Date: 2016-07-09
From: Bland, VA

To: Trent's Grocery
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: few clouds

he goal for today was to get to Trent's Grocery. Seems like an unusual goal for a hiker, but it is an unusual grocery. First of all they accept mail drops, so I had sent myself a box of food and supplies there from home - at least I thought I had. Also, they offer camping, a shower and laundry for $6. I didn't really need any laundry done, accept of course the clothes I was wearing would be soaked in rain or sweat or both by the end of the day, but a campsite and a shower was always a good plan.I got a ride back to the trail from a guy named Bubba. I had 19 miles to hike to get to Trent's Grocery, but there were no major ascents. One of the convenient things about hiking the AT is that, for the most part, when you have to pee, you just turn to the side and make sure you are aiming downhill. There is no chance of someone coming by at that time - well almost no chance. Just when I stopped and turned to the side another hiker came around the corner behind me. I let him pass and didn't chat much. Several miles later I met him again at the next shelter where he was eating lunch and I was planning to eat lunch. He was eating Ramen noodles - uncooked. He said people think it is strange and he can't figure out why. I asked what he did with the flavor packet, and he said he didn't use it. Hmmm ... Uncooked Ramen noodles with no flavor packet ... It would be sort of like eating the box. I can understand not wanting to get out a stove and cook lunch, but I wouldn't want too many lunches of uncooked, unflavored noodles. He was an interesting young man. His trail name was Chives; I don't know the story behind it. He was hiking from Damascus, VA to Pennsylvania where he lives. His arms were covered with tattoos, mostly of classic video game characters like Link and Mario brothers. He used to be totally wrapped up in video games, so much so that they permanently resided up and down his arms. In order to fund his hike, he sold all of his games for several thousand dollars. He finished his crispy noodle lunch and hiked on as I started my lunch. I rested at the shelter for a bit after lunch and then hiked on.I made the 19 miles to the road by about 4:30. Then I had to hike a half mile along the road to Trent's Grocery. Hiking along the road always seems to stretch out the distance, especially when it is a road with traffic and no shoulder. I was pretty disappointed when I got to Trent's Grocery. It was right across the road from a lumber mill. There were piles and piles of unmilled logs everywhere. The grocery itself was not exactly a grocery. It was a combination gas station, grocery, bait shop, ammunition shop, farm supply store, and lunch counter/grill. Chives was there and Elisa and Kolby were also there. I asked the clerk about my mail drop. It took her a while to check on it in the back room, because she was manning the store alone - if it is proper to say that a woman was manning the store. Every time the phone rang, or someone got gas, or wanted fish bait or a hamburger, she had to come out of the back room and help them. Finally she said there was no package for me. I couldn't figure out how that could be. I asked what time the mail came the next day and she sad about 10:30. I had hoped to be on the trail way before then. I asked about the camping, and she said she'd show me where it was when she got a break in helping customers.While waiting I talked to an interesting local resident. He owned about a hundred acres and harvested trees sustainably. He started talking about tree species that have been destroyed over the years. He remembered the American chestnut trees. When he was a boy area farmers sent their pigs up into the forest each fall to fatten them up on chestnuts. We talked about the new species they are creating by mixing Chinese and American chestnut trees. I said I think it is about only 5% Chinese chestnut. He corrected me that it is 1/16 Chinese chestnut. Of course it had to be a power of 1/2 ... It was a good thing he didn't know I was a math teacher. Now he is losing his hemlock trees. It is amazing how the other trees fill the gap, but it is sad that major tree species can't withstand the onslaught of invasive species that we bring in whether they are brought in intentionally or not.After we had talked for a while the store clerk came and pointed me to the camping area. It was away from the road, between a creek and a horse pasture. It was a nice grassy area with a large tree in the center, a shower house, and a few RV's that looked like they hadn't been moved in years. All in all it was't a bad campsite for $6 including a shower, and we could lock our food bags in the shower house so we didn't need to hang them from a tree.