Date: 2004-06-19
From: past Elkwallow Wayside

To: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We didn't get up all that early, about 7:30am. We packed up and hiked back to Elkwallow Wayside which of course was not open yet. This was a good time for some gear repair, writing, cleaning and organizing. Other folks showed up and it made me feel compelled to stand at the door for fear they might get in first but I was in the middle of something and that would just be silly. Finally the wayside opened. I think I got a couple of egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches and orange juice. Before we hit the trail I got, you guessed it, a blackberry ice cream milkshake to go. Buick got what he wanted too. Off we hiked with blackberry shake in hand. Mmmmm.Shenandoah Yogi:The term yogi refers to the situation where a thru-hiker is given stuff, usually food, by a casual stranger. Mind you, for it to be a true yogi, the thru-hiker can not ask for anything. This is just a matter of the stranger taking pity on the thru-hiker usually after having asked a question like, ¢What do you eat?¢ or ¢How long have you been hiking?¢ People often feel compelled to help in some way. This is sort of like the phenomenon explained by Douglas Adams in his Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. As he explains, the most valuable thing a galactic hitchhiker can carry is his towel. After all, anyone who remembers to carry his towel must really have it together. Therefore the stranger is likely to give him anything else he may need. Well, there is some truth in the mater regarding thru-hikers too. Exactly where and when the following three events took place is a bit vague but they were in the vicinity of the Shenandoah National Park.Buick knew we would be hitting lots of road crossings and overlooks and waysides. He was excited about the prospect of a good yogi. It was a hot day when he showed up at an overlook, solo. There was a couple there with a fancy set of wheels. Looking thirsty which he probably was, he asked them if they knew where he could find some water. They didn't but offered him something from their car. They asked him what he was doing and he of course told them. The next thing he knows they are unloading their leftover picnic stuff on him. It is not your run of the mill picnic stuff. They give him fancy cheeses that I haven't even heard of along with fancy breads and who knows what else. When we met up again later that day, he was ecstatic. He even shared some of the goodies with me. Granted there was a bit of envy on my part.A day or two later the trail took me traversing a parking area at another overlook. It was hot and bright. There was one vehicle. It was a big white SUV. The couple asked me what I was doing so I told them. They offered me some water but my supply was ok just now. Then they offered me some fresh squeezed Florida orange juice. Weeelllll now, that's another story. This kid has a real soft spot for orange juice and there is not much to be had along the AT. Of course, it occurred to me and I had to ask, just how they came to have fresh squeezed Florida orange juice all the way up here in Virginia. As it turns out they live in Florida and have a hobby orange grove. They told me the number of trees and it sounded pretty big for a hobby but who was I to judge. Then they broke out the fresh blueberries. It seems there is a blueberry farm across the street from their house and when the pickin's done the owner lets his neighbors have at the fields. What a great yogi that was.The third yogi was perhaps today on our last day in the Shenandoah. It was about lunchtime when we both came upon a nice rocky overhang just 20 feet off the trail. There was a couple there who had just come up from the road for the view and a bit of lunch. They asked us lots of questions and we had and nice conversation. The talk came around to food as it usually does when folks start to ponder the thought of hiking over two thousand miles. That prompted the woman to ask if we were hungry. Our reply was of course yes, so she offered us a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. It seamed they had already eaten all they were going to and had a BLT to spare. But this was no ordinary BLT. It was huge. It was on home baked whole wheat bread. It had cheese in it too. It was stuffed to the extreme. Yes, I am a vegetarian, but it is not a religion with me. Mom used to make BLTs on the weekends for me for lunch. Mmmmmm. What fond memories. We each took a half and savored every bite. They shared some other snacks with us too, maybe grapes. Thanks to all who share their bounty with starving thru-hikers.Back to the trail now, it's going through a nice section of forest with lots of pleasant foliage and ground cover. A bit after noon, something catches my eye about 20 feet off to the right of the trail. It's small, brown and furry. Hey, it's a bear cub. It seems to notice me but doesn't seem to care too much. This is when it's really nice to have a camera on the hip belt. He actually let me take a few pictures before moving on. No, I didn't approach him nor did I overstay my welcome. That was cool and put quite a smile on my face.A couple of hours later the trail finally left the Shenandoah National Park. That felt good because it meant it was all that much closer to the end of Virginia. Not that it hasn't been nice here but enough all ready. It's been nearly 500 miles. About an hour later the trail was heading down an old dirt road overgrown in grass beside a chain link fence that had become a rough hedge of vines. There, sitting on the edge of the grass, was my friend Buick. He was foraging in the bushes. He held his hand out to me. It was full of blackberries. It was after 4pm but blackberries cannot be denied even to a thru-hiker. Boy they were good.We hiked together for the rest of the day. The sun was low when we reached Jim & Molly Denton Shelter. This place was nice. There were however lots of people. The shelter was full of thru and section hikers. There was a scout troop in tents too. The picnic table was full of scouts and leaders. The thru-hikers seemed to be avoiding them but not me. With stove and food sack in hand I asked for some space at the table. They shared some cookies with me. There were plenty of questions. It turned out they were from Olny, Maryland. My brother lived there for a while. We all had a good time talking. It was dark by the end of my dinner of course. The scouts had faded into their tents. Despite the wonderful starry night sky I joined my fellow slumbering thru-hikers in the shelter for a good nights sleep after a nice 24.3 mile day.