Date: 2015-11-01
From: Hwy 311, Four Pines Hostel 

To: Hwy 624, Four Pines Hostel 
Miles today: 6.0

Last night I was happy and surprised to see Tao at the hostel because he is a very fast hiker. Unfortunately he is here because he got a staff infection on both legs from the wet suit he wore while paddling the James River the day after me. He went to the urgent care center in Daleville and is on antibiotics. He wore a different wet suit than me because he is about a foot taller. I feel really bad for him. He is in a lot of pain and hiking low miles. This morning he decided to go to a hotel and rest. I hope he heals fast. My body is screaming at me that it needs more rest so I am going to slackpack just six miles today and walk a short distance back to the hostel.  Someone suggested I buy a cheap hiking pole at a nearby Walmart to get me by. I thought that was a great idea so Eddie drove me to get the pole and then to the trailhead.  The time changed last night so I got an extra hour of sleep which is great, but now it will be getting dark even earlier now which is not so great. The hike should not have taken me more than three hours, but I walked an extra hour and a half because I thought I had lost another essential piece of gear.My three favorite and most used pieces of gear are my camera, trekking poles and gizmo, without counting my pack and trail runners. My camera broke and I lost a pole yesterday so when I reached into the little bag hanging from my pack that holds my gizmo and it was not there I had a near meltdown. I am always so careful to put my gizmo back into it's bag because I don't know what I would do without it. My gizmo which is what I named it is a pink plastic device that allows me to pee discreetly while standing up with my pack on. Think of it as an indoor plumbing device for women. It is also one of the reasons why I prefer to wear a dress or skirt when hiking. If I am well hydrated I frequently use it every 20 minutes or so. Today it had been 45 minutes since I used it, so I had a lot of backtracking to do on the steepest part of the trail. This plastic device cost $45 and is worth every penny. I walked all the way back to the trailhead intently looking for it with no luck. I thought I was going to cry again until I visualized myself placing it in the pocket of my rain jacket after using it. Sure enough. That's where it was. I have never done that before, and have no idea why I did. I don't feel that tired today but started thinking maybe I am just beyond tired and really need a complete day off. To drive this point home after stopping on a ledge to have a snack I somehow got turned around and hiked in the wrong direction.  I only noticed it because the town appeared closer between the trees. Guthook saved me again. The last section of today's hike went through cow pastures which I love. The wide open spaces with cows roaming about is fun to ealk through. There was a lot if cow poop though which I managed to step in. It looks like big black pancakes. I made it back to the hostel before dark and enjoyed a dinner of ground beef and mac and cheese casserole with some of Donna's dehydrated squash, okra and peppers that another hiker cooked. So good! Hikers have use of a stove and fridge here and farm fresh eggs that are so tasty. It was nice to cook my own breakfast this morning. I haven't done that in a long while. I have decided to take a zero day tomorrow and hopefully be lazy. There is something coming up called Dragon's Tooth that is very rocky and steep with rebar. Hikers keep telling me how tough it is, but I know nothing will be tougher than The Whites and southern Maine. I'm kind of excited and apprehensive at the same time because I want to see how I handle it compared to what I've done and to see if my comfort level and climbing skills have improved.