Date: 2013-04-23
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Holiday Motor Lodge
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

(In which I nero into Pearisburg for resupply)I wake up early to pack up before breakfast. A bell rings to indicate when breakfast is ready and I move inside. There is plenty more of the fresh bread and good coffee, and while I eat everything else offered I mostly consume these two items. I also requested an extra loaf of bread to take with me when I leave the hostel, so I load this into the top of my pack. My food bag is small enough now that I can easily accomodate this addition to my pack. I float around long enough before leaving that I also get to enjoy an unplanned smoothie. I get out of the hostel before most of the folks that stayed last night. Dozer and Funyuns are getting ready to leave while I am, and are slackpacking using Dozer's girlfriend's car. They are only going to Pearisburg, which I plan to stop in, so I throw most of my things into the car too.On walking back to the Trail, a short distance up a woods road, I see that the Forest Service wasn't fooling around with closing the section immediately south of the road for a prescribed burn. Smoke is rising from many points in sight of the road, some of which are a stone's throw away. A few rangers are on hand at this trailhead, and inquire if I am heading south. If I was, one of them was probably there to shuttle me and any other hikers around to the south end of the burn. I am not, so I head north and climb out of the gap.I am alone for a while, seeing Splinter briefly when I stop in Docs Knob Shelter. Later, when I break out to a clearing and a powerline crossing, I see a section hiker who left the hostel much earlier than I did. He is moving slow, and also walking with a large husky. Rooster and Sweat pass by as I am stopped here, as do Wild Blue and Josh. They mention seeing Dozer and Funyuns just down the Trail, although those guys had stopped for throwing knife practice - not an infrequent event. The section hiker and his husky depart ahead of me, and after eating a considerable portion of bread and butter I move out as well.I pass the section hiker before making another stop at a viewpoint on this ridge. Wild Blue and Josh have stopped here, having found cell phone reception. Rooster and Sweat are also here, moving on as I arrive. I don't stay long and move a bit further up the Trail to a site called Angel's Rest, a location with many large, square blocks of stone. A lone outcrop gives a clear view off the ridge down to Pearisburg in the north. It is not a terribly inspiring view, looking down onto the sprawling town which occupies most of the foreground. Highways and railroad tracks wind along the New River, crowding it and detracting from its beauty.The section hiker arrives while I am shooting photos, and while I am getting ready to leave Wild Blue and Josh show up. They set about climbing one of the large boulders, Wild Blue taking an easy scramble up the back side and Josh taking a more challenging route up the side adjacent to the Angel's Rest trail. I consider joining them, but I don't feel like risking the scramble with my camera on hand. Pearisburg is close, and I need to get there quickly to meet a couple folks. Karin and Rob, folks I met dancing at the end of March, go to school nearby and are meeting up with me in town for lunch. I don't want to keep them - or my stomach - waiting, so I pack up and start the descent toward Pearisburg.The descent into Pearisburg is rough, steep, and short. Once I arrive in town, there is then the issue of getting to the center of town from the residential area the Trail brings me into. The nearest eateries, one of which I intend to use whilst waiting for my visitors, are almost a mile away. For having walked ten miles already today, that doesn't sound too bad. It is not a nice road walk though. I walk alongside a four-lane highway with no shoulder which climbs steeply uphill into town. The speed of the traffic and the lack of a shoulder means I don't bother trying to hitch the short distance into town. I make it there quickly enough though, and settle into the Dairy Queen for the wait and for some ice cream.Wild Blue and Josh join me in the Dairy Queen shortly after I arrive. They also hadn't tried hitching into town. While relaxing in the air conditioning, we compare driver's license photos. Both of theirs have them clean shaven, although they haven't yet grown much beard yet. My license from three years ago exhibits almost as much facial hair as I have now. Some folks stop shaving on the Trail, while some will stop shaving beforehand to get their trail beard started early. I suppose I fall into the latter category, although I stopped shaving six years before starting on the Trail.I manage to get in touch with Dozer and determine his group's whereabouts. They are at the Walmart but are heading to the Mexican restaurant across the street from the Dairy Queen. I move over to that parking lot to wait for them. Karin and Rob arrive before Dozer does, so I have to hold them up for a few minutes while I wait on Dozer and pick up the rest of my gear. Once this is done, I climb in with Karin and Rob for a ride out to a nearby Korean restaurant which Karin has told me is pretty good. Having never eaten Korean food before, I can't judge for myself but take her word for it. We are indecisive so the waitress - probably the owner of the place - suggests a variety of things for us to order. We wind up with three plates of food - spicy seafood and mild pork and chicken. It is all good, and there is plenty of food to be had.On our way out of the restaurant, the owner asks if anybody wants a toaster oven that they are throwing away. It is just us and one other table of folks in the restaurant, so Rob has no competition when he volunteers to take the appliance. Instead of just going back to Pearisburg and continuing on my way, I continue on into Blacksburg with these folks. They are going to a Bible study, and then to a swing dance lesson afterward. The last time I found an opportunity to visit a house of worship was when I stayed at the Blueberry Patch Hostel way back in Georgia, so I like the idea of jumping into this tonight. They mention at the beginning of the study that I am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, and I field some questions on that. The study involves small group discussion and presentation, and I find myself somewhat at a loss there. It has been a while since I have spoken around more than a few folks, and I find little to contribute amongst so many unknown faces.Instead of continuing to the swing dance lesson after the study, I ask Karin if she can take me back to Pearisburg. It is late and I am not finding much energy to continue being social after the study's social interaction has left me tired. Karin and Rob oblige and bring me back to Pearisburg, although I know this means they are missing some of the swing dancing. I appreciate this, as I know I would wind up exhausted and without means to easily get back to the Trail tomorrow. Dozer and Funyuns are staying at the Motor Lodge in town, and while Dozer is sharing a room with his girlfriend I can sleep on the floor in Funyuns' room. He has a couple sleeping pads I can use, one from his pack and one from his bounce box. This is probably a cleaner sleeping option than the bed itself, as the Motor Lodge is the dumpiest hotel I have stayed at in recent memory. However, it is a place to sleep and I take comfort in knowing I will be out of here tomorrow morning.Peace,