May 11, 1997 (Day 53 – milepoint 601.9 – Woodshole Hostel)

Slept in a field next to an Amish horse farm last night…you don’t do that every day.

A little shop on the road near the trail called Trent’s Grocery has a payphone so I was able to call Mom and wish her Happy Mother’s Day. Everyday should be Mother’s Day!

I felt a little fatigued today and probably should have slept a little longer this morning, but when the sun comes up and the birds start singing, I get anxious for the day.

It turned out to be one of my better days anyway, although they’re all good. Clear, blue skies, and about 70 degrees made lying in the sun a real pleasure. In just over 13 miles, I took three naps. First nap at the base of Dismal Falls (of Dismal Creek) on a warm, flat rock. A nice deep pool at the base of the falls made it tempting to go for a swim, but the water was ice cold so I just soaked my feet. Second nap in a soft, green grassy area next to a pond. Third nap on a rock overlooking a beautiful valley. The hiking after a nap is more peaceful than normal. I feel very quiet and more connected with myself. I would like to think that more napful days are ahead.

I also discovered today that Sunday is the best day to listen to National Public Radio. Prairie Home Companion (Minnesota) followed by Mountain Stage (West Virginia) followed by two hours of Keltic music. Outstanding entertainment.

I am now at Woodshole Hostel, an old 100 acre farm owned by Tillie Wood (70′s or possibly even 80) since 1940. Payment for staying here is to add a rock to the rock-wall bordering the property. I found a monster in the woods and made my proud contribution. Helping Tillie here are volunteers Juanita and High Pocket. They are all wonderfully young 70-somethings.

Joined again tonight by Easy Chair, Fruitcake, Red Top, Breeze, and Bulldog. I will be leaving the trail tomorrow for about a week to visit friends in Blacksburg, VA, then West Virginia, and then to Indiana for baby-sister Jamie’s college graduation. I’ve enjoyed the company of these folks and hope they all fare well as they travel north. Even after three naps today, my eyelids grow heavy as the sun falls over the horizon.

Aquaholic

May 11, 2009

Set aside a half hour every day to do all of your worrying, then take a 30-minute nap during that time.

May 10, 1997 (Day 52 – milepoint 588.7 – VA606)

Tough hitch out of town this morning. Easy Chair and I walked 3 of the 4 miles back to the trail before getting a ride from a nice lady named Dottie.

Temps in the mid-40′s today, very reasonable for hiking. Stopped for lunch at a shelter where we found Papa and Pejjy relaxing for the day. Pejjy was a riot today. She called Easy Chair “Romeo” and commented on my eyes, “the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen,” she said. I brought it to her attention that my eyes are hazel with no blue in them and she just changed the subject to why she likes dogs and cats.

As I walked today, I practiced and enjoyed being in the present moment and just stayed open to whatever came up. Capital punishment came up for some reason. Life is full of lessons, is death a lesson to the dead? Or just something we all have in common? I guess it’s sometimes easier to just erase a problem and move on.

So many thoughts each day. Which ones do you express to others? All of them? Or just the ones that won’t make people think you’re a lunatic?

Aquaholic

May 10, 2009

Your past is important but it is not nearly as important to your present as the way you see your future.

–Tony Campolo

May 9, 1997 (Day 51 – milepoint 570.5 – Bland, VA)

Nice weather and mild terrain in the AM that became cold and rainy by noon. Easy Chair and I made it to the road together and found cover in front of a church. That’s when I put my rain coat on. Why I didn’t wear it while I was IN the rain, is beyond me.

We both needed to get to the Bland, VA post office to get our mail and resupply packages. Before we even made the attempt to hitch a ride, a woman walked out of the building across the street and offered to take us in her bus. The building and the bus belong to the Bland County Senior Citizens Association and we loaded onto the bus with 10 seniors, all in their 80′s and 90′s. Red Top and Fruitcake showed up just before we pulled away and they hopped in as well. The windows fogged up immediately and for the next ten minutes, the whole world shrunk and became the inside of that bus.

At the front of the bus, a 96-year-old woman talked the ears off of Easy Chair (22) and Red Top (64), rendering them both speechless. She had their complete attention and they were in a constant fit of laughter for the entire ride. Conversation in the back of the bus, where Fruitcake (24) and I (26) sat, was random and confusing, but it was fun and very entertaining.

They dropped us off at a Dairy Queen/Shell station just off a major exit from Interstate 77. We got a few weird looks from some highway travelers as I’m sure we appeared a little out of place, but I thought it was ironic how we were all there for the same reasons: fuel and ice cream. My fuel tasted better, though.

Still cold and very wet, we all pitched in and got a room at a cheap motel. Being only about an hour from the New River Gorge where I used to live and work, I had given a heads up to a couple of friends, Kathy and Brenda, that I would be here. To my pleasant surprise, they made the trip down and joined us for dinner at the Log Cabin Restaurant. Kathy brought cookies and other assorted goodies, and Brenda played her guitar and sang some of her original tunes that I love so much. And if that wasn’t enough, I got a foot and back massage.

We were up so late catching up on our lives that space was made and Kathy and Brenda are here for the slumber party. Times like this make me think that I suffered severely in a past life and the karma is coming back my way.

Aquaholic

May 9, 2009

The world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it. –Helen Keller

May 8, 1997 (Day 50 – milepoint 558.4 – Jenkins Shelter)

A.M. – I’m enjoying a short break after a 2000 foot climb this morning up to an unexpected, open bald on Chestnut Ridge. Breeze, Red Top, and I have been discussing this view and how we wish we could do it justice through pictures or verbal description.

Late season on Chestnut Ridge

There have been so many unique views that I never imagined would be part of this journey. Breeze talks of the Grand Canyon in a similar way, how it can’t be truly appreciated unless you’re there to see it yourself. He is so right.

P.M. – We arrived at Chestnut Knob Shelter and enjoyed another great view, overlooking an area called Burkes Garden. A large depression (maybe 8-10 square miles) looking a lot like a giant crater. An incredibly unique place. Locals call it “God’s Thumbprint’. Pretty much all farmland, no central town area as far as I can tell. It looks like a very peaceful place to live.

Aerial View of Burkes Garden

Continued on in a cold rain to Jenkins Shelter (mile 558) for the night. Grandma and Hardcore were there and conversation soon turned to the “incident” at The Place Hostel in Damascus. I did not participate in the discussion because I am no longer bothered by the whole deal, but from listening it is quite obvious that it was, and still is, a great big difference in perspective, and very much a generational disconnect.

I concentrated all my energy on a very pleasant couple, Papa and Pejjy, both I think in their mid-70′s. Thru-hiking in sections for many years now, Pejjy finished last year and has joined Papa for his final section to Pearisburg, where they should be in about 4 days. The three of us talked cheerfully for a few hours about our travels until Grandma (56) reminded us it was 9:00, she was tired, and that we should turn in as well…

Aquaholic

March 8, 2009

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.  It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. –E.F. Schumacker

May 7, 1997 (Day 49 – milepoint 543. 1 – Lick Creek)

At sunrise, a whippoorwill landed on the picnic table just outside the shelter and sang her song. LOUD and relentlessly. She finally flew away when Bulldog threw a shoe in her general direction, but then returned five minutes later to wake us again. I wondered if this happens every morning at this shelter.

If your alarm clock does a poor job waking you up, get a pet whippoorwill! Woodpeckers and owls are good too, I’ve found.

I hiked today with Easy Chair, Fruitcake, Breeze, Red Top, and Bulldog. Great group of folks. We had lunch on a hill overlooking some beautiful farmland. My favorite color today is green (replacing my usual favorite, clear). Many sharply distinct shades of green across the grassy fields and the trees are filling with leaves. Mmm, and the smell of honeysuckle.

Saw lots of cows today and we had a funny debate at lunch about the quality of a cow’s life. I myself have mixed feelings about the prospect of being a cow. On one hand, it seems a bit boring. Not much physical activity or social life. A pretty limited vocabulary and a definite limit on your choice of food. Cows are female so I’m not sure how I would deal with that. What about a love life? Bulls don’t seem to be much on conversation and they have such short tempers.

On the other hand, there is value in simplicity. Lunch time is ALL THE TIME! That’s appealing. When you “gotta-go” there’s no digging holes or searching for a toilet, you just go. And just about anything that happens that doesn’t involve eating or going would be extraordinary and would therefore be interesting and entertaining.

Do cows hold answers to the universe that we lesser humans cannot comprehend?

Not likely. But life is still uncertain.

Aquaholic

May 7, 2009

Simplicity is the nature of great souls.

May 6, 1997 (Day 48 – milepoint 528.4 – Davis Path Shelter)

I was ready to head out early this morning but decided to hang until they opened the visitor center so I could have a look inside. Caught a short film, read about some history, danced with a stuffed black bear, then got to walking late morning.

Made it into the town of Atkins, VA in mid-afternoon and went straight for the Dairy Queen for my first fast food in seven weeks. Didn’t purposely avoid fast food, just haven’t been drawn to it.

Relaxed outside for a bit to the surprisingly enjoyable sounds of trucks and cars on Interstate 81. Then headed about 3 miles out of town to this shelter. Took a nap as soon as I arrived. Just finished reading The Giver by Lois Lowery. Bulldog and Easy Chair just showed up. I’ve fashioned four post cards out of a Pop-Tart box. I think it just might work. Imagine, recycling your trash through the U.S. Postal Service…

Aquaholic

May 6, 2009

Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away.

–Antoine De Saint-Exupery, author of Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)

May 5, 1997 (Day 47 – milepoint 514.0 – Mt. Rogers NRA Headquarters)

Beautiful day for hiking. Well, every day is, but this one was sunny-blue and about 65 degrees. The perfect weather day.

Nothing major to speak of. Mild terrain made for comfortable walking. Had a long lunch break with a short nap next to a trout stream. Right now, I’m on the porch of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area Visitor Center with Breeze, Fruitcake, Bulldog, Easy Chair and Red Top. We got permission from the visitor center staff to crash here for the night.

We found a flyer next to the payphone advertising pizza delivery and subsequently ordered 6 large pizzas. Red Top expressed concern that it wouldn’t be enough. We all agreed we could probably eat more but decided one large each would be fine and should keep everyone in good spirits.

Aquaholic

May 5, 2009

One does not accumulate but eliminate.

It is not daily increase but daily decrease.

The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.

–Bruce Lee

May 4, 1997 (Day 46 – milepoint 497.3 – Hurricane Campground)

The ground was covered with snow this morning and I was freezing! A little slow getting started (I didn’t get out of my sleeping bag for a long time and didn’t warm up until I got up on my feet and started hiking.

30-degree temperature and snow continued through most of the day, which didn’t allow for too many views in what is supposed to be one of the more beautiful areas in Southern Appalachia. Saw a bunch of wild ponies though, two of which I think were expecting snacks, as they followed right on my heels for almost 100 yards down the trail. Loblolly carried a pound of carrots with him from Damascus. I regret that I lacked that foresight.

I’ve decided not to go to the Trail Days festival in two weeks. Sister Jamie’s graduation is much higher on the priority list. So now I have to figure out how to get to Indiana in mid-May.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about what I’m going to do when I finish this hike. I don’t feel like this is some kind of last hoorah, or that I’ll feel the need to settle down soon. I know what makes me happy and I know that it is important to have a certain amount of resources to be able to do the things I want to do. The challenge will be to find balance. A few ideas, things I would like to do within the next 10 or so years: Thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (Mexico-Canada); Canoe/kayak the Yukon River (Canada/Alaska); Cross-country bike ride (Maine-Key West-San Diego-Alaska); Europe; Walk/ride around the world?

Aquaholic

May 3, 1997 (Day 45 – milepoint 478.3 – Thomas Knob Shelter)

Entered the Mount Rogers National Wilderness Area today. Cool and windy. Here at Thomas Knob Shelter with Papa Smurf and Flower, Easy Chair, Moosette, Boomer (Moosette’s dog), and Backrest. Not much to say except that it is good to be out here far from town again.

May 3, 2009

Hey Aquaholic,

This journal to you has been helpful, but doing it everyday, especially when I am suffering, is not helping me as much as I thought it would. My daily entries have at times become an unnecessary load. I don’t think it is helping you either. In fact, I know you’re frustrated as hell that I’ve not made more progress in pulling my head out of the clutter.

My journey is quite different than yours. There is more at stake and I just need to be careful about where I focus my attention and what I say.

I’m going to just enjoy your thru-hike on the AT. That alone is great therapy for me. You’ll continue to hear from me, but less often. I won’t try to keep up with your daily entries. When I have something meaningful to share, I will share it.

O’

May 2,1997 (Day 44 – milepoint 468.4 – VA301; overnight in Damascus )

I was awakened this morning at around 5 AM by Grandma and Hardcore who were loudly stomping around the hostel, banging pots, yelling, and turning lights on. Apparently, they were upset that some people stayed up past ten o’clock last night, keeping them awake. I tried to feel sympathetic, but honestly, it pissed me off.

It was a weird and surprising way for two intelligent 50 year old women to be acting. I heard that after I went to bed last night, Chopstick (18 from upstate NY) had the phone yanked from his hands by Grandma, who proceeded to tell his father how inconsiderate Chopstick was being talking on the phone at such a late hour. I think someone should have handed her a mirror and sent her outside.

The Place is very open by design, asking for a one-dollar-a-night donation. If you don’t want to pay the donation, you’re still welcome and there is a big, beautiful yard outside where you can pitch a tent.

The altercation clearly boiled down to a difference in expectations and, perhaps, generation. I think Grandma and Hardcore would have been happier outside in the privacy of their tents. I’m still a little angry with them right now, but I’m sure it will pass.

Easy Chair and I caught a ride north this morning and slackpacked about 18 miles back into town, mostly following the Virginia Creeper Trail. What a beautiful stretch of trail that is. It would be a nice on a bicycle.

Will be leaving Damascus tomorrow and continuing north.

Aquaholic

May 2, 2009

Hey Aquaholic,

Good day with the kids today. That is all.

O’