[at-l] ocr felix and Lizzie

[Sly]

Felix could probably submit articles for the ALDHA Newsletter.  Is he a 
member?  Has he ever been to a Gathering? 

Sly

Richard Calkins wrote:
> I, for one, think we need to start a new AT magazine so we can return 
> to those stimulating days of yester-year with contributions from that 
> guy that hikes with his cat.  (He did say purr, didn't he?)
>  
> Longhaul
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> From: rockdancer97 at comcast.net
> To: at-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 11:11:15 -0500
> Subject: [at-l] ocr felix and Lizzie
>
>
> This morning I've been trying out an OCR thing that came with my 
> scanner. I thought it would be fun to do the test on an old ATN 
> magazine and I went to the "Ministry of Funny Walks" page from 
> May/June 2000. I thought some on the list might like a dose of Felix 
> this morning.
>  
> Here in the Boston suburbs we're having yet another snow storm. Prior 
> to this one we were already at 108% of the usual seasonal snowfall, 
> with the mid-winter date still approaching, making it likely that 
> we're in for a near-record year. The 5 foot banks of snow along the 
> streets say the same thing. --RockDancer
>  
> ***************************************************************************
>
> Lizzie
>
> Felix J. McGillicuddy
>
>  
>
> She had never heard of the Appalachian Trail, let alone hiked it. That 
> didn't stop Lizzie from taking to the footpath like a child to a swing 
> set. She set out on her first section-hike with her eyes wide open and 
> her ears pinned back. There was no stopping her.
>
>  
>
> "Hold on, Lizzie," I yelled. She looked back briefly, then continued 
> up the Trail. She paused idly to pick some bark from a tree trunk. 
> When she heard me getting close, she turned and ignored me. It was 
> obvious that she intended to stay in front of me this afternoon.
>
>  
>
> The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. We were making 
> pretty good time this way. Plus, I didn't have to be involved in one 
> of the countless one-sided conversations that had become a major part 
> of our relationship.
>
>  
>
> She hurried along in front of me, sometimes wandering several feet off 
> the Trail, and, as I followed, I couldn't help but notice how 
> beautiful she was. Every trailside noise caught her attention, and she 
> investigated it eagerly. As soon as she heard my footsteps, though, it 
> was back to the Trail and staying in front of me.
>
>  
>
> You see, I had angered Lizzie. Actually, I had angered her twice. 
> During lunch, before we had even hit the Trail, two things happened 
> that more or less ensured that I'd be watching Lizzie from a distance. 
> They may sound trivial now. But, at the time, to Lizzie, they were 
> pretty important.
>
>  
>
> First, while filling our water bottles, I had turned the spigot on too 
> suddenly. Water spurted out with such force that it knocked the bottle 
> from my hand and soaked Lizzie. Then, while eating, I didn't offer to 
> share my food, figuring she had enough of her own. For crimes as minor 
> as spraying a little water and not sharing a can of tuna, I was 
> condemned to an afternoon of hiking alone-an afternoon of being forced 
> to watch my sexy hiking partner from behind. She played the game 
> pretty well.
>
>  
>
> I knew, however, that, within a few tenths of a mile, we would be at 
> Pine Swamp Branch Shelter, one of the mousiest lean-tos along the A.T. 
> This, I figured, would be my chance to gain her favor again. This 
> would be where she would forget about tuna fish and remember me as the 
> guy who is always looking out for her. A true friend.
>
>  
>
> The only time she would let me near her was when her attention was 
> captured by a pileated woodpecker. I don't think she'd ever seen a 
> bird that large from so close. The woodpecker looked like a chicken 
> dancing on the side of a poplar tree. She was first startled by it, 
> and then by me. When she realized I was standing next to her she 
> flinched and hurried off again.
>
>  
>
> Her pace picked up once she saw the shelter. I stopped to watch her 
> enter the structure, making sure everything was okay. I could see her 
> looking our night's resting-place over with a keen eye. Every corner, 
> every cranny, was checked.
>
>  
>
> "How's it look?" I asked as I walked in.
>
>  
>
> She glowered at me and walked around the corner to the woods behind 
> the shelter. Clearly, she didn't feel like talking, so I got our 
> bedding ready for the night. I could hear her walking around in the 
> leaves. I wondered what she was looking for and if she'd find it. I 
> gathered firewood from the woods around the shelter. I would 
> occasionally see her walking around, looking under the bunks, or in 
> the cracks of the rocks, checking for mice or anything else. She 
> didn't know I was watching her, but she still made me smile.
>
>  
>
> As darkness settled in, so did paranoia. Every noise got a wide-eyed 
> look. She was still pacing around, silent as ever, as I lit the fire. 
> The flames turned the shelter walls orange, with warm light dancing 
> around.
>
>  
>
> She sat on the bottom bunk on the opposite side of the shelter. We 
> both watched the fire flicker and pop. I watched the reflection of the 
> flame in her eyes. She was so beautiful.
>
>  
>
> "Well, I'm going to bed," I said as I put the last of the wood on the 
> fire. I got into my sleeping bag and got comfortable. I lay and 
> considered her for a while. Her eyes moved back and forth like a kid 
> watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. She looked at every 
> movement, stared at every shadow, noticed every noise.
>
>  
>
> I was just dozing off when she got into bed. It seemed like it took 
> her forever to get situated. But, then, it always does. Finally, she 
> snuggled up against me. She started purring when I reached out and 
> scratched her head. She touched my lips with her paw.
>
>  
>
> I knew she couldn't stay mad.
>
>  
>
> /Felix J. McGillicuddy is a 1999 thru-hiker from the wilds of southern 
> Indiana. His columns appear here regularly, when he is not out hiking./
>
>  
>
> /Appalachian Trailway News/ May/June 2000 p. 31
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> at-l mailing list
> at-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/at-l

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://patsy.hack.net/pipermail/at-l/attachments/20090130/90af6295/attachment.html