Appalachian Trail
Michaux State Forest
Pennsylvania
May 2003
It is a 20-mile out and back hike on the Appalachian Trail, from Caledonia State Park on up to the new Birch Run shelters. It’s four of us: my current ex-wife, a friend, Tobu and myself.
When my current ex-wife and I were married, in honor of our noses, we adopted an anteater who lived in the San Francisco zoo. We also adopted a stuffed anteater who accompanied us on all our hikes. This is Tobu.
After a good, hard day of hiking, we are happy to arrive at our camp, and pleased to see the excellent condition of this newly built shelter. Great views, refreshing woods fragrance, handsome picnic table.
Also ants. Not so many that we go screaming into the woods, but more than we want.
Well look. They live here. When you go into someone’s home, you can expect that sometimes, they will also invite all their friends and relatives to visit. Ants have a lot of friends and relatives.
We make camp, we clean up, we talk a bit after dark and then we go to sleep.
When we wake in the morning, all the ants are gone. Tobu is smiling.