Date: 2007-06-03
From: Warspur Shelter

To: Interchange at Troutville
Miles today: 2.5

Where to start with this day?It was a surreal day for sure. It started with me waiking up in the shelter to rain pounding on the roof. The rest of the A-Team was still sleeping. We had all slept past our normal wake time so I suspected that everyone was aware of the rain thumping on the shelter roof as well. Finally around 7:45am or 8:00am we were all awake and no one wanted to move. The rain had sapped our will to hike. After a game of hearts (in the shelter still) we finally got motivated to hike.After about 30 minutes of prep work (putting our rain gear, packing the packs, treating water, putting on pack covers, and getting into our hiking clothes) we finally left the shelfter. It was after 11am.This is when things turned bizarre. Even though it was raining we left the shelter to slightly warm weather. Only after 2 miles of uphill the rain got heavier, the wind started kicking whipping around, and the temperature dropped. Things were looking grim especially since I had just sent home the vast majority of my winter gear. The trail was flooded out in places and some fresh blowdown put some nasty tree limbs along our boulder-ridden, uphill path. At the top of our climb we found a road and some trail magic in the form of a cooler with soda and beer. This is where we fell from grace.After a few minutes of NOT hiking our body temperatures lowered and pre-hypothermic conditions set in. My limbs couldn't get warm and I was shivering uncontrollably. Everything on me was wet.In desperation, we called Brenda from Pearisburg, VA (the woman who had driven us for our slackpack yesterday). After fumbling around with a trail map (that showed select Forest Service roads and US/state highways) we were able to give rough directions to our location: Rocky Gap on VA 601, north of Newport, VA. She said she was our her way and we should "hold tight."Two hours later, hands pruned and pure white, lips turning blue, muscles cramped, hypothermia setting in, and with everything wet the A-Team huddled together in the hopes of making things warmer. We also sang "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King but we couldn't figure out the lyrics to the second stanza. Much shivering occurred.What transpired next could go down in AT legend. Brenda finally pulls up in her SUV. The first words out of her mouth were: "If I didn't see you, I was taking off for home..." as we are shivering uncontrollably and clattering our teeth. We get out stuff in the car and Brenda proceeds to drive down the mountian on VA601. Here are some of things Brenda said:"I almost didn't make it up that mountian. Yeah, I'm scared shitless of driving up and down mountains. Makes me want to throw up and shit myself. Good thing you were right there because I was about to turn the car around and head back down. I'm not kidding around, I almost threw up and shit myself about 200 yards back there."Looking at me, Brenda also offered: "Don't I know you? Weren't you in town about two weeks ago? You're a doctor, right?" Me: "um, no. You gave us a ride yesterday for a slackpack though but other than that I've never seen you ever in my life." Brenda: "nah, I know you. You're the doctor who told me to take that medication to help me with my problem..."After a few minutes in the car, Brenda turns off the heat and opens the window and says "I tell you, if I didn't have to come out here to pick you up I'd be at home in my comfy living room watching a movie on Lifetime."Some other great quotes from Brenda include: "I'm hungrier than a Wolf-Bitch." "See that Bull over there. He's gonna tag that heffer. The little one though. He's gonna wait till the other two females move away and he's gonna run down there and tag that little thing. It's human nature."Thanks to Brenda we lived to hike another day.Staying at the Holiday Inn Express and eating at Cracker Barrel tonight.