Date: 2007-06-17
From: Campsite on Humpback Mtn.

To: Tree Streets Inn, Waynesboro, VA 
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Made it to Waynesboro, VA! Happy to be in a town again, but this one is prettyspread out and the innkeeper doesn't shuttle hikers around other than pick themup at Rockfish Gap where the trail comes out. The outfitters is almost 2 milesoutside of town and when your supposed to be resting your feet and giving thema day off, that's a lot of walking. When I'm hiking I often think about all the things I haven't written in myjournal...or I wonder whether or not I've written something...cause my brain hasturned to mush out here and I have NO memory, worse than before I left. onething I know I forgot to write about was the fishhook. When we hitched intoGlasgow last weekend it was in the back of a pickup truck.The guy had to move his fishing gear to make room for the three of us (Handyman,Tony Tiger, and me) and our backpacks. We three piled in, trying to find placesto sit. When we got to town and start to pile out, don't I have a fishhookembedded in my butt...well, the butt of my pants! And I hadn't felt a thing. It took Handyman quite a few minutes and the use of a pair of pliers to get thedarn thing out.   Check the photos when Dana has a chance to get them uploaded. It takes a greatdeal more effort to get those titled and sent than these journal entries, that'swhy the pictures lag so far behind...give me a break! I'm hiking 10 hours a dayabout 6 days a week with one day off to get laundry done, groceries bought andrepackaged, emails read and answered, and tons of photos moved onto a flashdrive and all titled then packaged and delivered to a post office...all thatwithout standing on your feet and resting, which really is a rare thing.So your patience is appreciated.Oh, yes, I saw my first rattlesnake the other day! A dead one. Someone hadsmashed its head, sadly. We're traveling in their woods, so I don't believe weshould be killing any of the creatures out here. I'm traveling right now with Thumper, the prison dentist from Florida. We havea lot of similar beliefs on life so the discussions while we're hiking are quiteinteresting and help to past the time (and the miles). Obviously a frequenttopic is food and he's got a major fear of running out so his food bag is HEAVY. One day while we were eating I don't remember which meal, he pulls out a jar ofBacos. He eats them by the handful. And he would frequently offer me a "shot"of them...so one day I said yes...ugh! disgusting...I almost gagged! Thenyesterday we were at a shelter and I went to get water, and when I got backthere was a baggie of Bacos sitting on my pack! What are these? He'd foundthem sitting in the shelter! obviously someone else didn't like them either!We met an interesting young man named Roger yesterday just starting a hikesouthbound to Springer mtn GA.   He had a book bag for a pack, only a tarp, notent or sleeping bag; only a one liter bottle for water, little food, but 4books about edible plants that he hopes will feed him along the way; no changesof clothing and just a jacket for warmth. He doesn't plan to purify any water,expecting his system to adjust as needed. No protection from biting bugs. I'dlove to meet him again at Springer to see how it went. He was delightful totalk to and we wished him all the best. Maybe he can do it. Who are we to say. Someone told me "We carry our fears. If we're afraid we'll be cold, we carrytoo much clothing. And if we're afraid we'll be hungry, we carry too muchfood." He doesn't seem to be afraid.This inn I'm staying in is a refurbished old house in the historic district ofWaynesboro...and very lovely! There's three of us older hikers here enjoyingthe accommodations...we know how to hike the AT! No grungy hostels for us whenyou an live like this! We were sitting out on the deck drinking tea lastevening enjoying the night air and comfortable chairs.I do have to say though that insomnia kept me up to nearly 1:30 am and I wasawake at 6. But the worst part was the clock in my room said 8:05 so I thought I had only 25 minutes til breakfast! I even tried to call Dennis (just because I could...I had a signal!)but luckily he didn't answer.   He'd have killed me when he realized what time it really was!Step lightly