Day 28 - Tuesday, September 30, 2014

I was awake, it seemed, most of the night.  I was awoken by the sound of soft footsteps across our campsite.  It wasn't Dean nor Pauline.  I listened carefully. It started to rain softly or was it the just the sound of the leaves falling like the previous night's? The sound intensified and I was sure it was raining though there had been no forecast of rain.

On the 21st, I was washing my hands in the washroom of a community centre.  I noticed the white band on my ring finger: it was untanned.  It was followed immediately by a panicky feeling: where was my ring?! Then I recalled that I had moved it to my right hand the day before.

The ring had been getting looser & looser for days until it had fallen off my finger.  Luckily, I had heard it fall.  I didn't want to lose the ring so I'd moved it to the other hand where it fit well.

Both myself and Pauline had been noticing that our pants were floating around our waists.  Good thing I remembered to bring a belt along.  Even that was at the hole that tightened the belt most and could have used an additional hole had it been possible.

Anyway, a day off came along, and time at a B&B. That's when we went to a restaurant for supper instead of preparing something at our campsite.  It hadn't been as hot when we walked and so my waist has expanded again.

During my wakefulness last night, I noticed the ring finger of my right hand was swollen and that I couldn't get my ring over my knuckle. So, this morning, I washed my hands under cold water.  I was able to slip the ring off and return it to my left hand.

My ancestress, Abigail Nims was adopted by an indian chief of the bear clan.  She was given the name of T'atog'ach . It either means "elle désenfle" (she deflates/unswells) or "elle porte de l'eau" (she carries water.) Now I have a better idea what it means.  It might not mean that her task was to carry water but that her body retained water!

Today we crossed the state line into Massachusetts, Abigail's home state.  Tomorrow we will walk into historic Deerfield. (photo finally added Dec. 30, 2014)

With Abigail on my mind as we returned to our campsite for supper, I grabbed our metal pots, took them to the spigot, filled them and carried the water back.

The captives when they reached the mountains were given "Indian shoes" (moccasins) to wear to make walking easier and more comfortable.

Were it so that a little girl from 310 years ago had walked in mocasined feet next to the space where I lay.

Addition October 20, 2014:

The night before we arrive to our destination, we are still camping at Molly Stark State Park (I like running this name through my mind.)  We are making the most of our time there, extending the day by having a campfire and a Coleman lamp.  I retire after Dean and Pauline, after some reading, looking at the fire, stretching and meditating on my own. Tomorrow is my birthday!

More photos to come.