Day 78: Monday, June 10th, 2013
Zero Day at Bruce Dunlavy’s = 0 miles
Miles to date: 1,111
The Way
Sometime last night the skies opened up. They remained open for business all day, pummeling the already-saturated earth with more water than it could stomach. What else? It was also quite cold and everything was gift-wrapped in a thick mist. Bruce insisted we put our legs up and recuperate for the day. Naturally, there was nary a dispute from any one of us. We’d have needed our sea legs had we hiked today, or we’d have fallen seasick.
So, for nearly the whole day, we did jack squat. (The only squatting I did was atop the toilet--jack shit. I was grateful Bruce had the wherewithal to place the plunger within arm’s reach.(1) A true thru-hiker.) Eventually, just as we were about to drown in the doldrums, we watched a hiker-related movie called The Way, starring Martin Sheen.
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| The main characters in The Way |
Sheen plays Tom, an American ophthalmologist who travels to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to gather the leftovers of his adult son (played by Sheen’s son Emilio Estevez, who wrote and directed the flick). He’d been killed in a Pyrenean storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, aka: The Way of Saint James. Rather than return to his roots, Tom embarks on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey, spreading his ashes en route. It may sound like a complete snooze fest, but the entire performance was imbued with thoughtfulness and mirth and a great soundtrack. It would be the high point of this most unzestful, restful day.
Come bedtime Gator said it best. “It’s nice to lie down after a long day of sitting around.”
"Butt"note 1: God how I hate having to use a host's toilet, especially given the customary follow-up inquiry as to the whereabouts of their plunger. "SORRY TO YELL, BUT I SEEM TO BE HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE IN HERE…"
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