H.A. Larson's Blog, page 9

Afternoon Coffee and Chatter

The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and I can't wait to get home every day after work, put on something comfortable, and either make a drink or a cup of tea. Whichever one I choose, they're guaranteed to warm me up.
In general, life has been simpler and quieter these days. Well, not always. I do try to get out and about more than I did in 2021 - but it's difficult. I don't know the exact reason, but things are different. My life is different and I am different. I don't know how that will all play out, but I'm not worried about it. Life is peaceful and life is good. I really can't complain.
However, wanderlust has definitely been a looming spectre in my background (as if it ever really went away). I want nothing more than to go back to Europe. Recently, I decided to set a realistic goal as far as Europe is concerned so I can actually succeed in going back. I started using my airline miles and hotel credit cards almost exclusively, opened a separate savings account for travel funds, and have been putting money aside in it each paycheck. According to my calculations, I'll be able to travel to Europe with a free flight, free hotel nights, and all the spending money I need by the Summer of 2024. Yes, I'd love to be able to go next year, but credit card churning takes longer when you're a single person on a lower income. Besides, this gives me plenty of time to plan where I'm going and the things I would like to do - although I definitely have a few ideas rolling around.
Not that I won't go somewhere. My mom is currently working out of Idaho, a state I've never been to, and I'm looking forward to getting out there for a week of touristing and hiking. Considering all the mountains out there, this won't be a problem. 
Not that I don't have a trick or two up my sleeve for what remains of this year. I'll be going away this weekend to visit friends in Missouri, and Christmas weekend will see me, my ex-husband, and our kids staying at our favorite cabin for a couple of nights. There's nothing like being in a cabin in the forest, sitting around a roaring fireplace in the winter, to make things right with the world again. I am ready. 
I've decided to start homeschooling my teenage daughter to get her through her last year and a half of school. Why? Well, I'm not going to get into the reasons but it's safe to say that we both feel a sense of relief at the thought. There's also some excitement there, as well. We've worked together on how we're going to teach/learn and the possibilities seem endless.
Well, it's about that time - time to head home and put on those comfy clothes and sip on that drink. 
Have a great weekend.

-H.A.


















 

Winter Beckons

 

Thanksgiving is nearly here; after that, we only have a month before Christmas arrives. During that time, the air will get colder, Fall will officially turn to Winter, and snow is likely. Deep winter will follow, and memories of the warmth and greenness of the prior three seasons will be merely a dream.
There's a crisp, stark, and virginal quality to Winter - a time of death, yes, but also a time where rebirth waits in the wings. Nature slumbers under the cold tundra and hibernates until the right time. 
While I definitely have moments during deep winter where I feel like my toes will never warm up, there's something about it that pulls me in. A venture out into the woods during this time of the year offers more serenity in the way of fewer people. After all, people would rather find indoor activities when the weather is cold. Not me. I pile on the layers and enjoy the cool, bitter stillness that accompanies the snow.
In my own life, I've instituted a type of death to make way for my own renewal. I've talked in the past about leaving social media, like here and here, but what that has meant is that I removed the apps from my phone (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) but kept the accounts. 
Well, I've finally reached a place in my life now where social media holds no interest to me anymore. When I do log in it's boring and there's nothing I really feel like posting about that anyone else would care to see. I have weaned myself off of it and I no longer have the desire to let hundreds of strangers know where I am at all hours of the day, describe every funny thought or weird situation I run into or share endless photos of my kids/family/friends. 
I get it, social media is an addiction that gives people a constant stream of validation. But is it healthy? No, it's not. Studies have shown that the never-ending cycle of social media we expose ourselves to is taking a huge toll on our mental health. And you know which portion of our population is suffering the most? Our kids. 
So, I've deactivated all of my social media accounts and I can't describe how amazing and freeing it is to just go out and live my life without having to tell everyone about every second of it. 
The downside is that I, obviously, can't promote my site or my books anymore. And that's okay. What will be, will be.


Winter is coming.

Trip the Seattle: Part One

Back in September, I made my annual trip to Portland - with a twist. This year, I met my bestie Lisa in Portland where we took the train to Seattle for a few days. Before I get ahead of myself, let's start at the beginning - and it's quite the tale!
I flew out of Omaha on a Saturday afternoon with the intention of making it to Portland that evening after a two-hour layover in Dallas where I was going to get dinner and a Bloody Mary. Lisa had a reservation for that night at a neat hotel downtown PDX and I was so looking forward to a relaxing evening with my bestie. Well, it wasn't meant to be. My flight out was on American Airlines and as we got close to Dallas the pilot came on and said there were terrible storms over Dallas and that the plane was low on fuel so we'd need to divert to Oklahoma City.
After sitting in OKC for what felt like forever, we were finally in the air again. When we landed in Dallas, I had a mere 20 minutes to get across the airport for my connecting flight. I got there with five minutes to spare but since they close the doors to connecting flights 15 minutes in advance, they wouldn't let me on. I was upset as it wasn't my fault but they directed me to the customer service counter two gates down. As I stood in line, I noticed (through the airline app) that my connecting flight was delayed but when I went back down to that gate to check, they still wouldn't let me on. 
As I stood in the customer service line which was HUGE and getting longer by the minute, I started chatting with the lady in front of me and the lady behind me. All three of us were on different flights and the same thing happened to all of us: pilots announced on our three separate flights that the weather was bad and the plane was low on fuel. All of our planes were diverted to OKC. Frankly, the whole thing sounded a bit suspicious, but since there wasn't much I could do, I waited for my turn at the counter.
When I finally got to the counter, I was given vouchers for transportation back and forth from the airport, a $15 food voucher good at the DFW airport, a free night stay at the Hyatt Place, and a ticket for a connecting flight the next morning. Things were looking up! I LOVE Hyatt Place (each room has a living area as well as a bed and they have the best breakfast) so I eagerly waited for their shuttle to come to pick me up. 
On the way there, the shuttle driver told me there was nothing but clear, blue skies in Dallas all day so American Airlines seemed even more suspicious to me at that point. Obviously, they lied to us all for whatever reason. Still, I was happy to get checked in and since they have a small bar and a night menu, I ordered a cheese pizza and the long-awaited Bloody Mary!



Behold the Bloody Mary! Man, it was delicious.
Later, I talked with Lisa on the phone in the living area of my room so we kinda started our time together. Our train was supposed to leave at noon on Sunday but since my flight was delayed, we had to adjust our train tickets (and pay an extra $45) to take the 3:00 train instead. I finally landed in PDX and I met up with Lisa by the rail, which she took out to meet me. We promptly got back on it and headed down to the Amtrak station.



The station reminds me of Union Station in Omaha, which used to be a train station back in the day.



I've said it before but I'll say it again: train travel is far superior to airline travel. Trains are spacious, comfortable, have dining and snack cars, and are set up for people to sleep if they are going somewhere that takes longer than a day.



It's also a great way to catch the views of the surrounding countryside. This was something I really enjoyed on Irish trains.



We arrived in Seattle after dark but the King Street Station was bright, ornate, and beautiful.



It was late (and dark) when we made it to our hotel that evening, so we just visited. The next morning, we were able to see the Space Needle - one of the main reasons I booked the place.



First tourist spot? Pikes Place Market, of course!



It was Monday, but you would have thought it was a Saturday with the amount of people around. I can only imagine how much busier it is on a weekend.



Pike's Market is essentially a large farmer's market where you can find nearly anything for sale and is interspersed with restaurants, artisans, and various unique shops. The top floor is partially exposed to the outside and is composed of one long, main hallway with offshoot hallways and stairways that lead to outside patios and a lower floor.



Like this intersecting hallway that will take out to see the waterfront and a set of stairs going down.



The walkway to the Viewing Point.



A view to the waterfront.



Here's a fish market.



Vegetables and accoutrements.



A flower stall.






We stepped outside to get a better view of the waterfront.



We then went to the Market's lower level.



There were a lot of interesting storefronts down here.



Including this magic shop. I was bummed it wasn't open because I would have loved to see what was for sale.





Magic, indeed.


There are so many cool pictures and things that we did that there's no way I could fit all of this into one post. So, there's at least one more post - but possibly two - in the future.
Have a great week!








 

Meteor Showers Coming Your Way

 

It's been a while since I've posted about the night sky but with the upcoming Taurids meteor showers active through early December, it's a good time to post about it. 
What are meteor showers? According to Wikipedia, a meteor shower (also known as a shooting star) "is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky." A meteor shower can show several shooting stars at their peak as they make their way across the night sky. 
The Taurids are actually two separate showers, Southern and Nothern, with different peaks but both are associated with the comet called Encke. This American Meteor Society article gives you more information about the Taurids and their peaks. 
For a more in-depth look at the Taurids, read this Space.com article. If you're interested in seeing these meteor showers for yourself, this article will tell you when, where, and how.
I'll be out in the country, away from the light pollution of the city, watching it and I hope you will too!

Evolving Finances

Learning and mastering your finances takes practice and time. Over that time, we evolve along with our finances, myself included. Recently, I realized that I've been going about some things completely wrong. Recognizing these mistakes and figuring out how to rectify them is part of my financial evolution. 
For instance, I pay my car insurance and my phone bill six months in advance. Why? Because paying them in six-month chunks gives me a cheaper price overall, thereby saving me money. However, while I factored in the cost when considering my overall budget, I didn't factor it into my monthly budget folder system. This means I wasn't actually putting aside the money that I needed to pay these two bills on a monthly basis. It wasn't intentional but rather an oversight on my part, and one that needed to be corrected. 
Since I employ credit card churning, I have specific rewards cards attached to these bills to have them pay automatically. I would then just pay the bill when due, but I realized after my last car insurance bill came out that I wasn't putting the money aside. This meant that I was wiping out money from other monthly categories and/or my checking account buffer during that month in order to pay off the card. There's definitely a better way to go about that! First, I calculated how much I needed to save aside from each paycheck to cover the insurance and phone bill. Once I had that calculated, the next was to decide the easiest way to put that money aside. Fortunately, my credit union lets me open as many savings accounts as I want online, so that's exactly what I did. I opened a new savings account, nicknamed it Insurance/Car/Phone Fund, and deposited the amount needed from each check for those categories. 
This turned out to be such a great idea, that it got me thinking about other categories of spending that I should be saving for in advance. It wasn't long before I opened accounts for Healthcare Misc, and Clothing/Gifts, among others. I calculated the appropriate amount to add to each category and then deposit those amounts in their respective accounts each payday. I will note that a couple of categories are funded by money from my personal spending money.
All of these are now permanent entries in my monthly budget folder and have been calculated into my overall monthly budget. It's similar in scope to cash envelope stuffing but without having to have a bunch of cash sitting around your house.
Here are some categories one could use for their own budget:
* Travel * Healthcare * Clothing* Gifts* Down Payment on a House* Taxes* Home Maintenence* Kids' Sports/Activities* Christmas* Wedding
Obviously, the categories are subjective and the kinds are nearly limitless. Basically, anything that you want for the future that saves you from racking up credit card debt and carrying a balance on said cards each month is a win.
How do you manage your household budget? Let me know in the comments!














 

Another Year, Another Passport

I love nothing better than a good passport. My U.S. Passport has taken me out of the country and I love it for that, but there are so many touristy-type passports you can get for a variety of things within your own state. 



Last year, for instance, I dove head-first into the Nebraska Wine Passport. I made plenty of posts about the adventures I took with friends to discover the wines and new parts of the state that I call home. It was a ton of fun and something exciting to do on an otherwise regular weekend. I managed to make it to 18 out of the 29 wineries and tasting rooms that were a part of the passport program, and I scored a free t-shirt and two really nice bottle corks.
This year, the passports came out a little earlier than usual and I just happened to be at Glacial Till Tasting Room an hour after they arrived. While I've managed to get 5 of the 32 (they've added three new places this year!) winery stamps so far, I just don't have the same gusto for doing the passport this year. There are a few reasons for it but the main one is that since I've already done a year of the passport it's just not as exciting this year.



Then, I heard about the Nebraska Passport. Thinking it would be more of a state park, with unique sites, museums, and other fun historical stuff, I ordered a few off the internet and they were shipped right to me. While there are some of the aforementioned in the passport, there are a lot of shops, bars, and stores as well - just about the least interesting things for me to want to visit. Not only that but the passport is really only built for the summer in that you have from May 1 - September 30 to complete all 52 items. With gas prices the way they are, I'm not nearly that ambitious to visit shops.
So, I went back to the Visit Nebraska website to see if they showed any other kinds of passports that visitors and natives could participate in, but there was nothing. On the other hand, our immediate neighbor to the east, Iowa, has a bunch of cool passports listed on their website. Plenty of these caught my eye, but my top contender was the Iowa Scenic Byway Passport.



As you all know, I love nothing better than a good day trip. Many of my favorite ones have consisted of discovering unique places and driving along the Iowa Byways that weave around the Loess Hills (or as I like to call them, the Iowa Mountains). So, I downloaded the passport to my phone (no paper one here) and printed off the accompanying pdf guidebook. Since they both have different things listed on them, it's good to have both. 
First on my list was the Western Skies Scenic Byway. It winds 142 miles, mainly on Highway 44, starting in Missouri Valley and heading east. It's close to home and isn't super long, making it a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon - which is what I did. 



Of course, I had to stop and take a picture of the sign. 



My first official stop is a place I've been to many times before, Harrison County Historical Village & Iowa Welcome Center. It was the main stop on a day trip I took with my ex-husband and daughter more than five years ago.



My next stop was the small Danish town of Kimballton. It's known for its city park that's mainly an homage to Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. He wrote a lot of fairy tales and the fountain you see here is about The Little Mermaid, one of those many tales.






Surrounding the fountain are small statues on pedestals that depict more of the author's fairy tales.









The park is split into two sections. After I admired the fountain and its statues, I headed down the slight hill to eat my picnic lunch at their shelter picnic tables. There's a large rock there dedicated to John James Audubon, founder of the National Audubon Society. The other side of the stone is painted and dedicated to Veterans.



A mere three miles north of Kimballton lies another Danish town, Elk Horn, famous for its Danish Windmill.






I've been here a few times before as well. It costs money to tour the inside of the actual windmill but you can wander around the gift shop and the small historical village on the grounds for free.



Next, I made my way to Westphalia, home of Saint Boniface Church. If the sign above the entry arch isn't a clue for you, this church (and town) were settled and founded by German immigrants. It just goes to show you how much the Midwest was settled by immigrants. I mean, I went to two Danish towns and then this German town. The church is beautiful and it has an interesting display on its grounds. 



The drive itself was very scenic and beautiful. This was in September so there was just a hint of Autumn in the foliage. 



My last stop was in Woodbine. I've heard of this sleepy little Iowa town that's not far from Omaha, but I never had the occasion to go there. 



It's known for its public art that lines the quaint streets of its historic downtown. Like in other bucolic small-town downtowns I've been to, music plays from loudspeakers as you walk around. This was a Sunday though and there was not a soul in sight, so it was a bit eerie.








All in all, this was a fun trip. Some takeaways for me are that next time, I need to sit down and plan my route before leaving. I hopped in the car and just took off with the printed pdf and the downloaded passport on my phone. There are many things on the pdf that aren't on the passport and vice versa. I half wandered around aimlessly searching for things that were listed but not able to find. It would have been more advantageous, then, to have everything plotted out and planned before I left. 
Also, I didn't go to everything on the passport or the pdf. Since the byway starts relative close to home, I've been to many of the things listed more than a few times. You have to be mindful of the fact, also, that some things will charge an admission price.
I'm definitely just getting started on this passport and since there's no expiration/complete by date, I can do this on my own time and at my own leisure. Next up? Covered Bridges Scenic Byway. That one looks incredibly interesting and I'm meeting up with a friend there for a Saturday adventure and campout. 


Have a great week, my friends!

A Postcard Objective

 

I love postcards, I really, really do. My love of postcards began when I was a young child and my mom would send me postcards from her world travels. My love of the hard, rectangle-shaped cards only strengthened when my dad's cousin sent me a postcard from Hong Kong when I was about 10. Somewhere between Mom and Cousin postcards was when I discovered this thing called "Travel to Europe" and knew instantly that I wanted that to be my life one day. 
While I waited for that day to arrive, it was the coolest thing ever to get one of these postcards in the mail, read the few lines that could be written in such a small space, and imagine what their glamorous lives of travel were like. Since then I've gotten postcards from a variety of people: my Dad from Mt. Rushmore and my bestie, Keith, from his once-in-a-lifetime trip to the South Pole remain two of my later favorites.
Over the years, I've collected plenty of my own - with no intention of ever sending them. I started collecting postcards that were prints of old National Park posters, something I still do to this day. When I went to Ireland I bought several as souvenirs, held on to the ones that would come in my monthly sub box to Louisville Vegan Jerky, and relished in the free one I'd get from each visit to my favorite vegan restaurant in Omaha: Modern Love.
Needless to say, they really built up and eventually were forgotten. They were rediscovered during the pandemic so, between then until I got rid of all the shit junk things I had accumulated over the years before my big move last year, I made a point of sending these postcards out to friends and family (with the exception of the National Park ones). The recipients really enjoyed getting them, much like I do.
Now that I've been getting out and traveling more, I've had a brilliant idea. What if, instead of buying postcards and just stashing them somewhere to be forgotten about, I send one to myself from every place that I travel to? How does that sound?
It sounds damn awesome, if I do say so myself, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. I don't care where it is I find myself...if there's a postcard there, I'm going to mail one to myself and write something witty on it. Or maybe I'll write something cool about what I've done there. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Postcard Objective, engaged.

A Week in the Appalachias: Part Two

It's another beautiful day here in the Midwest! The temperatures have cooled down and the leaves are starting to turn. This means, of course, that Autumn is here and you all know that it's my favorite season. At any rate, it's time for the second part of my week in the Appalachias - enjoy!

 Peaks of Otter consists of three mountain peaks: Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill. The park is maintained by the National Park Service and has a modern lodge with a restaurant,

 a picturesque lake flanked by a historical building,









a beautiful boardwalk section, 
and a couple of campgrounds (one primitive and the other RV-ready). We set up our tents at the campground then hiked down to the lake, around it, over to the National Park center,



and finally around a loop trail right behind the National Park center. 
That night, I slept horribly because my sickness had completely clogged my sinuses and I barely got an ounce of sleep. Still, that next morning, I wanted to climb up Sharp Top, the largest and tallest of the Peaks of Otter. If being horribly sick wasn't bad enough, it became clear at this point in time that the torn meniscuses in my knees were re-tearing, particularly the one in my left knee, so hiking was completely off the table. Still, there is a shuttle that will take you within 1/4 mile of the top, so I paid for us to go up.



The views and scenery were incredible but my left knee was in such pain at this time, that I had to let Amy go to the top without me. It was a major bummer and, if I'm being honest, I cried. The whole trip had become an exercise in frustration for me.



At least the views made me happy.



Since it was our last night at the campground, we decided to drive over to a winery we had seen on the map. It's in a Century Farm that got into winemaking.



The farm is called Johnson's Orchards, while they've named the actual winery Peaks of Otter Winery.  The winery was unique compared to other wineries I've been to.



The winery area of the farm is in a very old barn.



The samples were smaller - they were served in plastic medicine cups - but you get nine so it was a decent bargain.



After the winery, we were hungry and also wanted to sample some Virginia beers so we headed nearby to eat at Beale's and sample one of their craft brews. I got their Lime in the Coconut, which according to their website: We put the lime in the coconut! We started with a Cream Ale with lactose and lightly toasted coconut and added key lime puree. The result is a balanced tropical daydream that will help you kick off your summer vacay.
The beer was excellent. We were there to eat, so I also ordered Mr. Ward, their Texas-style brisket sandwich. While the beer was great, the meal was not, so that was a disappointment. The brisket was mainly fat and gristle (which is not really edible) and my side of mac 'n cheese was drier than the Sahara desert.

Since the Peaks of Otter is right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, we stopped to check out some of the views. 



This was one of them, right before the sun was setting. Gorgeous.
We had always planned our last two days of the trip to be spent in Roanoke, so after our time at PoO, we checked into our hotel in Roanoke.



The next day, we visited some local tourist spots, one being The Roanoke Star. Sitting on top of Mill Mountain, overlooking the city, this neon star is a sight to see at night. I'll have to take their word for it, though, since I was there during the day.



There are some trails you can walk on up here - which I had to skip because I could barely walk at this point. Again, the views from up here were pretty fantastic.



After we visited the Star, we went to the quaint downtown part of Roanoke and went to Three Notch'd, a brewery that makes a variety of beers. I got the Blood Orange Gose while Amy got a craft seltzer that I cannot remember the name of.



We walked around a little bit, and I mean a little bit.



There's an arboretum at the local community college, so the next day, we went over to check it out.



It was neat, but there wasn't a whole lot to see. However, it's free so I would recommend it if you ever get to Roanoke.
After this, poor Amy was itching to do any kind of walking/hiking outdoors, so we drove down to Natural Bridge State Park where I sat inside while Amy checked out the park. This would normally be high up on my list of the kinds of places I love to walk/hike around so it was sad to have to sit it out. Still, here are two pictures that I didn't take of the park building and the natural bridge in question:





I sure wish I could have walked down there!


And so, that wraps up my trip to the Appalachias. While getting horribly sick (a sickness that stuck with me for weeks!) and re-tearing my meniscus really put a damper on the trip, I tried to enjoy my time anyway. The amazing views in and of the mountains while spending time in them was worth all the crap I had to deal with. Still, I will definitely be back one day when I'm healthy!

Autumn is Nearly Upon Us

I was out at one of my favorite spots this weekend when I snapped this picture. While the foliage is still quite green, you can see that it's touched with a hint of brown. Soon, the leaves will begin to change, turning into every gorgeous shade of yellow, red, brown, and orange imaginable. The air will become cooler and crisper, encouraging you to put on a sweater or a flannel shirt. Pumpkins will be everywhere, hayrack rides will be taken, and people will prepare for the best holiday of the year: Halloween.
Without a doubt, Autumn is my favorite season. It's beautiful, it's comfortable, and there's lots of fun and outdoor activities that are perfectly suited to this time of the year - like Pumpkin Patches and Renaissance Faires. Sipping some spiked cider over a cozy fire sounds like pure heaven after a long, lazy walk in a dazzling colorful forest. Casserole dishes will be dusted off and soft blankets will be a staple.
As the days get shorter, I will fight to get outdoors before the Sun hits the horizon. This means getting moving earlier on the weekends and making the most of it during the shorter days. Still, I can't wait to just breathe it all in and I sincerely wish Autumn could last all year.
Alas, it is sadly the shortest season. Knowing this, I will soak it all in, drinking every last drop that I can squeeze out of my favorite time of the year. I'm waiting for you, Autumn.

I hope all is well with you. I recently went on a trip to Seattle, a place I've never been. I'll be sharing that, along with the remainder of my trip to the AT, so stay tuned. They will be coming...they will.  






 

A Week in the Appalachias: Part One

Several years back, I was rediscovering a love for hiking that I hadn't experienced since I was a kid. As I was learning and growing as a hiker, I heard about the Appalachian Trail (or AT for short) and thought hiking it one day sounded like something I might like to do. One of my best friends from high school, Amy, works for the Nature Conservancy so I mentioned it to her in hopes that maybe she might like to join me. She decided she did but that it would only be for a section hike and not the entire thing, and so the seed was planted for hiking the AT one day. We determined that we should do it when we turned 50, and that time was this year.
We settled on a week of backpack camping and AT hiking near Roanoke, Virginia. We flew in late in the evening/early in the morning and spend a day in town getting items we couldn't take on an airplane and making last-minute arrangements. Unfortunately, I came down with a horrible, long-lasting sickness on the morning of day three. This altered our plans quite a bit, still, I have some photos and memories of the two days we were active on the Trail plus a few days elsewhere. There's a lot of stuff to cover, so this post will be split up into two parts. So, here we go with part one!



We set up camp between Cove and Brush Mountain, near Trout Creek for our first two nights. After setting up camp on day one, we headed up Cove Mountain. We stopped here, at Pickle Branch shelter, for a quick break.



There's a lot of tree line along the top, but we still managed to find a rock outcropping with a view as soon as we reached the ridge.



The Trail is mainly surrounded by a relatively thick dense of tall trees. Not only beautiful but good for getting some shade. 



After a good 8 miles for me and 10 or so for Amy, we arrived back at base camp where we had some sketchy seating and a firepit to enjoy. We were soon joined by the gentleman on the left. He's a local that gives thru-hikers what is called "Trail Magic". Trail Magic is when locals like this meet thru-hikers and do wondrous things like feeding them, giving them rides to town, letting them stay at their homes, or, in the case of this trail magic, handing out cold cans of beer. See that green garbage can behind the woman on the right? Finding one of those on the trail in the forest is almost unheard of, but for another gentleman, that was his trail magic to hikers. He does come and retrieve it each evening so the bears won't get into it and destroy it.
After filtering some water and getting some dinner made, we were joined by this family of thru-hikers (they're the people you see in the photo besides trail magic guy) that consisted of Dad, Mom, four kids, and one dog named Muir. This wasn't their first thru-hike and they were cool to visit with. After their dinner break, they carried on to spend the night at Pickle Branch shelter.
Not long after they left, another thru-hiker, called Yardsale, come through. He stopped for the free beer from trail magic guy and ended up setting up camp with us for the evening. We stayed up late visiting, telling stories, drinking some strong hooch, and being entranced by the flames that emanated off the fire pit.



The next day, we set off in the opposite direction from the day before in order to climb Brush Mountain. It was as much elevation gain as Cove Mountain, but it happened over a shorter distance. While that might sound good, it just means the trail was steeper and, thus, harder. We took a food break at the top.



The nice thing about Brush Mountain in comparison to Cove Mountain is that there were more clearings in which we could get those ridgetop views. 



Difficulty be damned, it was sure a beautiful hike. Truth be told, Brush Mountain had better scenery than Cove Mountain.



The Trail Magic guys (I nicknamed them Beer Guy and Trash Dude) came by again for a longer visit the second night, along with another random guy who was playing some kind of drum for thru-hikers. He slept in the bed of his truck close by that night. I woke up that next morning with the stark realization that I was definitely moving quickly towards sickness.
We were already planning on moving to set up camp at a new location with different AT hiking opportunities. With my sickness, though, we decided to hole up at a motel for the day. We washed our clothes, showered, ate some fast food, and then I slept for a solid twelve hours driven by my illness. I woke up the next day feeling even worse so we stayed another night.
We decided that we better alter our plans to accommodate my illness, so we scoured a map of the area. We decided to rent a car and spend our last two nights camping at Peaks of Otter. 



On our way to the Peaks, we stopped at a scenic overlook that surveyed Porter Mountain. It was a gloriously beautiful day and, for a moment, I forgot about my sickness and never-ending cough.


That's it for part one. Stay tuned for part two!