Date: 2018-06-18
From: Cornelius Creek Shelter

To: Glasgow, Virginia
Miles today: 19.9

As I mentioned in a previous entry, you need to worry about getting through today before planning to far ahead. And yet again I got caught in the trap. I was hoping to hike more than 20 miles every day to get to the next town as soon as possible. I was planning on Waynesboro to be my next stop on the adventure. Instead it was the small town of Glasgow.We've been having hot and humid weather for a few days in a row now and today was another one. The terrain wasn't too difficult and that allowed me to hike faster than usual. In the mid afternoon I came upon a two to three mile stretch of trail that was fairly straight with a slight incline. This allowed me to get into a rhythm and make good time. There was a problem though. It was all in the sun and the sun was beating down on me. Not long after leaving this favorable stretch I felt extremely warm. I was thinking it could be the start of heat exhaustion and needed a plan.The plan was too cool off and as luck would have it the next shelter had a good flowing cold stream in front of it. I was disappointed that no one was at the shelter but it was only 3:30 PM. While I used the bandana to drizzle cold water over my head I decided to review the hiking guide. There was a hostel in the tiny town of Glasgow. I'd have to go 2.2 more miles and attempt to hitch into town since I had no cell signal to call for a ride. I've never hitchhiked but it was worth the try. At 4:00 I set out on a mission to give it a go. I figured the worst case was I couldn't get a hitch and I'd simply go 1.7 more miles to the next shelter.The plan created a surge of energy inside. Others might say it was actually desperation. Either way, I trekked the 2.2 miles in only 27 minutes. It was easy trail alongside the James River. Now came the hard part, hitchhiking. I'll make this part short, I failed miserably! I don't have sexy legs and I'm not blonde, ha ha! Now plan B.I had asked a guy if he had a cell signal, he did not. Thirty minutes later when he returned to his truck I approached and asked a favor. I gave him the number of the hostel and asked if he'd call and tell them a hiker was awaiting pickup when he drove into range of a cell tower. I told him he'd be doing me a favor and I played the Air Force Veteran card. It worked! He was an Air Force Veteran as well and in 30 minutes a car arrived looking for me.Donna from the hostel said the hostel was full but the town had a free pavilion with a shower that I could stay at. I was disappointed but it was my only in-town option. She said the town's only restaurant was closed today. But, the local church provided free meals to hikers when the restaurant was closed. What luck! I was exiting the shower when the guy from the church arrived to get the hikers. The dinner provided was pizza, salad, watermelon, brownies, ice cream and raspberry lemonade. I hit the jackpot! I had 7 slices of pizza, 3 bowls of salad, and two slices of watermelon. I skipped the brownies and ice cream. There was even food left over after about 15 hikers feasted. Thanks to the Glasgow community for the treats.Now the good part. Yes, this is the good part that tops the fantastic meal. I recognized a girl sitting across from me as Grasshopper. I hadn't seen her since the NOC on May 7th when she was battling excruciating pain. When I got her attention and said you're Grasshopper, right? She said, Oh my God, it is you Jawz! She suspected, but wasn't sure since I'd lost weight and grew the beard. Grasshopper has undergone tremendous adversity while at the same time overcoming it all. Right now she's wearing a boot while recovering from a stress fracture in her foot. She's working at the hostel rather than returning home and is hoping to be able to resume hiking in the near future. I'm one of several that convinced her to battle through and keep going. I'd thought of Grasshopper often but was afraid to text her. I didn't want to upset her if her dream of the AT was over due to the injury. I'm so happy to have been able to catch up with her and spend time chatting after the dinner. We should all wish Grasshopper a return to the trail. She's amazing regardless of what's in store for her. For me, another great adventure day on the trail. For book followers, mile 786.0 page 75.