Sun May 11, 2014 @ 09:55

This is what happens when you wear the same wool shirt day in and day out with a backpack.

We stopped at Watauga Lake to have a swim and I had a keen sense of being "hiker trash", in the proud way hikers self-identify. We have no swimming suits, just shorts and sports bras. Our clothes are tattered. We stop for an hour and then continue on our journey as other families move in for the day with beach chairs, inflatables, blankets, and portable grills. We look with envy at their summer picnic food, the grilling meats and summer salads, a day at the beach. People spending a day outdoors, taking a break from their lives. We live outdoors and we too enjoy the hour at the beach as a break from our lives as hikers.