Date: 2003-05-16
From: Maupin Field Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap Waynesboro VA 
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: light rain

Day 64 Avg Mls/Day 13.2Weather: Mountains foggy in morning. Mid day clearing then clouding up in the evening. High temp maybe 70.Today's Nature: Charlie saw a mountain goat...I didn't see anything new or special.Let's start with last night. We had a full shelter with the Brits settled in. I woke up about 2 a.m. to find Overload sitting up and eating (I think). When I got back from watering the weeds he said something about the mice getting into his GORP. He is the young man on his 2nd day on the Trail...and has a lot to learn about hiking which he freely admits. I tried to tell him that all food must be hung where mice cannot get to it...one of the first things you learn. I wasn't sure if he didn't believe me or what because when we all got up later he mentioned again that the mice got into his trail mix. I'm beginning to wonder if he wasn't up feeding the mice. I think he may also be carrying way too much. Furthermore, he is using two heavy wood poles as walking sticks. He seems like a nice young man. I suggested he could learn a lot by logging on to trailjournals. Charlie was up first...about 5 a.m. and on the Trail by 6. I started eating breakfast and packing up myself shortly thereafter. I was hiking by 6:30. I had a note in my plan that the trail from Maupin to Waynesboro was fairly easy. Well, I'm sure I got this from the guys I followed last year. I did not find the first 11 miles that easy. There was plenty of climbing, although not that steep. The big thing was the rocks...big rocks...jagged rocks...piles of rocks...all over the Trail. It does slow me down. The Trail did take you to some overlooks and Humpback Mountain, but everything was fogged in. It was another "just hike it" day. I stopped several times to eat a Snickers but did not have a lunch as such. I got to US 250 around 3. There, Lucky was just returning to the Trail with his sister after meeting up with his family in Waynesboro yesterday. His parents were dropping him off and Charlie was waiting patiently for a ride back into town. I got invited along. The bad news was it was graduation weekend in Waynesboro; Charlie had called and found the Comfort (now the Quality Inn) was booked. I wanted to check it out anyway so we went there first. They said they had rooms so we started to check in. It was then we found out there were romms tonight but none tomorrow night. (We are both taking a zero Saturday) So we hitched a ride to the Best Western on the edge of town where Charlie already had a reservation. Got a ride with a real nice guy who lived near Cleveland for 20 years.Only trouble was the rooms at the Best Western are $98, and that was a "special" rate. We weren't going to go through the hassel of finding a better deal. As soon as we checked in we did our laundry and got cleaned up. Went to dinner at the Western Sizzlin Steak House and had a great T-bone dinner with a fabulous salad and desert bar. We ate good!Tomorrow, we both have to get mail drops at the Post Office before it closes at 11. Then I hope to visit the library and pick up snack food.Thought for the Day: There's nothing like a good T-bone after a 20 mile hike.