Date: 2012-06-01
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Blackrock
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

Virginia (4) ¢ Part 3 (Shenandoah National Park) 06/01/12 (penktadienis) 20.0 ¢ 876.3 Waynesboro, VA - BlackrockDar vakar vakare Kroger maisto prekiu parduotuveje mane u34kalbino meteri¡ke vardu Sindy ir paklause ar a¡ esu thru-haikeris? A¡ patvirtinau ir tada ji man pasake kad ji yra trail-angelas, arba bent stengiasi buti juo. Ji galetu rytoj mane nuve34ti prie AT tako, nes jau ve34a kelis kitus haikerius ir a¡ galeciau prie ju prisideti. Visgi, kaip yra puiku, i¡sisprende didelis rytojaus ryto reikalas. Tiesa, jau prie¡ pat vakara ji dar man paskambino i vie¡bucio kambari ir pasitikslino, ar a¡ tikrai rytoj va34iuoju, nes kiti haikeriai del rytojaus dienos oru prognozes atidejo savo haikinima. A¡ atsakiau kad va34iuosiu.Ir dar viena svarbu reikala sutvarkiau i¡ pat ryto. Vietineje ukiniu prekiu parduotuveje, stovincioje prie pat vie¡bucio ir jau atsidariusioje puse septyniu ryto, nusipirkau savo viryklei denaturuoto spirito. Vakar jau visai sutemus laksciau po miestelio degalines, bet jo negaves, jauciau ¡ioki toki nerima.Pagaliau po geru pusryciu, kaip ir buvo sutarta, a¡tunta ryto jau sedejau Sindy Ford Explorer ir va34iavome link Rockfish Gap. Cia baigiasi Blu Ridge Parkway ir prasideda Skyline Drive ir tuo paciu Shenandoah Nacionalinis Parkas. Kuo auk¡ciau kilome, tuo labiau tir¡tejo rukas. Glostydamas kalnu ¡laitus jis galiausiai pavirto i dregna, vejuota ir ¡alta debesi. ios dienos prognoze buvo tiksli: netrukus prasidejo lietus, taciau jis nebuvo toks baisus: nei 34aibavimo, nei perkuno, nei ledo kru¡os. Paskui ¡iek tiek prasigiedrijo, ir tik jau gerokai veliau, koki pusvalandi prie¡ pasiekiant Blackrock Shelter puptelejo dar viena lietaus porcija. Tik ¡i syki a¡ greitai buvau po stogu.Netrukus viriausi vakariene ir ¢klojausi lova¢. Nakvosiu ¡elteryje, nes vietos pasistatyti palapinei aplinkui beveik nera ir neturiu noro ryte vynioti ¡lapia palapine. Ties shelteriu ¡altinis idomus teka: gurgianti vandens srove, i¡siver34usi i¡ po 34emiu ma34daug u34 pusmetrio vel i¡nyksta tarp akmenu. Kaip namu kriaukleje, kiek vandens pritekejo tiek ir i¡tekejo.---|---Just yesterday in a Kroger grocery store I was asked: am I a thru-hiker? I nodded, and Sindy (such was her name) told me that she is a trail-angel, or at least trying to be one. Tomorrow she is already giving a ride to the several other hikers back to AT trailhead, and I could join them. What a fantastic offer! This solved my tomorrow¢s morning burden. Before the evening, she called me in a hotel room to make sure if I'm seriously going tomorrow because other hikers postpone their hike due to weather forecast. I said that I would go.And one more crucial thing I handled early in the morning. At the local hardware store, I bought denaturated alcohol for my stove. Yesterday, in the evenings late hours I ran around the towns nearest gas stations to get the ¢Heet¢, but I wasn¢t lucky and felt some kind of anxiety.Finally, after a good breakfast, at eighth in the morning I sat in the Sindy¢s Ford Explorer and drove toward Rockfish Gap. Here ends Blu Ridge Parkway and begins Skyline Drive as well as the Shenandoah National Park. As close we drove to Rockfish Gap, the more fog thickened gently patting the mountain slopes and eventually turned into a wet, windy and cold cloud.Today's forecast was correct: rain soon began, but it was not so terrible: no lightning or thunder, or hail. Then sky cleared a little and walking become more enjoyable. Only much later, half an hour before reaching Blackrock Shelter poured another portion of the rain. This time I was soon under the roof and cooked my dinner. I am staying overnight in the shelter because I have no desire to wrap up the wet tent in the morning. The spring at the shelter looks very unusual: water flows out of the ground and after a half-yard disappears again between the stones.