Date: 2003-07-14
From: Humpback Mountain Picnic Area

To: Humpback Mtn Visitors Center
Miles today: 5.0

start Humpback Mountain Picnic Areadestination Humpback Mountain Visitors CenterThe first thing on our agenda this morning was to go rent a car. Waynesboro is such a spread out town, it would take hours and hours of walking to get all of our errands done. Along with a lot of time which we don't have. Tom Brown, a local trail angel has agreed to drop us off on the trail this morning. We will slack pack back to our car, parked at Rockfish Gap Visitors Center. With full bellies and light packs we head off. Tom takes us by to show us his home. It is a stone cottage, very quaint and beautiful. The trail once again proves to be a difficult one. It is rocky and tedious going, especially for Mudbutt. But the weather is outstanding. It was 63 degrees when we drove up to the trail. There is a soft moist mist that hangs in the air. It is like someone has hung clouds out to dry, draping them in the trees, stringing them from branch to branch. It is a wonderful morning to hike. There are no other hikers so the trail is quiet and still. Not even the birds are singing this morning. They must all be sleeping late. We stop for lunch and discuss our options for the rest of the day. It is obvious that we are not going to get to hike as far as we planned. So much for plans! There is just no way to make good time when every step has to be carefully thought out ahead of time. We opt to bail out early and take a blue blaze trail to the Humpback Rock Visitors Center off the blue ridge parkway. We hike along the old Harrison Turnpike. I marvel at the rocks, laid atop each other forming a bed for wagons to roll over. The effort it must have taken to clear this road.There are signs of an old settlement along this trail. I am intrigued by the amount of determination and tenacity people would have had to live here. We meet a forest ranger on the way. It turns out she was one of the musicians playing yesterday at the old log cabin. We have a nice conversation as we walk along side of her. She fills us in on the history of this place. It was like taking a private tour. I could picture in my mind the people living here, ecking out a living, raising their families. It was hard beyond my comprehension, but is it any easier today?? Does the fact that our homes have running water, electricity at a touch, and the ever availibility of transportation make raising a family easier? I think not. Our fatality rate may be lower, our length of life longer, but are we more successful? With all that we have, are we more content? Happier? Deep down inside can we say we are at peace. I think most of us are human doings instead of human beings. We are led to beleive that the more we have the happier we are. The more money we make, the more successful we become. I beleive the apostle Paul hit the nail on the head when he said in Phillipians 4:11 "To be content in whatever state you are in." We are hoping to get a ride back to our car. It is late afternoon though and a weekday. There is not much traffic through here. We had just put our packs down and was headed into the little gift shop when a volunteer comes out saying goodbye to everyone. Mudbutt jumps on this opportunity like a duck on a June bug in the dead of winter. She asks him for a ride, but alas he is going the other way. He turns to walk away, then turns back to us and says he has forgotten he needs to go to the grocery store in Waynesboro and offers us a ride. Hurrah!!! He has a delightful accent but I could not identify it until he tells us he is German and lived in Wisconsin. What a combination! He shares some of the stories of his life with us and then drops us at our car. Back to town we go. Since we cut short our day we were able to meet a fellow Rotarian for dinner. Our first restaurant choice was closed while they filmed a commercial, so we went to the local Applebee's. Today was the very first day they were open. My steak fahita wrap was very tasty. But the company was absolutely wonderful. Dr.Anderson is a retired family doctor. He has been in this area for over 50 years. His dry witt and funny stories kept Mudbutt and I in stitches the entire evening. I am equally certain our hiking stories gave him some laughs as well. I know that he has now been well educated about the hiking community. Definately he will never look at a hiker in the same way as before. We bid the kind doctor good nite and spent some luxurious time in the hot tub and pool at the motel before calling it a night. I am amazed at how easy it is to stay up late when I am in town. No getting a long night's sleep for me while in town!! Of course the small beams of light that are the everyday occurance at night drives me to distraction. The light from the face of the clock, the light coming in around the door, the light peeking around the sides of the curtain, the smoke detector light, I finally put a pillow over the clock. At least I can extinquish a small portion of the light. I miss the total blackness of the trail at night, and the total silence as well. Sometimes the wind trough the trees might lull me to sleep, or the faraway hoot of an owl, but nothing beats the stillness. The sounds of silence. total miles 5