Date: 2005-04-18
From: waynesboro, va.

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

APRIL 18 DAY 12 waynesboro. va. just an addition to what i had already entered. found the tape i had been looking for so have some things on there that i did not get in the written journal. it is my oldest son's birthday today. is 46 yrs old.   was thinking as i was walking down the street here what a nice town this is. would be a good place to settle in. friendly people and beautiful surroundings. here i am 65 yrs. old and thinking about relocating and get a job. crazy huh? must not think i am old.    stopped in weezies ayce pancake house for breakfast but wasn't all that hungry so just had 2 pancakes and bacon. still don't have the hikers appetite.    there is a list of people who volunteer to take hikers back to the trail head from town here. called 4 people before i got one to take me back. his name is john krogh. so got back to visitors ctr at 12:30 and now am back on the trail. hard to get going after a couple days in town. a short day. staying in calf mt. shelter. young guy i had met before on trail named e is here with girlfriend. they will hike together for a few days. he hikes 25 to 30 miles a day. his feet are like raw meat. don't know how he stands it. don't think he will make it to me. met two section hikers. man and woman. behind and echo. dogs names della. one small dog and a big german shepherd. they started at harpers ferry and are going to damascus.       on the trail today i heard something rustling in the leaves behind me and i when i turned around to look there was a big black snake. scared me. he was rattling but not very loud. i think i see walton's mt. i am just outside of rockfish. hope i run into mary ellen. or even olivia. i guess she is more my speed. lol. walton's mt. was my favorite program. walking along here trying to think of all the walton's names and the others on that program. eventually thought of almost all of them. am up on bear den mt. and someone put 8 tractor seats in the ground for people to sit and rest on while viewing the mt's and the scenery below.   sinuses have cleared up. what a relief.          got in to calf mt. shelter about 5. it is .3 miles off the trail and kind of spooky. quiet here and is a warm eve. today was a lot of steep climbs and down hills. no hiker reg. here. really like my new digital camera and have taken 60 pics already.    no company in shelter tonite. just me and the hootowls.APRIL, 19 TUES. DAY 13   made 20 miles today. stealth camping in the breezeway at loft mt. campstore. nothing open here but saw some people at a house nearby. they might make me move? some tame deer came right up within 6 ft. of me. looking for something to eat i guess. saw in my guide book that there is a campstore about a mile away so walked down there to see if i could buy a soda. nothing open but was a pepsi machine all lit up. but guess what no soda in the damn thing. a this morn had to dig a cathole to do my business.. the cat holes are supposed to be dug at least 100yds from shelters or water and should be at least 7 inches deep. i think i am right on that. but anyway i do have a small trowel that i use to dig with and have had to use it several times, especially in n.c. met section hiker sobo named penny jim. from philadelphia. he made a some walking sticks out branches and wrapped them with rags. he is going to be hurting if he doesnt' get in and buy some real walking sticks. met sobo named sherpa who is flip flopping. started at harpers ferry and going to springer. then will go back to harpers ferry and to on up to maine. he is from roanoke, va. i stopped into black mt. hut. is .2 mile off trail but went on in anyway to take a break and eat my candy bar for lunch. there is a huge rock slide here. amazing the things you see out here on the trail. right now the wind is just roaring like a freight train up thru the mt. by the way how did people describe the wind noise before trains were invented?    i am going thru the shenandoah mt. they run for about 100 miles. the trail crisscrosses the skyline drive all the way thru about every 4 miles or so. and there are parking areas for the cars so people can enjoy the views and take pics. the trails along here are really nice and well groomed. like walking on a super highway compare to some i have been on. met a young couple who had a young one in a stroller walking up the trail. they were out for a short walk. had fun talking to the little girl. she was 21 mo. old about the same age as my little grandson. wimpy. she laughed at the things i said, so that was a good break for me. she was looking for ladybugs. not many water sources around here. saw some people at a parking area and yogied some water from them. saw dad on the trail just now. a mourning dove and he had another dove with him. going to tell mom about it when i get home. lol. my dad could mimic the dove perfectly and soon after he died a started coming around my back yard. i would hear him every morning and evening.    was tough day. need to cut back on mileage cause my feet are hurting. APRIL 20, wed. DAY 14   stayed at hightop shelter. made 14 miles plus 4 today. had stopped for lunch at a road way by simmons gap and then i guess when i got up to go turned around and went right back the way i had come and did not realize it til i came to a road crossing that said pinefield gap. and i thought gosh is there another pinefield gap? guess what i had just been to pinefield hut for lunch a couple hours ago. shit!!!! so i went backwards 2 miles. some times i think brain cells are gone because of all the drinking i did. from now on going to mark an arrow in the ground whenever i stop for a break. was a hot day in the 80's. had company at the shelter. gary and mary are out for a week. they started at rockfish. mountain goat is her name. her dad is from sedona, az. name is frank houck. had a nice visit with them. built a fire and didn't go to bed til 9:30. mice were running all over the place but didn't bother me as i pitched my tent inside the shelter.   called mary and she sounded a little grouchy. i can understand that cause she has to take care of everything back there. APRIL, 21 THURS. day 15   made 20 miles today. staying at big meadows campground.   is raining so on goes the poncho. love that thing. is just like walking with a tent on. saw a lot of deer today. they are pretty tame.       otherwise unevenful day i guess. got into campground and got a campsite along with 3 other hikers so only cost me $4 . had to set up wet cause it was drizzling. caught a ride down to a cafe and got there just before it closed. had a nice big cheeseburger and fries. then a big bowl of blackberry icecream aaah. then had to walk back in the rain. hikers here are eric who is out for a couple weeks and a man, his wife and daughter from n. zealand. sobo. hard to understand them. got a nice hot shower. eric and i tried to build a campfire but too wet to get it going real good. mostly smoke. rained all nite.APRIL 22 FRI. day 16   made 18 miles today. packed up wet this morning. woke up in a puddle of water. guess i pitched in a depression. no breakfast. went into shower room and threw tent in the dryer for a few min. so that was good as i was able to roll it up dry. stopped and had breakfast at rockspring hut. met dirty deeds. didn't want to talk to me at first. but kept talking to him til he finally opened up a little. then when he left he apologized for being so solemn. just need to have some patience with people sometimes and realize they can be having a bad day or trouble at home etc.   had lunch at skyland lodge which is only a tenth of a mile off the trail. am tired. the trail has been nasty the past few miles. just fell down. couldn't believe it grabbed on to a tree branch to keep from going over the cliff. just lucky.   staying in pass mt. hut. with 5 highschool kids. mike, brian, peter, tim and sam from saratoga, n.y. also ed, tara, and caleb from seattle. ed is tara's dad. tara is a pastor at a seventh day adventist church in seattle. had a great time with all of them at the shelter. caleb said he woke up last nite and there was a mouse sitting on his chest. said he hit it and it landed on top of my head. i didn't even wake up. rained all nite. APRIL, 23 SAT. DAY 17   staying at gravel springs hut      stopped at elkwallow wayside and had cheeseburger and a shake. $8.50 riciculous!.was just ready to leave when here comes the 5 boys. they are full of piss and vinegar.they are going eat that wayside out of food. they said we will see you at the shelter tonite pa. i am walking along here on the trail and i hear all this growling . there is this big dog coming right at me. he is with a couple just coming around the bend. they are supposed to have their dogs on a leash. he looked pretty vicious to me but i had my sticks out ready for battle. met an old boy named greenhorn. sobo. said he started last nov. in n.h. got in shelter at 2:30. just before rainstorm.. shelter is full tonite. the boys are having a good time. they laugh at my stories. they think i am crazy i think.    must have left my tape recorder on. i can hear people talking but can;t hear what they are saying. 2 day hikers came in and they were sort of know it alls trying to tell every one how to cook and what to use on the trail. a couple of gals came in late. they were tenting but came to shelter to cook there supper. they had no lights. so tried to give them a light but they insisted they would be ok. spilled most of there food. duh!. oh yeah and the experts at hiking did not do so well with there meals either. lol. then there is a steel pole with hooks on it for hanging food bags. so we hung our bags. the know it alls did not have bear bags. just plastic. the girls also. anyway the next morning those bags were all torn open and stuff scattered all over the place and most of their food gone. lol. we tried to tell them the varmints would be able to climb that pole.