Date: 2007-05-24
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We decided today to take another zero day. Toto has been having a problem with his left great toe. He thinks he has gout in it. The toe has had pain in it in the past and the pain has always gone away with ibuprofen but it hasn't seemed to have helped the last day or two. So I went to the drug store to get naproxen and so far it has not done much. We still plan on hiking tomorrow but we will probably take it a little easier.All we have done today is walk to the Chinese restaurant and then to the library. I had gone out earlier today and walked to Krogers to get some fruit to snack on. One thing we don't seem to get enough of is fresh fruit. Gatorgump and Cindy hiked out this morning. We saw Mike, Bucket, Water, and Scottie at the motel breakfast this morning. They are all taking a zero here also. Water and Toto are glad to be here this evening to watch the Caveliers on TV tonight. Another waffle incident occured this morning. Only this time it was Water and not Toto that goofed. The breakfast includes biscuits and sausage gravy and the gravy is in a crockpot. Instead of pouring batter from the pitcher Water took the ladle that was lying on the counter top and scooped up a ladle full of gravy and put it on the waffle iron. When he started smelling it he realized what he had done. We also saw Sandwich at breakfast this morning. We had been given 3 pounds of oreo cookies from our friends that came to see us yesterday--yes, THREE pounds!!! We took what we could carry and took the rest to put in the hiker box in the lobby. When I asked Sandwich if she wanted some she took them all and said she would give them to other hikers she would see later this morning at the church hostel. Bucket was a recipient of a pack of the cookies when she and Water came in for breakfast. FYI: A hiker box is a box where hikers leave extra supplies that they either do not need, do not want, or cannot carry. Most places have a box for hikers to leave things for other hikers to pick and choose from the contents. We picked up a big roll of toilet paper from the box here. Otherwise we would have had to buy some.I also saw Gorilla in Krogers this morning. He was with Sublime, a young man I had never met until today. They were planning to eat at the Chinese buffet and then head out for the trail. While checking journals at the library today I found out that Bluebell and Tree have gotten off the trail at least for a while but it sounded as though it could be for good, at least for this year. Buckles has also gotten off the trail. It sounded like all got off for physical problems they were having. I know how hard that decision is to finally make.The day was a great hiking day today with sun and clear skies. There was a breeze but sometimes on the mountain the breeze is not always felt depending on whether you are on a ridge top or on the side of the mountain where there is no wind. Still, it did not storm or rain---at least not down here.Toto is watching the ballgame and I am going to go to sleep. It is early but it is hard to stay awake. Tomorrow will be a tough day because of Toto's painful toe so we may have to do a shorter day. We will have to wait and see how it goes.   Life is Great!Dorothy & Toto