Date: 2010-05-30
From: Bland, VA

To: The Captain's House
Miles today: 63.0

I had to get off the trail for a couple of days for a wedding and my mom was kind enough to pick me up in exciting Bland, Virginia. The drive was long and I never realized how big of a state Virginia was. At the wedding I ran into people I hadn't seen in a while and when they asked me what I did for a living I had to say I live in the woods and am migrating to Maine. This provoked more questions and I am not entirely sure they actually picked up what I was putting down.After the wedding I had the pleasure of hiking with my dad and my cousin, Huck. We arrived late at Wood's Hole Hostel in Pearisburg, VA. It was a beautiful hostel that had been run since 1983. The house was built in 1940 and had just been renovated. It was one of those places that you felt immediately at home. We had a delicious breakfast then we were off to Bland to begin our 32 mile hike. My dad hadn't worn a pack since the army and I don't think he has ever really camped. His friend gave him a 3-person tent that weighed 6 pounds. My tent weighs 2.6 with the ground cloth and his didn't even have one. Luckily he didn't really bring much food and his water bladder was leaking so he only really had to carry dry weight. We had a 300 foot climb out of Bland and Huck and my dad were slightly challenged from the start. But they kept going and smiling. It is hard to hike with people who haven't hiked for the past six or seven weeks because you don't know how much they can handle and you also want to get miles in. We did 12 the first day. I was very impressed. Once we got into the shelter Chopsticks, Rorshach, City Squirl and Paul Bunyan showed up! I couldn't believe it because I thought I was behind them. It was great that my dad could meet some of the people I had been hiking with. The next day we had a big goal of 14.6. That was a lot of miles. It also had rained overnight so the 6 lb tent was now about 8. Since my dad carried it the first day he determined that it was Huck's turn to carry the tent. We all packed up and went about our journey. Probably 3 miles in I decided that I would carry the tent. I could just tell that this 8 lb albatross was causing a problem. I carried it for the rest of the day and could feel the added weight affecting my knees, back and feet. In the middle of the day we enjoyed the Dismal Falls, which weren't dismal at all. They were quite lovely and once my dad emails me the photos I will add them to the photo album. The remaining 7 miles were long. I was behind the two of them and frequently saw them stopped asking me how much farther we had to go. This was amusing because it reminded me of car trips and asking "are we there yet." I think they stopped believing me. That's the thing about the AT. The book may say one thing and the trail could've been rerouted the week before and would not be reflected in the book. We eventually made it to the Wapiti Shelter and set up camp. Rock 'n Roll rolled in shortly after we arrived and when I saw him the next day he informed me that the Wapiti Shelter was where a double murder happened. Thank goodness I didn't know that when I camped there!Our last day was an 6 miler and we had a 1200 foot climb. I was worried about this climb because they hadn't really done any and this was after two big days. I got to the top with my camera ready to catch them ask they summitted and they did so well! I was very impressed. The rest of the day was gently rolling and I cannot express how lucky we were that the terrain was so nice. We got back to Wood's Hole, they took showers and I don't think my dad was ever so happy to go on a 7 hour car ride. I talked to him the next day and he said he was sore but had a great time. I guess I need to figure out if I can handle other trail visitors. It seems like it could be trouble later on when I am doing more 20s. I hiked into Pearisburg that afternoon and again my feet were in pain. When I got to the .8 mile climb uphill to get to town I actually started crying. The bone, bunion and ball pain in my feet is killer. I had to take a zero mileage day to rest my feet. I then did surgery on my shoes to release some of the pressure. This seems to be effective. I haven't cried again although I have only really walked 20 miles in two days. Today I am going for 18 so we shall see how that goes!Yesterday afternoon I arrived at the Captain's house for his annual hiker feed. This has been amazing. It feels like a holiday weekend. We had a barbeque, games, bonfire, and showers with fresh towels. Their hospitality has been absolutely incredible. I have to go now so I can grab some pancakes and coffee. Trail magic and angels make this journey so much easier.