First Day
18 mi & 2,800ft. I did get to Fayetteville, AR at 10:30 PM and Ubered to my motel, where they did have the gas canisters I mailed to myself. I finally got to bed...
Monthly Archive: March 2024
Arkansas
The pilot did not look happy as he exited the jetway. His short conversation with the gate agents ended with frowning and some shaking of heads. Then one of the agents picked up the...
One Week To Go
I had a copy of the regulations in one hand as I approached the counter. The small package in my other hand had the proper DOT Hazardous Material sticker on it. I had even...
Leaving The Mortal Coil
My dad was a doctor. He used to tell a story about an elderly Native American man he took care of in the hospital. Dad referred to him, with some affection, as Chief, and...
This and That
I was on the PCT somewhere in Northern California and 3 months and 1,800 miles into my journey when I walked out of the forest and into a small meadow. Sitting on an Ottoman...
Bumbershoots
The bumbershoot, paraplule, gamp, Robinson, paraneige, brolly, parasol, or umbrella, as it is sometimes known, has been shielding humans from the elements for over 4,000 years, probably longer. Almost every culture throughout history has...
2 responses to “Bumbershoots”
Love the research you do for your blog! Danny D would be most proud to be accurately quoted in your writing. Hiking umbrella is just brilliant with sun and rain applications. As day hikers, we go not when it is raining. Oh, light rain maybe but then my Jimmy Fund Walk hat serves me well just fine.
Thanks Dan. The Defoe quote was perfect and I stumbled upon it by accident. It is better to be lucky than good, as they say.
When training for my first thru- hike, the PCT, I was debating as to whether I should take my umbrella on the journey. I went out to a local park one Saturday morning. The forecast was for rain and a mile into my hike the skies opened up. Since I was training with my pack, I had my umbrella with me, so I deployed it. A short time later I was coming down the trail and I saw a group of 6 hikers coming up the path. They were all wearing rain parkas, but it was raining so hard that their rain gear wasn’t doing much good. Rain was pouring off their hoods onto their face, their pants and shoes were soaked, and they looked wretched. They stopped as I went by them and the leader, seeing my brolly, glumly said, “We need one of those.” I have rarely seen a more miserable group. Six pairs of envious eyes followed me as I moved down the trail and I decided right then and there that my umbrella was going with me on the PCT. That turned out to be one of the best decisions I made.