Noises and creaking wood awoke our hero. The sun had just fought its way back upon the horizon. It was still dark in his area of "The Place", but the sounds of others excited Cotton, so he shook off the grogginess and desire to return to peaceful slumber in favor of meeting those that were present.
If one were to come to a place like this, having never seen a hiker there are only a few ways to truly describe them...
Even in town the first thing that would cross your mind is that they are vagrants. Vagabonds, ruffians, bums. There would even be those that would toss in tree huggin' hippies into the mix. And, to be honest, in some cases that would be true, but that would only be for a small minority of hikers. Upon first glance, one would see unruly, matted hair, or the mangy beards, and even the unshaven legs of the female variety.
Now would be an appropriate time to quote the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover..."
Hikers are of many diverse backgrounds. They come in all shapes and sizes, all different backgrounds. You might see a hiker with the prepubescent patches of facial hair struggling to form a beard, sitting beside a weathered old man.
You may see someone who has left from underneath their parents' wing to embrace the freedom of their own choosing or you might see a retired CEO finally seeking to embrace the taste of youth that adventure brings.
The Appalachian Trail brings all different types of people from around the world together into one big family. This is most obvious when someone needs something.
To come from a place where people would just as soon shoot you the finger than acknowledge your existence to an atmosphere where everyone is in it together and is willing to at least try and go out of their way to lend a hand is an experience that makes such a venture worth more than its weight in gold...
But, playing the Devil's Advocate, we are all human, and there's always a bad apple in the batch.
But the trail has a way off weeding out these few, as most hikers can confirm that we all take care of our own...
