Date: 2018-05-31
From: Partnership Shelter

To: The Barn
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

On a whim we decided to slack pack today. Cartman, a hiker Big Kahuna has known for a while, was staying at Partnership Shelter all day today. He watched our big packs for us. In exchange we brought him a roast beef sandwich and a nice garden salad with an ice cold Dr Pepper to drink. Fresh fruits and veggies are a treat on the trail. We all 3 started out together going up with some ridge hiking. The breezes were nice on the ridges and the summits too. There was a steady rise and fall of ups and downs, but it mostly felt up as there was one really BIG up! We saw a beautiful doe while we were hiking a ridge. I think she¢s the largest doe I¢ve ever seen! Our voices scared her so she ran away before we could get a picture. Another photograph in my mind.  Big Kahuna knows a lot about plants and was teaching us about all kinds of vegetation and flowers as we passed them. At one point we hiked through an entire mountainside of Ferns. He said ¢you would pay $25 in a flower shop for that¢. I¢m sure he¢s right! Wish I could have just dug some up and shipped them home. In our meanderings we met up with a new(to us) hiker. His name is DJ. He¢s a newly retired military man almost exactly my age. We both turn 54 in July. He¢s taking time to hike the A.T. before he gets a new civilian job. He and I struck up a good conversation and talked the whole way up our big climb of the day. Glade Mountain 4,093 ft elevation! I must be getting in better shape because I¢ve never been able to do an up like that and still talk. I¢m usually lucky to keep moving and breathing! Anyway, it turns out he and I have been on the trail together since the beginning. We may have even sheltered together in the Smokies, but the trail didn¢t bring us together for conversation until today.  DJ stopped for lunch at Chatfield Shelter. I stopped with him to refill water and wait for Hugs and Big Kahuna. I didn¢t eat because we were planning a late lunch at The Barn. It¢s a known hiker restaurant that¢s located at the end of our hike today. It wasn¢t long before my lovely tramily arrived and we continued on.  We came upon a one room school house now known as Settlers Museum. It was the Lindamood Schoolhouse built in 1894. One teacher taught grades 1 through 7 and school was in session from October to March. Teachers were paid a whopping $30 a month. The Lindamood Schoolhouse was in operation until 1939. A local Methodist Church keeps it stocked with magic for us hikers. They even placed a sign on the trail directing us to it. Inside there were wooden trunks that looked completely appropriate for the era. But when the lids are lifted there¢s a cooler inside filled with ice cold pop. Other trunks had snacks and one had supplies. We all had a pop and snack. I helped myself to an emery board and some toilet paper. Hugs was happy to find allergy medicine. I was pretty impressed by how they maintained the character of the school while still treating us hikers to some modern day goodies. I¢ve been thinking I should send a thank you to that church. They do a phenomenal job!  I was in the Schoolhouse when today¢s rain began to fall. Ugh! I pulled out my poncho and followed Hugs and Big Kahuna down the trail. This was our first big down today. Downs are the hardest in the rain. Within a few minutes it was like a muddy slip-n-slide. Us girls managed to stay on our feet, but Big Kahuna wasn¢t so lucky. He bounced back up faster than I could blink! We could see prints in the mud where others before him had experienced the same misfortune.  Eventually we popped out on U.S. Route 11 and walked a short distance to The Barn. My salad was great, but lunch was just okay for me. We ate most of ours and ordered Cartmans food before calling a shuttle. We used Jim Sparks again. He had taken us to Pizza Hut yesterday.  Jim and his wife Carrie are real trail angels. They shuttle us hikers all over for donations only. Their son was a thru-hiker and they do this to pay it forward. They¢re retired and I think they also get a kick out of talking to us hikers.  They took us back to the shelter where we gave Cartman his dinner and picked up our packs. Then they drove us to a hotel so we could check in, then to Walmart and back to our hotel. Really kind people! I¢m seriously loving Virginia!  We¢ve been 8 days without a zero. Tomorrow is our day to do laundry and rest our bodies. This comfy bed feels great!  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018)Where¢s your faith?