Excerpts from Worlds End, part 1

2005-09-26 - 11:51 a.m.

September 19. Day 1 of a solo getaway for a bit of peace & quiet -- time well needed to get my head together as well as to reorient myself now that I've finished school. Yet another consequence of not having 4 years of full-time school: no chance to take a year off to "find myself." Instead I have to try to locate myself in fits and starts. Since I only get a few days at a time, perhaps that's why I seem to lose myself again so frequently. At this schedule it takes regular checkups to keep me on the map.

Got up early to pack up, finish some last-minute chores and hit the chiropractor for a fast adjustment before heading off to Worlds End. Oops #1: thinking the directions said 2.5 hours. When I got in the car to leave I realized they said 3.5 hours. Oh well. At least I wasn't pushing daylight. At mile 44 I spotted a billboard featuring plumber's crack. Proud to be in Pennsylvania, yes I am. It's quite clear I am a city girl -- it took me way too long to figure out why all the township signs near Worlds End say "permit required." I puzzled over what permit they required and why for several townships before I realized they meant hunting permits. Hunting's really not something I'm used to being around.

Arrived at the cabin before four. Settled in and discovered they have a cabin logbook. Like a little paper diaryland to share with later visitors. :) Picked up some good tips from there. Made my way to the general store to pick up some firewood...cute little place that's a general store and restaurant. The real meeting place for all the locals.

Lit my first campfire tonight. Not exactly a roaring success, but it could have been worse. Got ambitious and decided to heat up a can of lentil-vegetable soup on top of the grate over the firepit. It seems the theory of indirect heat isn't quite the same on wood fires as it is with charcoal. Ages later that soup was still cold. I made an ill-fated attempt to transfer the can into the embers using a pair of tongs. Half the soup dumped into the fire. In case it's not obvious, lentil soup doesn't much help along an already weak blaze. Still, the can-in-the-embers method was a success and the remaining half was bubbling away in no time. Ate dinner by the fire and did much ember-gazing before turning in for the night.

More adventures to follow...

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