Date: 2006-07-09
To: Montebello
Miles today: 0.0

If they had started the hike in Cincinnati, the Camel and Little Billy Goat Gruff would be past Chicago now, almost to Milwaukee, with 356 miles behind them. Instead, Day 32 of the trek found the pair in Montebello, Virginia at the Dutch Haus Bed and Breakfast. More than a third of the way into this little stroll, they are gaining strength and appearing like sure bets to make Bear Mountain, their final destination in New York. ¢My knees are better,¢ Mary said. ¢ I started a stretching program. That seemed to do something, relieve something. They are better. I¢m 100 percent better. I¢ve been taking medicine for it. I¢m just getting my legs. We hiked 16 miles yesterday, and I felt super. I still have some blisters, but everybody gets those. I¢m enjoying it now. I¢m feeling strong. I think I¢m going to make it.¢ Here¢s a recap of what has happened since we last heard from them, as told by the Camel: Day 23-24 in Daleville: They spent two nights at the Howard Johnson here, resting and recovering. The second day was their first Zero Day, meaning no miles at all. ¢It was just what we needed because it rained the three days prior. Not just rained but poured. We went to the local Kroger¢s, which is about a quarter mile down the road and loaded up on fresh foods ¢ salad, bologna, chips and Sunny D, my favorite. It was a great day, the first day.¢ Their friends Whistler and Limbraker, who were celebrating their 10th anniversary the first day, stayed in the room next to them both days, but Whistler got sick and couldn¢t leave the room. They bought groceries for Limbraker. On the second day there, June 29, they lounged at the pool, restocked their supplies, made arrangements to stay at Mom and Pop¢s motel in Glasgow later on in the week and made calls home. Jeff also bought Mary a new knee brace. ¢She was still bellyaching then. Of course, she was energized to talk the kids and family and see Lucas on the internet.¢ Day 25: They left the hotel without Whistler and Limbraker and hiked 11 miles to the Wilson Creek Shelter, arriving at 3:30 p.m. They cleaned up as usual with wild spring water, and Jeff picked two handfuls of blueberries. ¢They tasted darn good,¢ he said. They had the place to themselves that day, and Jeff gave Mary another Hiker of the Day Award, saying ¢she was starting to the turn the corner. Day 26: On this 14-mile day, they met Kite, a glassblower from Long Island and a southbound hiker who hiked the entire trail north to south in 2005. They also met a 19-year-old hiker named Jump Wings and encountered some trail magic near the Blue Ridge Parkway, a grape pop and Nutty Bars. ¢What a delight,¢ Jeff said. They camped solo that night when they couldn¢t reach their goal, the Middle Creek Campground. At this point, they were four days behind the schedule they made before the hike, but in the days ahead, they would make up two days. ¢We¢ll get there when we get there,¢ Jeff said. Day 27: They hiked eight miles and arrived at Middle Creek Campground. They also visited an old general store, where they met a 77-year-old Belgian man and also Rob Beyer and Springer (not Jerry, said Jeff). Springer did 1,000 miles in 2000 and is now doing a shorter hike. He and his wife are chiropractors from the Atlanta area. Springer was about to get off the trail to fix his water filter. Beyer is from Bear Mountain, Mary and Jeff¢s final destination. They made plans to meet when Beyer when they reached Bear Mountain. Beyer also gave them a ride to another store, one that sold beer, 10 miles away and then back to the campground. Day 28: On this day, they stayed at the Bryant Ridge Shelter (here is a link to a photo: http://www.hikers2000.homestead.com/files/z0525bryantsh2.jpg), one of the best on the trail. It was designed by architecture students and features skylights and a porch in a beautiful setting next to a stream.The shelter is 286 miles from their starting point in Damascus. They had it to themselves until about 5 or 6 when Brian (Wet Tail) and his sons Will (Weatherman) and Mike (Snake Charmer) showed up. They are from Tallahassee, Fla. The sons go to Amherst and Williams College in Massachusetts. Mary and Jeff would spend the next three nights with the three, who were carrying 50-pound packs and doing a week¢s worth of hiking. While at the shelter, Mary cleaned her clothes on the rocks, and Springer, who they had met at Middle Creek, left them some food: Gorp, bagels, oatmeal, peanut butter, chicken and fish. ¢We had a great time there,¢ Jeff said. ¢Mary said she feels the best she¢s felt since Damascus.¢ Jeff said his right shoulder has been bothering him a little, but otherwise, he¢s fine. Day 29, July 3: They passed the 300-mile mark with 10 miles on this day. They ascended 2,500 feet during the day and stopped for the day right before a storm hit. Thru-hikers Red Beard and Guiness showed up at the site that night. Later, Polar Bear, who had been off the trail with a foot injury, made an appearance. At this point, Jeff digresses for a nature story. ¢Sometimes you have to explore the side trails around the shelter, see a trail and follow it. Some go to lookouts, some to areas of solitude. I sat down for about an hour on one trail. A doe and a fawn came running through.. I was there watching them. The mother spotted me. She started stomping her front leg, trying to scare me away. She started snorting like she was blowing her nose, the whole ttime looking at me. Of course, he didn¢t come too close.¢ Day 30, Tuesday, July 4: They hiked 15 miles and got a ride from McMeninee and his girlfriend to Glasgow, where they stayed at Mom and Pop¢s Motel. Not a good place, Jeff said. But they did get to watch the Germany-Italy World Cup match. Jeff had his usual meal that day: bologna with cheese and mayo and chips. On this day, they ran into Deacon and Clare Bear again. They were getting off the trail after hiking 300 miles. Clare Bear had had enough, Jeff said. Again they ran into Red Beard and Guiness, and Mary gave them tips on the proper way to hitch a ride, pointing out that they should ask people at the gas station instead of just thumbing. Day 31, July 5: They visited the post office to pick up their food drop but discovered it hadn¢t arrived. They figured out that it had been sent to the Tyro Tea Room because the post office in Tyro had been closed down, something their guide book failed to tell them. So in the end, they had the boxes shipped to Waynesboro, ahead on the trail, and they will get them there. They hitched a ride back to the trail with Miss Bishop, 23. Then ascended 1,500 feet to the Punch Bowl Shelter (322 miles from Damascus). The highlight there was a frog-filled pond where they went swimming. The father and two sons joined them again, and then a Quaker church group of 10 kids and two counselors stopped. It rained all night. Day 32, Thursday, July 6: They did nine miles and Jeff saw his first poisonous snake of the hike, a 3-foot copperhead along the side of the trail. ¢It was a beautiful snake,¢ he said. ¢Just resting. Not menacing.¢ They continue to have excellent weather and head to the Brown Creek Mountain Shelter where they meet Al and Ruth Washington, who hiked the entire trail in 1987 at age 50. Al and Ruth give them pop, apple pie and chips. ¢We were starving, and it hit the spot,¢ Jeff said. A church group of 10 or 12 girls arrives at the shelter, and everyone plays cards. They also meet Dan, a software specialist and a thru-hiker. Day 33, Friday, July 7: They hike 16 miles to the Seely Woodworth Shelter (347 miles from Damascus). They had the shelter to themselves, but they do meet a couple from DC and three ladies doing section hikes. Day 34, Saturday, July 8: They hike to two miles of trail and two miles off the trail to get to Montebello and the Dutch Haus (http://www.dutchhaus.com), three miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway. They are now 191 miles from leaving Virginia and entering West Virginia. After that, it¢s Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and finally New York. Coming up: On Wednesday, they expect to arrive in Waynesboro.