Date: 2010-05-30
From: Wapiti Shelter + 2

To: Daleville
Miles today: 110.0
Weather: few clouds

OK, I have reached Daleville and checked in at the Howard Johnson Motel next to the trail just after 21:00. I do not know how, I just did it today, I completed another 33-mile day.This past week has been crazy and I was without any cellular capacity. Right now, the telephone is recharging and I am writing from the motel computer. First things first, I went across the road to have some pizza and did my laundry. I have not even had a shower yet.It was an extremely difficult, yet exciting week with all kinds of developments and I made an extreme effort to increase my mileage. At the beginning of Virginia, everything looked fine but these last few days we have been climbing ridges at extremely uncomfortable angles and it has been bit more alpine climbing than hiking than I would have liked. EVERYDAY we have had rain. Only four dry days so far. As a result, the rocks are incredibly slippery and I am fearful that I might fall again. Just now I am recovering from the injury to my tailbone from the last two falls but it is still hard for me sleep on my back.Friday I finished up at Bailey Shelter after completing 38 miles. Yesterday I reached Pickle Branch Shelter where I was alone, except for a snake. In ¢close quarters combat¢, I won, but never got back to sleep. Today I made it to Daleville, even tough it was extremely difficult because of the steep ridges. Because I had a good idea what the trail would be like, I started hiking at 04:00 (I woke up at 02:30) and still barely made it. On my way to Bailey, I experienced my first thunderstorm with lightning bolts, thunder, a deluge and hail. In 15 minutes, I was soaked, five miles from the nearest shelter, hail the size of stones and I am in Antarctica! It was freezing, the AT became a river, another poor soul and I hiked for 3 hours in water up to our knees at freezing temperatures. My feet were wet until today and you can imagine what my fingers look like. Today again, I walked all day on an empty stomach. I ran out of food yesterday afternoon. Dinner for example consisted of 2 liters of Ginger Ale- at least it had some sugar- from a bottle someone left for thru-hikers, I guess. Today I had a tiny bag of peanuts, four carbohydrate gels and two salt bags. I know that I do not carry enough food for what I do and what I need to consume Everyday I burn about 7,000 calories and on average eat about 2,000. I can see it on myself. Everything is falling off me. Food is my major problem. I do not dare like the others to go into towns close to the trail because I do not have a clue where I am when I am hiking and I am sure I will miss my way back to the trail. In addition, I admit that I have had some bad luck, at Nantahala; I arrived after everything was closed, at Fontana Dam, I arrived on that one day the kiosk was closed and at Pearisburg the market that I knew to be close to the trail, has gone out of business! Tomorrow I will stock up at the grocery store nearby after I pick up my package from the local outfitter. He was not open today so it did not matter that I came in late. How am I doing? Well I take one day at a time and do not think of anything else. I do not quite know how I push it 16 hours a day but that is in fact, what I am doing. Many thru hikers have already heard about me and many people recognize me. I of course have already passed the larger mass of the thru-hikers. I do not have time to socialize. I get in at 21:00 and leave at 05:30. Overall, I am fine, a wreck, but in one piece. People react warmly to the fact I have come all the way from Israel and Israel in general. Miss you all. I am a f...walking skeleton!!!!