting for me.  I didn't really have a chance to even open the box because I had to head out to clean out our Cub Scout Pack's camping trailer. 

It was dark by the time I got home, and I immediately opened up the box to check things out.  I was disappointed that it was already late at night and I wasn't able to go outside and set it up.  And they were calling for rain the next day so I wouldn't be able to set it then either.


So I did whatever any crazy camping person would do, I decided to set it up in my bedroom.

The only real negative review on this tent was about the ability to set it up.  They said it was confusing and impossible.  Other reviews contradicted the negative ones explaining it was actually pretty easy.  So I spread it out and put the poles together and made an attempt.  10 minutes later I was nearly in tears and was certain I had made a huge mistake.  Then I looked down and realized that not only were the corner grommet tabs color coded for pole placement, but there were actually color coded lines on the tent showing you where to place the poles.  So I realized I had to flip the poles over and then it took maybe 2 minutes to set it up.  I felt like an idiot, but at least I figured it out.  I haven't had time (or room) to put the rain fly on, but I'm sure it's no problem either. 

My cousin ordered a new tent as well.  She went with a Eureka Spitfire 1 person tent.  And while it appears she took her time and waited to set up her new tent outside, she actually opened the box and set it up in her living room. 

This is the tent my mom is thinking about ordering as well.  My cousin gave it high marks.  She said there was a lot of heavy dew in the morning all over the rainfly, but inside the tent was bone dry.



Now we're hoping we have a chance to test out the tents on an actual camping trip before we hit the trail!

Expectation

Photo from REI

I mentioned in my last post that I went ahead and spontaneously ordered my backpacking tent.  My original game plan was to purchase the REI Half Dome T2 2 person tent.  This decision was based on cost and reviews.  During my last trip to REI, I climbed into the Half Dome tent that was set up on the sales floor.  When I realized just how small the inside was, I became concerned about the ability of my husband and I both to fit inside the tent. The Half Dome T2 Plus which offers more floor space, was heavier, and I was not thrilled about adding any more weight than I absolutely had to.  I liked the Quarter Dome T2Plus, but it was a lot more expensive and more or less out of my price range.

I had received a 25% off coupon for 1 Clearance item.  Last Friday I sat down to use the coupon on a sleeping bag (I'm thinking of getting a new bag that is lighter in weight).  When I clicked on the link to shop Camping Clearance, the first item that popped up was the REI Quarter Dome T2 Plus tent.  With the coupon I ended up paying less for the Quarter Dome than I would have for the smaller Half Dome T2.  And today my lovely new tent is being delivered while I'm at work.  I am anxious to get home and set it up and see how it is.  It's like the expectation you have on Christmas

What's Goin On

A week or so ago, several of us headed out to REI for a quick trip.  My brother and cousin needed to be fitted for new packs, and I was going just to go and come up with an idea of what I would purchase on the next trip.  I knew my next large purchase would be a back packing tent.  I was thinking of getting the REI Half Dome T2 2 person tent.  There was one already set up, so I climbed in.  It seemed way too small for myself and my husband.  I tried to talk my brother into climbing in with me (he's about the same height as my husband) but he just pretended he couldn't hear me.  I also wasn't thrilled with the weight of the tent because going to the T2 Plus just added even more weight.  Anyway, the trip ended with my brother getting a new pack and my cousin heading home to order hers (they were out of XS).  I purchased a package of large bags with odor barrier I have in mind to use for food and packing out my trash.

After the shopping trip, my mom, cousin and I headed out for a quick hike.  I was a little worried because my butt muscle was acting up while I was shopping, so I was certain that I would be in a lot of pain hiking.  We headed out on what has become my favorite hike that ends around a pond teeming with wildlife.  We scared up a Great Blue Heron and saw a couple of turtles. Surprisingly, I wasn't in any pain at all, and that was uplifting. 

I've been incredible busy the last several weeks.  This past weekend I had a large yard sale.  While I didn't get rid of as much as I wanted, I made enough to pay for a new tent and half of my husband's pack.  I went ahead and ordered a tent on Friday.  I had a 25% off 1 clearance item coupon that was expiring.  I planned on getting a sleeping bag, but when the  offer for the REI Quarter Dome T2plus tent popped up, and I realized I could purchase a $320 tent for $187, I went ahead and got it.  Once it's here this week I will be setting it up and seeing if there is enough room for the hubs and myself. 

Way to close your eyes Kelly

Where Have You Been

When I return to blog after being MIA (again) I'm always reminded of my grandmother mother, hands on her hips, demanding to know "Where in the world have you been?!" back in the days of my youth.  Sometimes the explanations ran to the creative side.  This time I have the photo to prove I was actually stranded on an island of dinosaurs after a hurricane destroyed power on the island and I missed the last boat to the mainland. 
So really, I was on vacation (the photo is from the Virginia Living Museum, who knew Velociraptors were indigenous to Virginia).  So far I haven't been able to do much of anything that has any thing to do with hiking or backpacking.  There was a scout camping trip to Luray Caverns, but that's as close as I've come in some time.  Between weekend trips to the beach, scouting events, work and stresses of life, I haven't had time for much of anything, including working on that ghost book.  There was a weekend trip to REI in the works, but that had to be canceled because of a funeral.  I know I should get out there and start hiking and go be in nature where the stress is usually a little less, but the stress is so great it's actually keeping me from being able to motivate myself to get out there.  I'm going on my first backpacking trip in a little over 2 months and so far I have a pack, a pair of boots I'm still not 100% convinced fit me right, hiking poles, a map, a data book and a headband.  Oh, and a pocket knife. I'm not in shape and not very confident that my back will be strong enough for 30 pounds and my biggest worry: I'm not confident that I'm going to manage to make it 40 miles on a bum butt.
So, I guess it's time for some stress management, time management and preparation.  I'm a procrastinator and I seem to do my best work under pressure.  Here's hoping that applies to the AT.