And we were off. 4:30 AM I jolted up, three hours of sleep gathered to my side. It was going to be a long day, no sense in making it longer for a few more minutes on the front end. I blared some music, got myself dressed, the car packed, and was out the door shortly after 5. Stilly seemed less enthused by my up-and-attem, but fortunately that was an issue for Elaine to deal with. I grabbed WaWa cold brews and headed to Audrey’s. Jolting her awake with a phone call, we were on the road in 20 minutes. I spent the interim staring at the moon as it faded into dawn.
We intended to stop at some healthy hippie cafe with gluten free options that seemed half decent, and more importantly, unlikely to kill Melanie or Stilly given their allergenic needs. Stilly, Elaine, and Melanie, however, were running behind and I suppose their hunger ran behind as well, opting to head straight to the REI outside of Harrisburg instead for last-minute supplies. Time on our side, Audrey and I deliberated on breakfast before our answer was given to us – a greasy diner, a shining castle in a sea of Pennsylvanian grey, summoned us and without deliberating we pulled a u-turn and loaded up on greasy, non-allergen friendly food. It was the right call, no hippy-dippy latte can match the raw power of diner black coffee from a pot twice my age.
We stopped by the Harrisburg REI – a callback to the original Trail By Error in the North Country. Nothing notable, some backpacking food, a hat for Audrey, and complaining about their Re/Supply pricing, and we were back on the road. Each time I do this drive it feels shorter. I could do it in my sleep and I practically did.
After taking another stop in Unadilla to say hi to some family of Elaine’s, we broke for lunch right outside of the Adirondacks in some quaint town with a forgettable name. The sort of town that’s only been able to retain so many old buildings because frankly nobody’s cared to bulldoze them. A living time machine, a different decade at every angle. Audrey took over driving duties then as we entered the last leg of the trip. We continued playing car games and as we got onto the lonesome winding mountain roads, we cracked open some cold ones, giggling like kids who smuggled an extra few pieces of candy into lunch.
Baby Blue hummed along for the home stretch, and we were overtaken by the beauty of the North Country. Through the trees, glacial lakes peeked below and ancient rocks forming youthful mountains poked above as the sun’s rays turned golden on our faces. I hope our smiles were able to chart the same course to the eyes of the sun. It must be lonely, emanating so much light for so little in return. Perhaps not. Just like the moon, all we can do is reflect the light around us.
The cabin was cute enough, but the location was damn near perfect. There’s no such thing as being close in the Adirondacks, you’re either there or you’re an hour away, but this was centrally located enough for our needs. After unpacking, we scoured the area for a secluded swimming hole, accidentally crashing a party in the process. We settled on smoking cigarettes on swingsets overlooking a lake, getting knee-deep into the water but no further as to not technically disobey the sign stating no swimming without a lifeguard. I stared as the sun faded into dusk.