Date: 2006-05-09
From: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro YMCA
Miles today: 0.0

Well, another long stretch without writing. I'm starting to wonder if I should get a pocket mail to keep up with this. Then again a pocket mail means more weight on my back... so never mind. Lets see, last time I wrote I was in Pearisburg. I guess I'll start with my milage from the time I left my parents (which was before Pearisburg). 8.5, 14.5, 14.3, 3.5, 26.8, 13.7, 23.7, 16.5, 7.3, 12.3, 18.5, 22.3, 14.6, 17.8, ZERO, 24.9, 17.2, 16.3, 17.9, 18.1, 12, 22, 5. As you can see from those numbers, my body is starting to become very accustomed to hiking longer miles as well and needing less rest. I've hiked 22 days with only one day of rest and that number will grow. I don't have a rest day in any of my plans for the next week as I fly through the Shenandoah National Park. Yesterday I only planned on hiking 6 miles as a mini-rest day. I didn't start hiking until 11:30 but once I finished climbing the Three Ridges and was done for the day I realized I wasn't tired... so I kept walking. My planned rest day (after chugging a half bottle of honey) turned into a 22 mile day setting me up for an easy walk this morning to Waynesboro. Today has already been great. I made it to Weasie's for breakfast and downed 2 huge pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 bisuits and gravy, an apple juice and a sweet tea. On top of that I found out that my new sleeping bag will be in the Post Office either this afternoon or tomorrow morning. It weighs a little more than 2 pounds less than my current one!!! TWO POUNDS!! Here I am sending back extra matches and lip balm to save weight and now a new sleeping bag makes me 2 pounds lighter. As for the last 13 days that I've missed talking to y'all, I'll try to sum it up as best as I can. I left Pearisburg and it rained most of the 7 miles and we packed a 6 person shelter with 9 people. The next day after hiking a mile, I found Jebus's dog so I turned around and hiked almost all the way back to the shelter and returned Jackson. That day I only hiked 12 miles so I was well rested for the 18 and 22 mile days that followed. On the 22 mile day, I saw the Keffer Oak which is a 300 year old tree that is 19 feet in circumference. On the 29th I climbed down Dragons Tooth which was fun because it had rebar to help because it was basically climbing down a cliff. That evening we ate at an all you can eat resturant called The Homeplace in Catawba. It reminded me of the Daniel Boone Inn in Boone. The next day Jebus and I climbed McAfee Knob ( the most photographed area on the trail) as well as Tinker Cliffs and wrapped up the day with a decent into Daleville for McDonalds, a hotel room, and late night Waffle House. The first of May was my Zero day and I bought a new pack (Gregory Z-pack). The second was a long 24 mile day were the trail crisscrossed with the Blue Ridge Parkway. The third was a horribly long and slow climb up to Apple Orchard Mountain. The fourth was mostly downhill and a deer and I had a conversation for about 10 minutes as it stood about 4 feet away from me eating leaves, I also hitched to Big Island (THANK YOU everyone for my birthday cards and gifts, I love you all). After hitching back I saw some kids jumping off a brige 30 feet into a river, so of course I was up there jumping with them in a matter of seconds. That night the bugs came out bad, so bad that I left the shelter at 11 to set up my tent. On the 5th there were a lot of thunderstorms which felt great in the heat. I almost got struck as a lighting bolt hit a tree not but 200 feet from me. The 6th I made it to a B&B, but not before I bent my hiking pole while twisting each ankle for three steps. For dinner I got a peanut butter pie with candles and Granite and Yeti gave me a little butterfly purse with pop rocks, fudge, and peanut butter cups in it. The 7th, blah this is getting repetitive. I'm sorry. How do people sit and stare at a computer all day. This bores me and I've only been on for 30 minutes. I just want to go hike some more. Its supposed to be in the mid 70s today. You know what that means? It means I'm going swimming in a river then cowboy camping so I can fall asleep under the stars. You should do it to. This weekend just go. What else are you going to do? Sit around and watch T.V., do some house cleaning, go out and buy and whole bunch of stuff you don't need. How about you get that old bike with flat tires, fix it up, and go on a bike ride around town. Get some sandwiches and go visit a park you've never been to. Take a cruise up to Boone and hike a loop on the Blueridge Parkway. Just get outside. Life is too short to sit around watching T.V. and looking on the internet. Well the librarian just kicked me off so I gotta go.