May 14, 1997 (Fayetteville, WV – Off Trail until 5-21)

I woke up this morning wondering how the heck I was going to get to Fayetteville, West Virginia today. I lay in a comfy bed this evening in Fayetteville thinking how funny it is sometimes when things just work out.

There is an outdoor gear shop in Blacksburg called Blue Ridge Outdoors. A few years ago, the owners moved to Fayetteville, WV and opened a Blue Ridge shop in there, too. Well it just so happened that one of the owners, Gene Kissler, was in Blacksburg today on his weekly loop to check on the shop. We connected and I rode with him back up to Fayetteville this afternoon.

Great to be back in the New River Gorge area and to be able to visit with everyone. Kayaking tomorrow for sure!

Aquaholic

May 14, 2009

Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.

–Cesare Pavese