Date: 2004-07-05
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Calf Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: few clouds

We're to meet our friend Dirty Girl in Harpers Ferry on the 16th of July, and then go off for Washington for the weekend. Plus, I really wanted to make it there around midmonth anyway, just so we'd be on schedule in a loose manner of speaking: past the thousand mile mark, three months in, with three months remaining til that important date in October - the 15th - when Katahdin gets closed off for the year. So, we've been hauling ass lately, as much as we've been able to, anyway. And in a couple ways this was starting to take its toll. One - the hiking has been a little less fun lately: knowing you have to hike fast and long and hard all day, with only that to look forward to the day after and the day after that and so on, starts to bleed the joy out of things pretty fast. Two - it takes a physical toll as well. Moxie was especially being hard hit by the long days...So, yesterday morning in Glasgow when we learned that the other hiker in the motel was getting a shuttle up to Waynesboro from a local man (in fifteen minutes from the point of us learning that), me and Moxie had a ten second meeting."Do you want to shuttle up 77 miles to Waynesboro, so our pace can be a bit more relaxed?" I asked."Sure, let's do it!" Moxie replied.Meeting adjourned.We were packed ten minutes later.And, by noon, we were in Waynesboro.Guilt attempted to set in, but we nipped it in the bud. And enjoyed our zero day in Waynesboro. A nice thunderstormy 4th of July.--------This morning we packed up, and headed down the road to Weazies Diner, where we knew a good breakfast could be had. And - shades of Ms. Janet's house - who did we happen to see just inside the door, but The Dude! Gaul, who we hadn't seen since way, way back in Gatlinburg was beside him! (Though he didn't recognize me. Probably in part due to:- my having lost approximately 20 lbs. since then- the fact that I shaved off my chin growth yesterday- the fact that I used the remainder of Moxie's highlighting compound last night to bleach my hair). With them was some other hiker girl who's stopped in Waynesboro for a while to earn some cash. A nice breakfast was enjoyed by all.Afterwards we were en route to the library (which was closed, we'd soon learn) to see if we could use the net, when a car stopped - and out hopped Magnet! We hadn't seen him since Erwin!Hiker reunions all over the place.This trend continued with a Scorch encounter by the supermarket. From her, we learned that we'd missed JP & Knuckles by only a day.I hope we get to hook up with them again - though with the more leisurely pace we've set for the near future (15.5 miles a day), I don't know if we'll cross paths too soon.Hopefully in Pennsylvania at the very latest.So, we were walking in the general vicinity of the trail, when a guy and a pickup pulled over and offered us a drive to the trailhead - music to our ears. Specially with the nightmare luck we'd been having the other day on the Blue Ridge. We didn't even have to stick out our thumbs today.When we got to our destination, the driver chatted with us for a bit, and then as he was saying goodbye, he handed us two little booklets of poetry. He said that he discovered writing recently, and that his daughters had helped bring him to the modern era by getting him a computer. Nice guy. Soon we were hiking. And my knees started complaining immediately. It's a new pain. Really sharp, and focused on the back, rather than the front.This slowed us down, and led to many breaks.It was at the end of one of these breaks when I looked up the trail to see this dark animal slowly cut over the trail and move into the woods beyond. "Bear!" I whispered to Moxie, and we both watched it watching us for a while. Then it crept quietly away.It was a short day - we were soon on the path leading to the shelter (and encountering an old luna moth that was sprawled out on the dirt) and calling it a day. I was grateful. The knees kept hurting all day. And I hadn't wanted to take Advil to take the edge off, cuz I didn't want to stress the area more (when you can't feel the pain, you just walk normally, and maybe that's not what my body needs right now).Okay. I've gone done did run out of words.Happy night all,- Evil Doctor Whoa