Date: 2005-05-28
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pearisburg zero
Miles today: 0.0

No miles today, I just pulled in to town to spend the night. Evelyn dropped me off in Pearisburg at the Rendezvous Hotel where I tried to get a room. The only room available was not cleaned out from the hikers who were there the evening before. I could not believe the amount of trash so few people could make in such a short time. The manager told me it would take some time to clean up and I suggested she should use a leaf blower and a snow shovel to expedite it. I told her to "never mind" that I will move on up the street to another place. As I was leaving I ran in to Sky walker, he was rooming with Spoonman there that night so, I got my hat and gloves back. I failed to mention before that I asked Syracuse Pete (he was south bound on a slack pack day) to see if anyone found them when he returned to the motel. From what Skywalker told me, Spoonman took control of them first thing after I left that morning (he knew they were mine).   I ended up at the "Holiday Motor Lodge" and got a room there. There was a bar down stairs and at that bar, a lot of hikers were having a good time. It was nice to see so many familiar faces just hanging out like normal people. Food at this bar was purchased in large quantities and left overs were not "left" for long, the hiker appetite was alive and consuming (everything). I saw Spoonman there, thanked him and told him I recovered my hat. He was there with Lizard and after a few beers I headed to my room. I recall passing by open doors and saying my hellos while looking in on friends. The trash piles were oozing out of each open door I came to there as well. Maybe I can see why the folks in Bland, VA were not so thrilled about having hikers among them.    Beside the next days town meals I planned to consume, I was ready to hit the trail. Since I was getting on the AT on the edge of town I planned to cut strait across to where I got off, Wades department store. One thing to note, Pearisburg was located on the New River. I know this for a fact, the New River is the oldest river on the face of the earth (geologically speaking). One of the things I enjoyed immensely on the trail, geographical as well as historical facts. Here is an interesting fact, two things in this country migrated East to West, Man (white men in particular) and the Norwegian Rat. Not really caring about the rat in general however (nasty little critters), our countries history is full of traveling westward. The "Manifest Destiny" of it all just made the intersection of a North bound trail with West bound history inevitable.    We were tracking across areas that were fought over in wars (large and small), exploited for their natural resources and inhabited by others long before we walked upon it (15,000 years proven thus far). With every natural line of drift we came upon (areas easy to walk through like a gap in the mountains or a long low valley), I could imagine the migration of the Eastern Buffalo (long hunted to extinction). The Buffalo wasn't the only ones to go, sub-species of Elk, Wolf, Fish and even Birds are now extinct. John Burroughs, the naturalist, once wrote how a flock of wild Pigeons would fly by him in a flock so large it would block out the sun, could you imagine. Though I observed a plethora of wildlife it was nothing like it once was. It must be said as well that, if it not for the trail, I could not imagine any other way that what I saw could have been remotely possible.