Trail Blazer Read online

  “Naomi,” Piggy said, her lips still forming a happy and empathetic smile. “You’re an amazing woman, too. You’re caring and kind, and you’re thoughtful and enthusiastic. I love being around you. I love working with you at the brewery, and hanging out together around Traverse City. Remember how much fun we had together at the Cherry Festival?” Nova laughed and looked away.

  “When I got that barbecue turkey leg that would not stop dripping grease all over my toes,” Nova recalled.

  “And that ancient guy let us get in his vintage woody station wagon at the car show,” Piggy continued. “And he wouldn’t stop trying to sell it to us.”

  “Mm hmm,” Nova said with a firm smile and nod.

  “Oh, I would kill for one of those turkey legs right now,” Piggy said. Nova burst out with a laugh.

  “Me too!” she said. “I could so eat one of those.”

  “What I’m trying to say is…” Piggy rebounded. “This…” she said, motioning between the two of them. “This is something. And whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable with that, I’m on board. I know it’s confusing and there may be some difficulty with your family and all that. But I really do love you, Naomi. You’re an amazing friend and you mean so much to me.”

  Nova was still smiling, her happiness apparent on her face. Leaning in, she wrapped her arms around Piggy and the girls hugged tightly. Enveloped in this embrace, wading there just off the bank of that beautiful lake in the middle of the Maine wilderness, surrounded by what felt like almost infinite nature, they both knew that this was right. This was exactly how it was supposed to be.

  “I love you, too, Gretchen,” Nova said. “Thank you for coming into my life.” Pulling back from the hug, Nova leaned in and kissed her friend, and Piggy joyfully returned the kiss. They hung on to one another’s arms as they dissolved into the kiss, the sky filled with pinks and purples while the dark orange, glowing sun descended behind them.

  After a comforting dinner of pasta with meat sauce, simmered to perfection on top of their camp stove, they moseyed over to where a few other hikers were camping and sat with them around a small fire. They all joked and laughed together, told stories of what their hike had been like so far, and how eager they were to finish it. Piggy and Nova hung on one another the entire time, holding each other’s hand, offering back and forth dialogue when it came time for them to replay their successes and failures, and made it be known to that new group of hikers that they were more than just two friends out on the trail.

  To Nova especially, it felt spectacular to be so open physically compared to how she knew she felt emotionally. Her confidence soared, and she was more involved and more vocal than ever. Without a doubt, this trip was changing her at a fundamental level. She knew that for certain. And it made her feel like she could finally be herself. Like there was nothing left to hide.

  When the girls ended up in the tent together later that night, they hugged and kissed tenderly until their tiredness got the better of them. It was easy to pass out in each other’s arms, and they both smiled warmly as they drifted off to sleep amid the din of crickets and bullfrogs sounding off back and forth in symphony outside their tent.

  The next morning, Nova woke up early. She watched Piggy sleep for a few minutes, seeing if she might wake up as well, but eventually Nova decided to quietly shimmy out of the tent and stretch out a bit. Her body was sore, her feet ached, and she knew there was another big mile day ahead of them.

  Outside of the tent, the sun was beginning to rise over the lake at the Antlers campsite. There were other tents pitched and a few hammocks slung between trees, but the area where Nova and Piggy had camped, out on a small peninsula, was left to them. The impending sunlight gave the horizon a nice soft orange glow, spreading out over the lake and in direct view of where Nova stood looking east. She smiled to herself, and the pain seemed to melt away.

  Nova wore a pair of tight spandex shorts and a sports bra, with her hiking sandals on her feet, and she decided to do the morning routine herself to surprise Piggy. It was usually Piggy’s job to lower the food bag and get the coffee going, but Nova was excited to do it herself on this beautiful early morning. Amid the haunting calls of a couple of loons that were occupying the lake, Nova took out the camp stove and she boiled a few cups of water. Once the water was ready, she poured her small stainless steel mug full of hot water, and added to it a thin packet of instant coffee. She stirred it, and then she sipped. The coffee warmed her on this cool morning.

  Others around the campsite were getting moving as well. One group had already packed their things and were preparing to start their hiking day. Nova recognized some of these people strewn about. They’d met on the trail, crossed paths, chatted for a bit. Sometimes you would hike past a group, and then you’d stop down the line and they’d overtake you later. There were a lot of great people out here, people with interesting stories and welcoming faces. Nova did wish she had seen the Brits again. Her experience with them was definitely a high point. But most people they had encountered were kind and happy and eager to talk.

  Sipping her coffee as she watched the sun rise further up the sky, Nova recalled the previous night and remembered her conversation with Piggy. Or was it with Gretchen? It was with both. They were one in the same, of course. She wondered how things would go from here now that it was all out in the open. In a way, she felt more free than she ever had. But it was still a little scary to be that honest. It had been hard for Nova, harder than it should have been. It made her feel naive—or somehow behind—to just now be coming out at her age.

  What might have happened, though, if Piggy never came along? Would Nova still be hiding from herself? Would she even be Nova at all?

  Nova felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. And watching the sun rise on this new day made it all the better. She was a very fortunate woman, even if she was a little behind in her life. This trip was, in a way, making up for a lot of lost time. Her first time leaving Michigan. Her first time on an airplane. Her first big hike. And admitting out loud to the world that she was gay, even if it only was to an audience of one. That audience was the most important audience, Nova felt. She was sure the rest would fall into place. She hoped so, anyway.

  Piggy soon began stirring in the tent, and Nova watched with a smile as her friend crawled out and wiped at her eyes. Lifting herself up off the ground with a groggy smile, Piggy approached Nova dressed in a tank and shorts, barefoot, her blonde hair back in a messy bun.

  “The water is still plenty hot,” Nova said, still smiling. Piggy approached her, leaned in, and offered her a good morning kiss. This gesture filled Nova’s heart with joy.

  “Nice,” Piggy replied. She took the pot of water and filled her own mug, and then added the instant coffee just as Nova had earlier.

  “The sun rise is beautiful this morning,” mused Nova, her eyes looking from the horizon and back to Piggy, who was now taking her first sip of coffee.

  “It is,” agreed Piggy after her drink. “What time is it?”

  “Almost six, I think,” Nova replied. “I’ve been up for about a half hour or so.”

  “My feet hurt,” said Piggy, looking down at her bare feet. “We should soak our feet in the lake before we head out today.”

  “Good idea,” agreed Nova.

  “Are you hungry at all?”

  “Not yet,” said Nova. “My feeding clock is all out of whack.”

  “I know,” said Piggy. “Our timing seems different every day. And last night’s dinner was pretty filling.”

  “I’m feeling good, though,” admitted Nova. “Even though I’m in a bit of pain, I feel like I’ve got a lot of energy.”

  “Think you can do eighteen miles today?” Piggy asked with a sly grin.

  “Definitely,” said Nova. “I feel like I can do anything.”

  “That’s the spirit,” said Piggy happily. “I like to hear that.”

  “What about you?”

  “I can do eighteen,” Piggy confi
rmed with confidence. “Absolutely. We’re in the home stretch. We are almost done hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness. It’s been a dream of mine forever.”

  Nova just smiled and took a drink of coffee.

  “You know,” Piggy continued. “I’m really proud of you.”

  “Yeah?” Nova said with a new light in her eyes.

  “Yeah,” said Piggy. “For you to even come out here and do this hike, that took a lot of guts. I’ve at least done a few shorter in-and-out hikes and camping, gone for a few days at a time, so I had some idea of what to expect. But you’ve never really done anything like this.”

  “No, I haven’t,” said Nova.

  “And you’re doing great,” Piggy conferred. “You’re pushing through, no injuries, limited whining.” She winked and Nova laughed.

  “I’ve tried to keep my whining to a minimum,” Nova teased.

  “You have,” said Piggy smiling. “But even greater than all that, even bigger than you taking on such a tough hike, you did one of the toughest things of all. Last night. You really expressed yourself, and I know that was really hard for you. But I’m here, by your side, and you don’t have to do this alone.” Reaching out, Piggy took Nova’s hand and squeezed it affectionately.

  “I’m so happy for that,” said Nova, squeezing back. “I’m going to need your support and confidence once we get back home. I worry a little bit that I’ll have a harder time back there.”

  “I know,” Piggy said tenderly. “And I’ll be there for you.”

  The girls kissed once again, slowly and delicately. Being together, it just felt right. Nova knew that it was Piggy she wanted to be with, and she was so relieved that she could finally admit that to herself.

  Piggy and Nova spent the morning lazily preparing for their day. They had another cup of coffee, split a piece of salami and ate some trail mix, hit the privies at the campsite, and then began collapsing their camp and getting ready to leave. Once they were all packed up, they spent some time sitting on rocks near the lake, soaking their sore feet, and talking about the plan for the day’s hike. It would take them by Pemadumcook Lake, along Nahmakanta Stream, and to Nahmakanta Lake. Further still, they would make an ascent up Nesuntabunt Mountain, though it wouldn’t be too steep, Piggy confirmed. Finally, they would end at Crescent Pond if all went well. By Piggy’s calculations, those eighteen miles should take them nine hours.

  By the time they had their packs hoisted up on their backs, the girls were lively and excited, feeling chatty and enthusiastic for the day. Their feet were dry, socks and shoes secure, and they left no trace that they had camped in the spot they did. Nearing nine in the morning now, they were some of the last hikers to leave the campsite and hit the trail. But they were happy to have had a leisurely morning together. It filled them with energy and joy, and as they began their hike out, they held hands tightly and left the campsite as one.

  Even though this trip was in honor of Piggy’s thirtieth birthday, her own ascent into a new decade of life, Nova felt like she was the one who was gaining the most from the experience. In fact, she felt like a new woman. She felt the change was powerful and important. Being out in the deep wilderness was so freeing, and the freedom she now felt was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It was transcendent.

  Upon stopping to take in the views atop Nesuntabunt Mountain, including a very nice view of a much closer Katahdin on the horizon, Piggy and Nova noticed another hiker approaching from behind. They turned to address him with smiles and hellos, and as he walked closer he stopped and greeted them as well. He was a lithe man, of an indeterminate age—he looked young, but he very well could have been in his forties. He wore a lightweight linen pullover shirt in a natural ecru color, and bright red and very short running shorts. On his head was a wide-brimmed straw hat, and black plastic sunglasses.

  But the most interesting thing that the girls noticed upon seeing him was that his backpack was much smaller than theirs, perhaps even half the capacity.

  “Guru,” he said humbly, as he shook their hands and they exchanged names. “I know it sounds pretentious, but I didn’t choose it.” Piggy and Nova laughed.

  “What is the deal with this pack you’ve got on?” Piggy asked. “How could you possibly carry everything you need in there?”

  “Oh, I’m doing this trail in two days,” Guru declared simply. When they heard this, both girls exclaimed.

  “What!” Nova said. “You couldn’t possibly…”

  “Yeah, it’s just practice for a race I’m running next month in Colorado,” said Guru. “I’m an ultramarathon runner.”

  “You’re kidding,” mused Piggy. “Two days?”

  “Two days,” Guru confirmed. “I’m not stopping in the night to sleep, just pushing through. I’ll probably finish around midnight tonight, or earlier if I don’t stop to talk to people.” He grinned.

  “Well, we’re heading down to Crescent Pond to stop at the campsite there,” said Nova. “Do you want to walk with us for a bit?”

  “Sure,” he said. “I could use the company.”

  Piggy and Nova picked their packs up and put them on, and now with a third member of their party, they began the descent down the mountain and toward camp.

  “The race I’m doing is called Run Rabbit Run,” Guru said as the three of them walked together. “It’s a hundred miles through Routt National Forest in northern Colorado. The elevations are much steeper out there. I’m looking at around twenty-one thousand feet of total climbing in that one.”

  “That sounds absolutely insane,” barked Nova. “What kind of time do you expect?”

  “Oh, I really don’t know,” Guru replied. “Better than the two days I’m doing here. This has ended up as more of a leisurely pace because you encounter so many people who want to chat, and it’s hard for me to say no to that kind of friendliness. People won’t be chatting during the race.”

  “What’s a good time for an ultramarathon?” asked Piggy.

  “For that particular race,” said Guru. “About eighteen hours.” Again, the girls were blown away. “But I don’t expect that kind of time. I’m relatively new to ultramarathoning. I’m hoping more like thirty hours. But we’ll see.”

  “Okay, so I’ve got to know,” said Nova. “How did you get the name Guru and does it relate to this ultramarathon running?”

  “Sort of,” admitted Guru. “It comes more from the one-eighty I did in life. Some of my extreme sports friends started calling me that after they learned my history.”

  “And that history is… ?” Piggy prodded with an eager smile. Guru smiled back.

  “Well, in my previous life I was a pretty sedentary guy,” he began. “I worked in software sales in Boston. Ended up out of shape, tired all the time, just working this job because it paid well and cost of living in Boston was high. I got fed up with all that, but I didn’t know of a way out. I tried to talk to my wife about it, but she just kept pushing me to stay at my job, stay on the treadmill, all that.”

  The girls listened intently to Guru’s story, their eyes only moving from his face occasionally to scan the trail in front of them for any obstacles that might be coming.

  “At the time, I had a hard time admitting to it,” Guru went on. “But I was feeling suicidal. And I read somewhere that any time you feel like that, it’s your body telling you that you need a change. My wife thought I needed pills. Fast forward a bit and I found running, then ultra-running, mixed with a massive amount of downsizing in my life. First I started getting rid of most things that I owned, then the job, and soon after that my wife left me because she thought I’d gone bananas.”

  “Sounds like a catch,” Nova grumbled, giving Guru a laugh.

  “She has her own flaws she’s working through,” he said. “I don’t fault her for it. We became incompatible. I was no longer the man she thought she had married. But through all of this… through this shedding of my old skin, I’ve begun to find my place. Currently I live out of a Class C RV and travel all over
for running. It’s been a tremendous blessing.”

  “Wow,” said Piggy. “That’s some story. You’re feeling good, though?”

  “I’m feeling great,” said Guru. “Never better. I feel like I’m finding myself out here, really and truly. That old life wasn’t me and it didn’t make me happy. This is where I’m supposed to be.”

  “I can’t believe you fit everything into a small RV,” said Nova. “You really live out of it? You don’t have an apartment somewhere? Or a storage unit?”

  “Nope,” Guru confirmed. “No apartment, no storage unit. Everything I own is in that RV, and truthfully… it’s very little. I’ve got my clothing and gear, and a small laptop, and…” he paused in his words as he thought about his possessions for a moment.

  “That’s it?” asked Nova.

  “I’m trying to think,” said Guru. “I mean, there’s a few kitchen items in there. But it’s really just clothing and my computer. I guess I constructed my life so that if I go back to where I parked my RV after this hike, and the RV has been stolen, I won’t really miss much.”

  “Damn,” said Nova. She slowly nodded her head as she let it sink in.

  “That’s why they call me Guru, I guess,” he said. “I kind of live this minimalist, almost ascetic lifestyle. And ever since I escaped that dark time in my life, I’ve felt pretty consistently happy.”

  “I think that’s awesome,” said Piggy. “It seems like you’ve got some stuff really figured out.”

  “I think I do,” Guru conferred. “At least, for me. Your mileage may vary, of course. I don’t advise everyone just chuck it all and start running ultramarathons.”