Day 63 - Harpers Creek to Rusty's

Some things I’ve been meaning to write about recently. Oh yeah, for the most part I’m glad the trail is what it is – ascents and descents and all. I may complain about the terrain, but if it wasn’t this hard then it wouldn’t be this rewarding. If I could pick my own trail, I’d probably make it relatively flat and do 20 miles every day. But then I wouldn’t get any of the views.

Also, worst sandwich concoction: cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter, tuna, and American cheese.

I hiked on my own Thursday morning. Knew the terrain was going to be tough, and I wanted to be able to go at my own pace. Was chugging along til I came upon a baby bird in the middle of the trail. It was so cute, just sitting there, so I took a picture:

Then I figured it must be hurt, and I got very sad. Didn’t know what to do. The mother was flying around, squawking, and the baby would make a peep every now and then. But the mother wouldn’t go over.

I finally figured out maybe I was in the way and stepped back. The mother did go over, then I saw the baby hopping away from the trail. I asked Murph and Stray if they saw the baby, and they didn’t, so I guess he was OK after all!

Oh, they renamed me Blur. It’s better than Pack-On, so I’ll try it out for a while.

Walked the 2 ½ miles off the trail to Rusty’s Hard Time Hollow. None of us really knew what to expect, except that his place is legendary on the trail. First we saw the signs along the side of the driveway. “Nothin’s free” and “If you’re not having fun, get the hell off the trail” stick in my mind. 

Then we came to a number of old-looking buildings with signs posted here, there, and everywhere. But no people. Kind of eery. Had heard about the driveway lined with crushed soda cans, but it’s not how I pictured it. The cans are everywhere, and it looks pretty messy.



There are chickens wandering about, rusty wheels, an old cluttered work bench, etc. Flies seem to really like it here. Inside the porch the walls are lined with photos of hikers.



A note on the chalkboard said they’d gone to town and to hang around til they got back. So we did. Kind of awkward at first, since we weren’t sure where we should and shouldn’t go. Rusty has no electricity or running water. This means no fridge (he keeps things floating in a cold spring in the barn), no TV, no shower, no toilet. But he does use propane lanterns and has a battery-operated radio. I guess he hates electronic devices and has been known to shoot them, so I was sure to put my Walkman away before stepping on the property.

It was a good three hours or so before Rusty showed up. He’s older than I expected, with a kind of wild beard. He had red candy residue smeared in the corners of his mouth, which gave him sort of a crazed clown look. But he’s very friendly and open and seemed glad to welcome us into his home. He’d just had an experience that upset him, he said, and started talking about a hiker who cheated him out of money. When he said Western Union, we all knew it was Ebb.



Rusty said for the first time in almost 20 years, he took a “Hard Time Hollow” T-shirt away from a hiker. Imagine that! Ebb has quite the scam going under that quiet, gentle, slow-talking exterior. I wonder if we’ll see him in Waynesboro or beyond. That would be interesting. Some people will be sure to give him a piece of their collective minds!



Rusty had tears in his eyes when he was talking about Ebb. People like that are causing him to consider closing his home to hikers. I guess he hasn’t been getting as much foot traffic in recent years, and donations are his only source of income. We threw our stuff in the bunkhouse (real mattresses, just don’t look too close).

Found out Rusty had an appointment in the morning and wouldn’t be able to make his famous pancake breakfast. But then he offered to make some for us at night. Perfect! He cooks on a humungous cast iron skillet. The pancakes were very big and very fluffy and very good. I guess the record is six. I had 2 ½. We couldn’t decide whether or not to hike the next day, but the forecast of rain was pushing us towards staying.

Then Rusty said he’d be able to take us to Waynesboro in the afternoon so we could do our errands. We wouldn’t have to hitch into town or pay for a motel room. Sounded pretty good, but I didn’t know if Murph and Stray would go for it. Stayed up til 11, waiting for Rusty to come home so we could discuss the next day’s plans. But he was late, so we went to bed. Warm and comfortable; slept well.