I hopped into Rangely, ME planning for a resupply, shower, and a 4th of July celebration. What I didn’t plan on was meeting Steve and Katherine, owners of the off-grid Hiker Hut.
I could say I was especially worn out or in desperate need of a home feeling but that just wasn’t true. Really it was just that Katherine and Steve welcomed us with a cold beer, a warm shower, and loving zany hearts. Katherine made me a special vegetarian meal, Steve fished out a baseball cap so I could shade my burnt body, and both of them conversed with me as if we’d been family friends for years.
When it came time to leave the next morning, they called me over. Katherine put a necklace over my head and told me I’d really made an impression on them. Steve got real close and told me “good luck where ever your summit ends.” Their words have stuck with me and carried me through some difficult hiking days.
Folks would ask about my necklace on the trail, and I’d be given the opportunity to share with them the pleasant memories I had from the Hiker Hut and the kindred spirits I met there.
Hundreds of miles and months later I met a fellow hiker who asked me about my necklace with a knowing smile. The next day she told me that they’d given her the same token and had wished her well too. I haven’t seen another necklace like ours and I haven’t met another person like Cheeto. (More on her later because I could write a novel on everything Cheeto taught me).
For now, I’ve learned that human connections are what life is about and finding people that understand your soul is one of the most uplifting sensations I’ve ever known.