Date: 2015-04-28
From: The Priest shelter

To: Unnamed Campsite
Miles today: 22.3

I was extremely tired today, because I slept very poorly last night. In an attempt to not become dependent on my sleeping pills, I decided not to take any last night. It's just as well, because there was practically a symphony of snores in the shelter. At one point I woke up and didn't sleep for nearly an hour. I eventually woke up at 6am to my alarm but didn't move for 30 minutes. It was very cold- about 35 F. I left camp at 7.30, after 4 oat packets and a small cup of tea. I immediately ran into a problem. I couldn't recall which direction I had joined the shelter trail from, and so I was stuck at a four way cross roads until Lorax and Archangel appeared and directed me. From there, the trail continued mostly flat for a few minutes, and then began the steep climb down that makes "The Priest" so hellish for SOBOs. Down, down, down to the river, and then up, up, up endlessly. Although the morning started cold, with a bitter wind, it quickly heated up and made the upward climb exhausting. There were also plenty of sizeable rocks to make things even more strenuous. Fortunately, it was time for lunch at the a shelter shortly afterwards.By that point, I already knew that I would be too exhausted to do a long day. Archangel, Lorax, and Dopey had decided to do about 25 miles to an unofficial campsite. I decided to do 22 miles to an official campsite. After lunch, I had a bit of luck. First, a group of Boy Scouts had left some trail magic in the form of sweets and mandarins. The sweets were okay but the mandarin was really amazing. It reminded me of how much I miss fruits and vegetables. I will definitely be buying some when I get into Waynesboro tomorrow. Shortly after that, I was crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway and was stopped by two cyclists. It turned out that they were from Quebec, and the woman's sister had previously hiked the AT. She had told them that they must feed any hikers they see, which the woman complied with enthusiastically. She gave me 2 protein bars and some chocolate (which I shared with Archangel). She also told me where they were staying in Waynesboro, and said that they would feed me if I found them. It was extremely kind of her to say so, though I suspect I will be very busy at the Chinese buffet instead. From there, the trail followed miles of a very rocky ledge. It seemed to take absolutely forever. Worse, my right hip started aching to the point where I had to stop and take painkillers. Once again, the sun was relentless. At one point, the trail reached a cliff edge, and another one of those spectacular views was revealed. This time, the trail was on the other side of the mountains, and there were no others except in the very far distance. All I could see was miles and miles of forests and fields and tiny houses. The sheer size of this country, and even just this one state, will never cease to amaze me. I finally made it to the campsite at about 5.30. I was relieved to see another hiker there. (The Blairwitch movie had briefly popped into my head earlier). He knew my name, but I have no idea who he is. Still, it definitely feels a lot safer to have someone else around in case the bears get hungry. The campsite is near the top of the mountain, so tonight will likely be extremely cold and windy- though there is no wind at the moment. The sunset and sunrise will probably be spectacular though. And of course, only 12 miles to Waynesboro. I don't know where I will be staying to town yet, but I am extremely excited about the Chinese buffet and that will hopefully push me faster. (I've heard it has everything, including one of my favourite foods- sushi.)