It's All in the View

From Sarah:

Some people enjoy rain; others just get wet!
That's a smile behind that raindrop.

My softest fall to date happened in Vermont, after 5 weeks of hiking, and it illustrated one way I've changed by living outdoors for so long. Vermont is known for its mud, and, sure enough, my first day in that fabulous state I stumbled and fell - SPLOOSH! - right in the midle of a huge mud puddle. After standing there and laughing at me, Jay gallantly gave me a hand up so I didn't have to wallow about even more as I climbed out of the sticky mire. I had black mud from the waist down, covering my left side pretty thoroughly.


Since I couldn't really wash off in the puddle, I just fished my backpack out of the goo, put it on, and kept hiking, hoping I'd find a creek soon. In the hot sun the mud quickly dried and began flaking off, which seemed much easier to handle than washing in a creek. When we found a stream, I didn't bother trying to wash legs, hips, or arms; I just rinsed my hands.


About an hour later, we came upon three section-hikers: a woman, her grown daughter, and son-in-law, all eating lunch. We stopped to eat lunch with them and exchange views of th trail. They were sitting on a tarp, swathed in bug nets. We were squatting on the ground, oblivious to the flies and mosquitos orbiting our heads. Finally one of the women asked, "Don't the insects bother you?" "Not when they aren't biting," Jay replied. "I'm probably too dirty for them to get at," I joked, as I peeled more flakes of caked, black muck from my arm and legs.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet....
And mud by any other definition is still
just dirt that's been washed thoroughly.

I looked up at that moment and saw an expression of complete repugnance cross the woman's face. I realized then that my reality - dirt, bugs, no showers, filthy clothes - was her anathema. We were both hiking the trail, but in completely different worlds. It was all I could do not to laugh out loud at her expression. Almost made falling into the mud puddle worth it!