Hiking Log – Snakes and umbrellas

Hiking Log – Snakes and umbrellas

This is part 33 of excerpts from the trail log which was located on a New York portion of the Appalachian trail. For the post which explains this series, click here.  You can read all the previous hiking posts by clicking here.

Each new edition includes a quote from a hiker, along with this writer’s insight into what the person might have meant. Your interpretation may be different!

Following is my selection of this week’s thoughts of a hiker(s).

9-28-18 ?

Snakes don’t use umbrellas. Nor do umbrellas use snakes. Bumpy letters are topographic words.

O-o-o-o-kay….. I will be the first to admit, I don’t have a clue where this hiker’s mind was when they wrote these words. Perhaps they just finished eating a drug-laced cookie? Maybe they had heat exhaustion? I don’t think there’s a real meaning behind these words but I’m going to address this entry anyway!

First, this entry is one of the only ones (or perhaps THE only one) that did not include a date. There was a week gap between entries so I don’t know exactly when this hiker arrived. That being said, based on my thoughts on the first sentence, I believe the date was probably September 28th because….

Snakes don’t use umbrellas. No, no they do not. That’s because snakes have no arms, and they are also not human. Duh. What was going on in this hiker’s mind? In trying to figure this out, I took this sentence literally. Why would this person be thinking of these things? And here’s my explanation. It was probably pouring rain. And somewhere along the path, this hiker saw a snake. His mind saw the snake was sopping wet and he probably wondered if snakes cared that they were wet. And then he conjured up a snake umbrella…. No?

Nor do umbrellas use snakes. This hiker was definitely stretching reality with this one. Umbrellas are inanimate objects that don’t actually DO anything. They can’t use anything. I’m really thinking drugs were used in the making of these words.

Bumpy letters are topographic words. Topography is the study of the shape and features of land surfaces. Let’s say topography was just the study of shapes and features. Then wouldn’t all letters be topographical? And all words? But in reality words are not topographic. I don’t think. I’m so confused.

As you can tell, this hiker’s words did not resonate with me. What about you? Do you have any idea what this hiker could have possibly been thinking about? If you ARE the hiker (there was no trail name either), what were you thinking? Inquiring minds want to know.

Until next time, happy trails!