Date: 2007-05-28
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 20.0

I am on my way back to the woods after a lovely if errand filled weekend in dc. There was a huge harley rally which clogged up downtown, but we got a good tour anyway. The westin made me not want to leave, though arlington was like las colinas - wannabe planned suburban community.I found some shoes I am really excited about, brooks dyad 4s in size 13. I was looking for ultra marathon shoes because my biggest issue lately keeping my mileage down has been foot pain after 20 or more miles per day. Even after two days off my feet hurt. So I have been looking at these new generation of runners, the most extreme of which are just a mesh padded sock atop a thick squishy sole. Clearly the tradeoff is stability, but I continue to think stability is highly overrated for trail use. My formidible calves and rigid hiking poles can keep me upright just fine on the trail. My other problem is that I discovered awhile back that my left pinkie toe sticks out just a little on the push-off, something I never knew in normal walking but a serious issue over long distances, so I had to find a shoe that had a nice wide toe box. The guys at fleet feet in georgetown were really helpful, and it was nice that they took such an interest in what I was doing. One other quick note about superfeet because a lot of people treat them as an automatic purchase... they are for added stability, not comfort. don't ever let anyone tell you they will train your feet to be more cushiony or anything else, after 850 miles they just hurt. Anyway, the new shoes are an experiment, they are a little more than mesh and soles but not a whole lot.Through a heroic effort I managed to get the ipod about half full, very little of which was video (a few strong bad and ask a ninja clips). Jocelyn will update me with some video when I next see her, but it is least important. I have an embarassment of entertainment options now, and consider it my response to virginia's challenge of boredom. While I walk I will be learning about astronomy, history, finance, brushing up on my french, general news, motorcycle news, science news, funny stuff, etc. If you haven't seen what is available lately, check out itunes. 1300 clips are on the ipod now. Credit to josh for making me look again.My opportunity to put this stuff together underscores how much easier this trip is when you have the means to do whatever you want to do. I hung out with a really friendly young guy on friday, waffle. He reminded me of me at 18, all knees and elbows and long hair. He was going on to avoid town, and I thought "man, I am glad I didn't try this out of high school." I believe that what I lack compared to teenage resilience I more than make up for in mental discipline and ways and means. Which leads me to the theory that the late 20s to early 30s are the prime of your overall capabilities. At least it feels that way right now. Before my knees and ankles got strong I would have said I was passed it at 29, but I got stronger and I don't feel like I could have diagnosed and repaired "the suck" out of pearisburg 5 years ago. Kind of a tangent, but I am feeling good. It also goes back to the running theme of materialism vs. materials, one of the Big Themes on this trip.Haagen dazs uses too much butter-cream... I am avoiding it from now on. How did I not realize how inferior it is to ben and jerrys?!? In b&j news, creme brulee flavor is ok. The more you eat the more it tastes like its namesake.I lashed a whole baguette to my pack to hike in with. Good bread feels almost as good as ice cream.I have a long drive back to waynesboro so y'all are getting the long version today.If I was to write a book, even before my "experiential minimalism" lifestyle manifesto, it would be about the perils of choice in modern society, and how decisioning science is seriously neglected outside math and computer science majors who go on to be business consultants.My third book will be about ben and jerry's ice cream.This weekend I also finished replacing stuff sacks to waterproof everything. Sea to summit sil bags are only marginally heavier than regular sacks, and are waterproof. Combined with my always-on pack cover my stuff will be dry... in ironic contrast to my total lack of real rain gear for myself.*****At waynesboro I saw ghetto, crazy bear, and paloma, but Jocelyn had about an hour to hike in with me so we kept on. We saw a tiny fawn! It couldn't even walk properly. Mom was closeby, and stamped at us. I felt great, and took off after Jocelyn had to head out. I saw a bear running away, which counts as bear number 10. It stormed pretty hard, but only briefly, and I decided to push hard and make twenty. About a third of a mile from the shelter I heard a really scary sound... There was something near the trail next to me in a thicket, and whatever it was was approaching me. In the dark. Deer go ba-dum, ba-dum. Squrrils go rustle-rustle-rustle, but it's all leaves. Bears go crash-rustle-snap, and this was a big crash-rustle-snap. I yelled myself hoarse... And the rustling stopped. Really close. I peered into the darkness, broken weakly by my small LED headlamp. I raised and waved my arms and shouted at the top of my lungs at the darkness. Slowly more rustling... I could hear it turning! I kept yelling and waving and heard it lope away, slowly.So was it a bear? I can't say for sure. I have never had one even consider approaching me like that. Possums and raccoons are stupid enough to approach, and potentially less sensitive to sound, but it sure sounded big. A deer is possible; there are certainly a millon of them, and they definitely don't care if you yell at them, but it didnt sound at all like a deer. Green hornet had one come in his camp the other night, he had a hard time chasing it off. I still avoid camping alone, the miles have to force it. And hiking at night for that matter.