Date: 2007-06-01
From: VA 635/Stony Creek

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: few clouds

June 1, Slackers in PearisburgAnd so we got up today and Ronin, Young Eagle, and I announced that we didn't feel like hiking. Dun, dun, dun... Melk's anxiety levels went straight up - she gets very antsy when progress is not being made, something I admire her for. Ronin had the idea of the day - slackpacking. He called the shuttle lady and arranged it while Young Eagle booked the room for another night. Yes, the black hole of Pearisburg has sucked us in. Turns out it sucked Not Guilty in for another day too - I saw him when we got back.So, Brenda from the Rendezvous Hotel came to pick us up. She was a real treat. Lots of class and spunk there. She told us we were staying where all of the crack addicts are and that there are octopus in the creek near the trail. Umm. Many funny things came out of that car ride. She had an idea for a gentleman's club that only 70-90 year old men could get into. Oye. Was this for real?Anyway, we started hiking southbound a bit before 10 a.m. and started running into folks on the trail right away. It was fun to see folks.To be honest, much of the day is a blur. I think it's because Virginia lacks a lot of views and differentiation on the trail. We did see a doe and her fawn on the trail. I tried to take a photo of the fawn but it was under a lot of brush so it didn't come out that great. It was an exciting thing to see though. We crossed a few powerlines and a television tower - wowee.Yound Eagle led us for most of the day and we all hiked together. We took a break at a campsite and decided we wanted to hike the rest of the miles a bit faster so we put Ronin in front to set the pace. Ha! He flew and I told them I'd see them in town - no way I can hike at that pace! He is 6'2" and faast. But we all sort of tried to stay together still - I had to sort of jog at times but it was fun.It started thundering around 4 p.m. and that's when I really started to pick up the pace. We made it to the road around 5 p.m., only about ten minutes after the rain started pounding down on us. We found shelter at the Giles Wellness Center and called for a shuttle back to our hotel. We did a full day and would have a nice, dry place to stay tonight. How nice.We all took showers and then headed to the Chinese buffet across the street. We went to Food Lion after and bought pints of ice cream. I got Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk - delicious. I'd never had that before. It was a good and productive day.So, these people I'm hiking with. I should take a moment to talk about them. Melk - she's a 23-year-old English educator and is from Rhode Island. She likes to use big words, is very easygoing and doesn't let much bother her. She is very funny as well and full of sarcasm, which I love. We first met at Moreland Gap Shelter on the way to Kincora. Our paces match a little and it works out well. Very fun. Ronin - he's a 35-year-old tree expert and is from Connecticut. He's also easygoing and has a very genuine personality. Ronin has a special place in this group due to his warp speed. He is our scout and had hooked us up several times lately.Young Eagle - he's a 33-year-old IBM worker. Music nut and former marathoner. I've been running into him for quite a while on the trail. Great sense of humor and generally a good time.We are all talking right now and apparently we have a team name - Average Team, or the A-Team. Well folks, it's bedtime. I fell once today. Night.- Sound of Young Eagle whistling, Ronin talking about Catawba, the AC in the motel room.Post Trail Thoughts:Melk was really a stickler about hiking in the beginning (odd, huh?) and looking back, it's even funnier now. And Brenda, oh Brenda. She was a real treat. In fact, I got a note yesterday (June 2, 2008) from Ronin talking about how we all needed to take a moment to reflect on the day that Brenda came into our lives. Some funny things Brenda said included: "I'm hungrier than a wolf bitch", "That cow's gonna go over there and tag that heifer - it's human nature". She insisted that Young Eagle was a doctor she had seen before and prescribed her the same drugs used for mental patients - she flipped out every time she saw him. And I'm sure there was more I can't even recall. It was some great stuff. And one last thing - it was this night, I believe, that we ran into a huge group (BigBy, Grizzle, Tater, Chach, Big Shanty, Boognish, Keymaster and maybe a couple of others) of hikers walking around town in some duds they'd picked up from Goodwill. It was a scene right out of That 70's Show - everyone in leisure suits, short pants, etc. It was great. It was a party for someone's birthday.