Date: 2003-05-04
From: Sugar Run Gap/ Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

first flame azalea, a blaze orange oneThe first bell at Wood's Hole rang at 7 am. The second, at 7:30 am, called us lucky eight to breakfast in the main house.A fire was crackling in the hearth on this chill morning, and Southern hospitality was the rule. We untidy, unwashed thru-hikers were treated to a table set with napkins, china plates, silver - not grandma's best, but nice, homey things. Remember, we hikers are all used to cooking and eating from one pot, and eating with a lexan spoon. Then scraping the leavings with a little filtered spring water, then drinking the pot liquor. This was high cotton.Our breakfast eggs, biscuits, sausage, OJ, grits and coffee were inhaled. Let it be known that Mrs. Tillie Wood makes the most melt-in-your-mouth biscuits on the Trail. "No one leaves until all the biscuits are gone," said Tillie with a smile. I did my share.There were only eleven or so miles to do today. The walking wasn't too hard, except for one "straight up" and I DO mean straight up, up Pearis Mountain. Shades of Bly and Stecoah Gaps!It threatened to rain as I tromped the ridge, but that ugly black cloud never did turn its load loose. On the way down, LoadRunner and Apricot joined me. We saw the first flame azalea of the year, and commented on how spectacularly green everything was on the descent.In Pearisburg, it was Chief again to the rescue. He showed up in his truck and took me and "those pesky twins," his friends The White Brothers, into town. I got dropped at Walmart, they went to a gear store to get Jack new shoes since his old ones were killers. I could relate! Mine have been none too gentle lately.You can't tell about shoes in the store. They might feel great (they SHOULD), you might even dayhike or slack in them just fine (as I did). But add more than 10-12 pounds, go hike 15 miles for a few days, and any foot-crunching flaws make themselves known. Of course, by then it is too late to take the shoes back...If you want to meet thru-hikers in a Trail town, go hang out at the Super Walmart. Everyone passes through here at one time or another. I learned who was in town as I sat outside waiting for Dave Hicks to pick me up. I got caught up on the Trail news as friends passed by.Who should come by a second time but Chief and the twins. The grey weather had taken a chilly turn by then, and I was still waiting as Dave was delayed.Chief persuaded me to return to the motel with them and wait. I left a voice mail message for Dave, explaining where I would be, and stuffed my pack in Chief's truck for the third time in two days.The guys were going out to eat, and bade me to take advantage of the shower. Actually, it was to DAVE's advantage that I showered, it had been awhile. Ahhhh! A hot shower is a miraculous thing.Dave arrives and whisks me off to an AYCE (trail lingo for all you can eat), a Ryan's Steak house. I eat most of everything I see, and Dave ribs me for not eating more. "What kind of a thru-hiker do you call yourself?" he asks. "Eat."I inform him that women may be different from men in this capacity, at least this woman was, in that my stomach was too small to accommodate the entire contents of Ryan's grill, salad, side and dessert bars. My style was more one of continuous, copious, day-long grazing. If he cared to wait awhile, I was sure the urge to eat would return, and we could really get our money's worth.We got to his home well after thru-hiker midnight (9 pm), where I met Dave's wife. Carla and I were both nodding, though Dave was full of energy, happy to talk about gear and maps and suchlike.I did get to look up the bird I saw yesterday via one of Dave's books. It WAS a scarlet tanager, and a male in full bright breeding feather. Well, he caught this female's eye anyway (not that it did him any good). I wish him luck. May he reproduce many more of his flashy kind.Scarlet tanagers and flame azaleas - bright spots in a wet spring.