Date: 2013-06-04
From: Marble Spring Campsite

To: Glasgow Commons, US 501, VA 130
Miles today: 7.7

I slept so well last night. When I woke up this morning, the ceiling of my tent was covered in roach parts, legs & wings mostly. Where they offering them to me? It would be a sweet thought if it weren't so gross. My knee was hurting a little, aching mostly. The others had packed up and moved on (Swell and Movin' On camped in the same site as me last night). I wasn't in a mood to heat water, so I settled for cold granola and packed up.My knee hurt slightly when I started, but the pain seems to float around. It started on the outside, lower down. Then it floated to the bottom of the joint. Then to the upper inside. Occasionally it would ache under the knee cap. It's not excuriating by any stretch of the imagination, but I also know my body well enough to know that it isn't right. There was a killer downhill to boot, and that kept me on edge. The day was quite pretty. It was cool and other than the downhill, the trail was in descent shape. I was happy to read the shelter register and see that others thought the hill sucked. It wasn't just me whining. There was a ton of blooming mountain laurel, so bushes looked like they were covered in white pom-poms. The blueberry bushes are covered in fruit. When it ripens, there are going to be some lucky hikers! When I got to Matts Creek Shelter, I was seduced by the creek portion. It funneled through solid rock banks with frequent cascades that dumped into inviting pools of cool, clear water. I passed one such pool, and decided that since my hike would be so short, I would take the opportunity to take a dip. I dropped the pack and shed my shoes and socks. I was about to start disrobing when something close the edge, under the water caught my eye. It was a water snake laying perfectly still blending into the rocks on the bottom. It was no more than 3-4 feet from me. I slid back from the edge and watched it closely. Little fish in the stream were crowded around it, trying to peck at it's sides. Its head swung from side to side, mouth open, trying to shoo the fishes away. They were undeterred, obviously much braver than myself. It shifted to the surface, its head just above water. It saw me and shot down into the depths of the pool. There was no way in hell I was going in there. I know I swim in bodies of water all the time that have snakes in them, but this one was too small for the both of us. I put my shoes on and kept moving.I reached the part of the trail along the James River that I had hiked with my parents, aunt and cousin. It looked the same, but it felt totally different. The excitement of getting to share a bit of the AT with them was gone. I stopped at the places that we had taken photos together, but they felt hollow. It was so quiet. I was the only person on the trail today. I walked as fast as I could to get to the road. I wanted my memory of that section to belong to them last week, not to today.The parking lot was quiet, but there was a decent amount of traffic moving in both directions. It's a tough place to hitch-hike because you have to stand on the opposite side of the road from the direction you want to go. Also, there's a blind curve. So I tried my luck for 15 mins, but no one stopped. So I decided to walk down the road a bit to a safe pull out on the opposite side. As I was crossing the road, a car pulled up. It was a group of three friends (A guy and two girls) road-tripping down from upstate New York, not too far from Watertown. They were on their way to Myrtle Beach and had passed going the other direction. They saw me and turned around. They backtracked so they could drive me the 6 miles into Glasgow. They said they knew a place that had the BEST fried chicken which they really wanted to treat me to. So while I was in the Grocery Express restocking my food supply, they bought me a fried chicken dinner, left a delicious cold Coca-cola (which they had brought all the way from NY, which in turn came from Mexico thus made with real cane sugar, not corn syrup) and a MRE. They wished me luck and also asked if I needed money. I just laughed and thanked them for the food and hitch. I wished them safe and fun travels and waved as they pulled away. Thank you, Dan, Beth & Becky!Glasgow was hopping with hikers, most of whom I knew and were happy to be caught up with. They had arrived the day before and zeroed at the shelter in town. Glasgow has been so surprisingly welcome to hikers. The town set up a shelter at the edge of the town commons. There's a hot shower, port-o-potty, stack of firewood, fire ring and free camping. It's within easy walking distance of the grocery store and restaurant, which also warmly welcomes hikers. St. Croix, Blue, Bittergoat, Sole Rise, Surfer Dude, Caboose, Aristotle, Fifteen, Quaker, Long Island, Walmart, Happy Feet, Mouse and several others are staying the night. I found a shady spot under a flowering tree and unpacked my stuff. I had only planned to resupply and hide from the heat of the day. Then I wanted to get back out on the trail for another 2-3 miles. But instead I bought a 10 lb bag of ice to ice my knee, took my phone off of airplane mode and sent messages to Tom to tell him I could talk if he could call. He called. He encouraged me to stay put for a day to let my knee rest. The company is good, so I think I'll take his advice. The fireflies are out, not many, but enough to put a smile on my face. At this point, I need whatever I can get to keep my spirits up and my attitude positive.