Date: 2017-04-29
From: Brown Mountain Creek Shelter

To: Buena Vista, VA
Miles today: 1.8

The three other hikers were planning big miles today and an early start was in order for them. They are all doing 25+ miles a day which means I will probably not see them again. I only have 1.8 miles to get into town. I wasn't in a hurry and laid around while they prepared for the day. It only takes me about an hour to get up and out of camp. I left Mutombo filtering water. He said it takes him 45 minutes with his mini-sawyer to fill up everything. I offered to help since I was in no hurry. He said it was his burden and wouldn't let me help.  The trail was uphill to town, but nothing drastic. I was about a mile down the trail when I ran in Jeff and his two friends. We talked for awhile and he has read some of my journal. It was kind of bizarre to meet a complete stranger and they know stuff about me. He was very nice and asked if I had a ride into town. I said no, I was going to hitch. He gave me a doubtful look and said they weren't hiking far and if I was still there, he'd take me into town. He also left some trail magic on the trail by the road. Sweet! Just before the road was a cooler with sodas. I grabbed a Coke. Thanks Jeff!!I arrived at the road and there were Machine and all his friends camped in the grass on a pullout by the road. I thought they might make hitching a bit hard, because people sometimes don't want to pull over for a large group. The road was curved making it hard for oncoming cars to see me, so I walked down a bit to be more easily seen. Quite a few cars went by with no luck. A truck with a horse trail pulled in to the wayside and blocked the view of the large group of hikers. I thought at first they pulled over for me, but they were taking the horses for a ride. I went back to my spot. I always change my hitch hiker thumb to a wave when it is apparent the vehicle isn't going to stop. Like saying no problem, have a good day. The guy that stopped actually turned around to get me after seeing me wave. He thought that indicted I was a nice person. Sam, I think was his name, was an extremely nice man. I asked him the best place for a good breakfast and he ended up giving me a tour of the town and recommended two restaurants to try. I couldn't thank him enough for the lift into town. I arrived into town quite early and wasn't able to check-in quite yet. He did allow me to secure my backpack and I went to find breakfast. I went to the TnT restaurant that Sam suggested for breakfast and they have a wonderful breakfast buffet on Saturday mornings. I had two huge plates of food including a lot of fruit and tomatoes. The tomatoes were fabulous. I try to eat whatever my body is craving. Nice little place. I would have probably gone there again, but they closed at noon and don't open again till Tuesday. Darn. Another good breakfast would have been nice.I went to find the post office to know the location on Monday. I thought all post offices were open on Saturday mornings, but in these small towns they are not. I will be hanging around till Monday to get my package. Darn!After I was finally able to check-in, I took a much needed shower and did laundry. I love the first shower when I get into town. Feels incredible!  For dinner, I went to the Chinese restaurant Sam pointed out. It was really, really good. They didn't have a buffet like most hikers prefer, but the food I ordered was fresh and extremely tasty. I enjoyed it very much.  Talked to Mark a couple times. Always fun to talk with him.