Date: 2012-05-27
From: Loft Mountain Store

To: Skyline Drive at 75.2 (Pinefield Gap)
Miles today: 5.9

A short hiking day for Dave, Anne, and SOS. They drove to their start point and I stayed at the room until 10:45 when I left for church at Jollivue UM church for their service at 11:00. It is a country church which welcomes bikers. The pastor is very enthusiastic and did a great children's story time. I left the church at 12:15 and headed to pick up Anne on Skyline drive. I was shocked to see that it was 60.6 miles away!! Although I thought I would be late, I got there before the trio and read a book Anne loaned me while waiting. (Diane Keaton's book about her mother and their relationship titled Then Again.) When the trio arrived, they had decided that Pitchit and SOS were going to stop for the day also...so we drove back to the Loft Mountain Store where they had left the other car. They have a small restaurant so we ate a little lunch. Our "kids" (GQ and Maxsis) from the Chicago area were there so I talked to them a bit and found them very discouraged and not wanting to go on. Pitchit, SOS and I all talked to them about not quitting after coming this far so they are going to a shelter tonight and meeting up with Pitchit and SOS tomorrow morning and will hike all together...maybe that will encourage them! Nobody to give trail magic to today now that we are really stocked up. Tommy Shupe (friend from South Milford and co-district lay leader with Rog) sent trail magic with Dave and Anne and Dave and Anne bought some also so THANKS to all of you for helping out Trail Mama's Travelling Trail Magic store!! It is much appreciated TM and by the hikers. We drove to Elkton to try and find a room that was much closer to the trail since the drive time is getting ridiculous. There is only one real choice there since it is a small town so we are moving to a Mom and Pop place (minus the Mom, I think) where we will be in a small brick cabin with no cell service or internet. The town does have a McDonald's so if they have WIFI maybe we can keep up the journal from there..if not we will be back on line when we can. Dinner is next on the agenda after the guys shower. Road Name of the Day: WHIPPOORWILL HOLLOW ROAD...just liked the sound of it. The runner up today was: Judy Lane...for obvious reasons but it did get me to thinking of how old names are coming back...except for Judy...I don't know one young person or child named Judy! I know some Henry's and Edith's but no Judy's...oh well, I like my "real" name which is Judith...only one person in my life always called me Judith...and SOS often calls me Jutta which I like also.SOS here:It is an epidemic of Virginia Blues. Virginia Blues happens to thru hikers because the Appalachian Trail is 550+ miles long and some thru hikers who become discouraged and stop hiking because the day to day miles hiked seems to become endless. Three young hikers we know, who have become friends, are suffering from the Virginia Blues - Maxis and GQ today and last Friday Big Sky came down with the Blues. Trail Mama and I have given words of encouragement to all three. Pray for these three that they will be re-energized. A thru hike is an incredible accomplishment and anyone who succeeds joins a very elite and small group. Successful thru hikers refer to the year they completed the thru hike and say they are the class and insert the year they completed the thru hike. I will be in the class of 2012.No thru hiker wants to see a fellow thru hiker not make it and agonizes over anyone who leaves the trail because of injuries or being emotionally drained. Trail Mama and I will do whatever we can to keep a fellow hiker hiking.We met two young men Pinefield Hut Shelter. They were cousins and were on a section hike with relatives. Anne told them that, "Trail Mama was just down the trail .2s of a mile and had food and juice drinks in the car." They were content and did not go the .2s of mile to get some trail magic. Anne said as we headed to the pickup point that, "they were obviously not thru hikers, because they would have beat us to the pickup point to get trail magic that was so close." Anne loved the hike, especially the ridge hiking, seeing the Mountain Laurel along the trail and the quail we saw that seemed to be hurt. (Later we thought maybe she was faking being hurt to draw us away from her young)It was a beautiful day to be hiking and always a great day to be with the Michel's.If you have already read yesterday please go back and read it again because I have added my account for yesterday.