Date: 2010-05-05
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! I have thought many times today about my dear friend, Heather, and the rockin' Cinco de Mayo parties she and her awesome family have. Miss you and love you dearly, Heather!Today was a beautiful hiking day. It was a day of emotional highs and lows, but all in all a great day. It began with a fabulous breakfast of french toast, sausage, and farm fresh eggs at Woods Hole. I was (as always) slow getting ready. I can be pretty quick on the trail, but in town or a hostel, it's a different story. Braids and I finally were ready for the 1/2 mile shuttle back to the trail at 10:00. We were both in slight funks about her impending departure from the trail, and we quickly agreed that a trip into Pearisburg to Dairy Queen was in order. We had a great morning hiking together and talking with a breathtaking lunch break at an overlook just before Angel's Rest. In the early afternoon, we made it to the first road into P'burg and walked the mile in. The countryside we walked through reminded me of walking in the Czech Republic, and made Braids think of her vision of backpacking in Europe.Dairy Queen was fabulous! We each had a couple of "courses" of treats. I first had a raspberry lemonade slush, and then we split a large "Ooey Gooey Caramel Brownie" Blizzard. It was amazing! We sat with Hobbs and Peanut for a while, and just before we left saw Ridley and Panther. Sadly, they were leaving the trail temporarily for a family emergency. Ridley and Panther - I am so sorry and my thoughts are with you. After watching Hobbs and Peanut ride out towards the trail in the back of a pickup truck, we were inspired to try to get a ride, too. We went to the gas station next door, and the very first person Braids asked said he'd gladly take us. Yes! Thank you so much, Eric!As we hiked on towards Rice Field Shelter, I felt myself sinking into a deeper and less clearly-defined funk. I took a break and told Braids I would see her at the shelter. Pretty soon I had the meltdown that I suspect had been coming for several days. I let myself just cry wildly and feel pitiful, but soon had to pick myself up and start hiking again. As soon as I did, I felt so much better! I was able to think through things clearly, and found myself hiking strongly (with the help of my iPod). I hiked up the huge mountain out of Pearisburg (through encroaching forests of poison ivy!) and was rewarded with an amazing evening hike! The ridge was full of ferns, trilliums of various colors, and a very calm doe who stood and stared at me for a minute. These were all enjoyed in the hues of a setting sun.I caught up to Braids about a mile before the shelter, and we enjoyed the last moments of the sunset together. After seeing several friends at the shelter, we're now lying under the stars in Rice Field. It is incredibly peaceful and I'm told I've already missed a couple of meteors looking down at my journaling. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my eveing before getting some much needed sleep. Tomorrow we hike a 21! (Then, thankfully, it's back to 16's.)Postscript, May 5, 2011: I don't know why, but some days are a total blur in my memory, while this one I remember clearly like it was yesterday.