Date: 2009-06-03
From: Sugar Grove

To: Rural Retreat
Miles today: 8.5

The Scot-IrishWith a real breakfast in Rural Retreat on our minds, we got up and hit the trail early. The Phlo had gotten sick overnight from the mushrooms, bad water or something else, so he and Graveyard said they were going to sleep in and might just stay at Sugar Grove Shelter all day.We made good time in the morning and got to the Settler's Museum fairly early. The Settler's Museum is an 1800's era farm that is well preserved and remains a working farm. As we came in off the trail we passed a number of old farm buildings and implements, and a restored farm house. A very long eared deer, with ears resembling a jack rabbit, spotted us from the tall grass and sized us up. It took off running before I could get out my camera.We then followed a long farm road down to the museum, which had free admission for AT thru-hikers. We were greeted as we entered by Dylan, the museum director and a native of north Central Illinois. He gave us a guided tour, explaining all the exhibits and giving us a detailed narrative of the area's history.Much of the museum focused on the settlement of the area by the Scot-Irish and later the Germans. Apparently the Scot-Irish, who were originally pushed out of Scotland into northern Ireland, fled to America in the 1800's to escape the oppression of the British. Originally they settled in Eastern Pennsylvania and upon crossing the Appalachians saw a great blue ocean they assumed to be the Pacific Ocean, which turned out to be another mountain range - the Blue Ridge. So they settled in the valley in between and gradually moved south through Maryland, West Virginia and eventually Southwest Virginia. Part of what pushed them south was the influx of Germans into the area, who after telling immigration officials they were from Deutscheland were mis-named the Pennsylvania Dutch - a name they still carry today.He explained to us how the streotypical image of these mountain fold as poor, dumb hicks was a prejudice fostered by northern industrialists and government officials ho wanted to take their land for, among other things, the Appalachian Trail. He took out a dollar bill and held it over his head and asked how much rain that would keep off our heads. He held it to his sleeve and asked how warm we though it would keep us. he went on to tell us about the subsistence culture of the mountain people and the system of barter that is still quite prevalent today. "What would I do with a sack of gold if someone offered it to me? I can't eat it. I can't live in it. I can't wear it. Maybe I could melt it down and make some tools, but I'd give a lot for a sack of seeds. That's something I can cultivate, eat, and trade for a roof over my head or clothes on my back."They may not have had much money, he explained, but they're rich in family, in community, in culture and in the land they cultivate. It was obviously a rehearsed spiel he gives to all visitors, but it made sense and it really hit home.We ended up spending far more time at the museum than we had planned, so breakfast at Rural Retreat was out. It looked more like it would be a late lunch or early dinner now. So we set out again on the trail, motivated by the though of a cool beverage and a hot meal.The trail, after getting to the Settler's museum, was mainly going through open meadows and tall grass. We realized this meant checking Einstein very well for ticks that evening. The sun was also high and it was a cloudless day, so we were baking and sweating profusely in the noonday sun. We finally reached the highway near Rural Retreat and walked a few hundred feet on the shoulder to the Barn Restaurant, which had a hiker/trucker special we took advantage of - a stupidly huge burger and fries. We polished it off rather quickly.After our late lunch we sat a while and caught upon our phone messages, email and some news. Since it was the first phone coverage we had in quite some time. Again we waited to see if The Phlo and Graveyard might show up. After a few hours we decided to fill up on water and hit the trail.On the way out the thought of breakfast in the morning sounded enticing so we decided we would look for a spot nearby so we could walk back tot he Barn Restaurant in the AM. But there really weren't any good spots to be had as we walked through tall grassy meadows, marshland and eventually a large cow pasture.As we made our way through the cow pasture, dark clouds were moving in on the horizon, so we raced to the woods on the far side hoping to find a spot before it rained. We found a spot just on the other side of the fence and it began pouring within minutes of setting up our tent. It was a close call but we just made it.