Date: 2006-07-06
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: VA 634 & Pearisburg
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

Weather ¢ AM ¢ foggy and cool PM ¢ nice and clearI am not complaining about the rain, we hikers need the water. But it would be nice if it just rained at night when we are in shelters. It rained almost all night last night. This morning it was cold, damp and foggy. I was packed and out of the shelter around 9:30 am wearing my dry long sleeve shirt, long zipout pants and rain jacket. After about an hour the rain jacket and bottom part of my pants came off. I hiked at an easy pase knowing that I had a short distance to get to town. When I got to the first overlook that is only a couple of miles from town, Frond and Azaria were sitting there soaking up the sun. It was relaxing to sit there and not feel rushed.All along the top of Pearis Mountain, I saw a lot of plants called squawroot. I was told that the bears like to eat it. It looks like little corncob sticking up out of the ground. Coming down the mountain I saw a strange looking catapillar. It looked like it had a head on both ends. When we reached VA 634 we walked down the road together into Pearisburg. It was around 2:30 pm and past lunch time, so it was time to eat. At Hardee¢s while I was eating my liunch I look out the window to see one of the fatest groundhogs I have ever seen eating grass on the other side of the parking lot. I had to come into town to see some wildlife. An older couple came up and wanted to know if Frond, Azaria and I were hiking the AT. When we said we were, they told us that they live up in the mountains near the trail and that they saw four hikers going past their house the day it rained so hard. They invited them in, gave them some dry clothes to put on, dried their clothes, fed them and made them spend the night. Now that is real trail magic! They must have shaken our hands several times. They even invited us to stop by and see them.Frond, Azaria and I went separate ways in town. As I was walking down the old part of town admiring the old buildings, like the court house, a guy close to my age in a pickup truck yells across the street to ask if I was going up to the Holy Family Hostel. When I told him I was he said, ¢Climb in and I will give you a ride.¢ His name was Bryon and he was going to the hostel to pick up his son Bob, whose trail name is Night Fox. They were headed north for 45 miles and were going to hike south together. Bob showed me around the hostel.When they left I unpacked and hung my stuff out to dry on the railing of the porch. The hostel is an old barn that was torn down and brought up to the top of the hill and rebuilt. From the porch you can lookout and see the mountain ridge that you will be hiking when you leave Pearisburg. The lower part has a library area, sitting area, small kitchen, small bathroom and small shower. The upper part is the bunk area with mattresses on the floor with pillows. Pillows are a luxury.Frond and Azaria showed up a little after me and at around 7:00 pm Bill the caretaker for the hostel came driving up with Frank, Jess, Morning Song (Ernie) and Towhee (Louise). It was a big trail family reunion. It was great to see them all and know that they were all safe. Frond and Azaria were cooking supper at the hostel. The rest of us piled in to Ernie¢s and Louis¢s Focus and went to the Friend and Family Restaurant for supper. Back at the hostel we told stories about where we were when the rains cam and also planned what we were going to do tomorrow since Ernie and Louise are leaving tomorrow for Pennsylvania and want to give us rides into town before they leave.