4/23/08 24.2 miles Wapiti Shelter
Today’s’ hiking followed another series of patience-thinning ridges littered with jagged rocks and dismal views. But unusual surprises halfway through served to enlighten my mind. Descending the ridgeline we seemed to walk into spring—unfurled in all of its glory. The blooming trees and bushes were the most captivating part of the day. In addition to my sensual luxury we journeyed half a mile down the state road to Trent’s Grocery Store where I took the $4.50 fried chicken, mashed potato, macaroni and cheese special without hesitation. The last eight miles of the day wound through pine flats, spongy black dirt and dense wetlands, all a part of an ecosystem I have only just discovered. In addition to the evening’s benefits, I soaked my feet in the numbing water of Dismal Creek, and built a fire later. Pearisburg tomorrow!
4/22/08 14 miles Helvey’s Mill shelter
A day of Bland hiking and Bland town exploration concluded quietly and peacefully. I wrote a long letter home and have a chance to read—things that I have had regrettable little of in the timeless land of freedom. It is hard to remember tat there is utter lawlessness when surrounded by other competitive people.
4/21/08 19.1 miles Jenkins Shelter Bland, Virginia
Virginia is certainly not as easy as the popular conception. A 2,000 foot ascent to the Chestnut Ridge and eight miles of walking a jagged ridgeline were both challenging yet mundane. The Chestnurt Knob Shelter was gorgeous; unfortunately I moved on to stay here (Jenkins Shelter) and devour close to 5,000 calories. Tomorrow is the stop at Bland. I hope it is not entirely confined to its name.
4/20/08 18 miles Knot Maul Branch Shelter
After escaping the clutches of hotel living and childish thirty-year olds I returned to the sweet solace of the woods. Today’s terrain sloped over pasturelands and grassy hillsides—conducive to stopping, relaxing, and eating many Nutella-laden tortillas. Rabbit’s Foot and I changed places many times today being the only two on the trail and so relaxed by the landscape. I saw many bovine today. Virginia really is the territory of private lands and hungry cows. Tonight we cooked a whole bag of marshmallows, courtesy of Furniture.
4/18/08 30.6 miles Partnership Shelter Marion, Virginia
It seems an eternity has passed within the last two days. Time and space are intertwined, and I feel like I have crossed the plane of them both so rapidly. After reaching Trimpi Shelter, Furniture urged me on to another 10 miles to Partnership Shelter, a challenging test but an excellent medicine for sleep. This morning Furniture and I made a swift resupply in Marion, VA after the ease of quick hitchhikes. I planned to walk another 3 miles past my current location tonight, but violent thunderstorms forced me into a room with the Asa Dachi Clan who are surprisingly hospitable. I just have to drift with the wind.
4/17/08 18.9 miles Wise Shelter
I feel like I have already conquered the hardest stretch of Virginia; that I have already harpooned the biggest whale. Climbing Whitetop Mountain was an invigorating challenge, but Mt. Rogers, Virginia’s highest peak, was hardly memorable. I spent another day almost alone, and in sparse company when I wasn’t. The statistic says that half of thru-hikers are gone by Damascus, and I can easily see a thinning crowd. Furniture and I had the adventure of encountering wild ponies, a practically unbelievable episode.
I am unfortunately situated between two ends of the hiker spectrum—the full pacifying of Lady and the Tramp, a couple in their mid-fifties and the trite asinine thirty-year old crew, men who come to the woods to escape authority. Otherwise things are sweet on the AT.
New clever food technique… “fruit leathers”… dehydrated fruit and coconut puree, blended first, then dried. (From Steadyon, Texas)
4/16/08 15.8 miles Lost Mountain Shelter
It is difficult to capture life out here on the lines of a journal and it is easy to transform the simple joys into pompousness and pride in writing. Between the time I spent in Damascus and the campfire I enjoyed tonight, I learned that companionship really is the strongest force on the trail. I wish I could elaborate more in writing, but telling stories around a fire and a full moon are some of the greatest joys.
Lady and the Tramp stayed holed up in the shelter while the Asa Dachi crew-chief Daddy, Bill, Scooter, Hammerdown; Beavis and Dog, Major Miles, Captain Jack, Furniture, Free Hugs and I relived what it means to be young.
