Date: 2006-05-28
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Trout Creek
Miles today: 27.1

Let me tell you about Super Dave. Silver haired but youthful looking, Super Dave is a small town lawyer from Blacksburg, VA. He thru-hiked in 02-03, and now he maintains a trail magic site and also spends time perusing hikers' sites here on trailjournals.com. He actually e-mailed me a few weeks ago to let me know he appreciated my pictures and entries, and to offer me an assistance if needed, or even just a home-cooked meal as I passed through the area. The meal didn't work out, but it was still nice to exchange e-mails, and to know that people are reading what I write =). Anyway, I came upon Super Dave's trail magic site this morning early, and about a minute or so after I arrive, guess who pulls up with more goodies: Super Dave! (I had even been thinking earlier how cool it would be to run into him, but it wasn't likely since he's only there a few times a week to restock.)So, Dave, it was great to meet you, in person. This morning I was unusually hungry, but was trying to ration my remaining food. It was all I could think about. But afterwards, I was feeling so good, I actually thought up a little poem as I hiked:ODE TO SUPER DAVESuper Dave, Super Dave,About you my corny rhyme will rave,Hungry I toiled up the trail, like a slave,'Till I saw your drinks and donuts, and felt joy like a wave.I'm so excited I don't know how to behave-Cuz there is no doubt, you really are super, Dave!And then, in the afternoon, I struck the mother lode. Some more locals had set up some serious trail magic. To hold me over 'till dinner, I ate 2 hot dogs, 2 donuts, potato salad, pasta salad, strawberries, a banana, a yogurt, chips, a homemade cheesecake danish, and a Pepsi and a sprite. Yes, I believe in magic. And the "trail angels" who perform it hold a special place in my heart.To keep this journal from being entirely about food (which would be fine by thru-hiker standards, but the rest of you are probably getting bored), I'm going to fill you in a bit more about some of the people I meet each day. Today's feature hiker will be Caveman.I don't know his real name. The call him Caveman because he grunts in the morning, and he started the trail eating with sticks (which he'd dunk in his pot of boiling water to sanitize), and because most of his gear was pre-historic. It's true, he was carrying a single burner stove, and Coleman was his brand of choice. Actually, not choice, but recourse. After spending a few hours with him, I learned that Caveman is on a very tight budget. But the neat thing is that he's doing just fine, and enjoying the trail as much as anyone. It's a refreshing, considering the many folks that buy all new gear to start, and then buy all new gear again after they start because they realize that there's newer better lighter stuff than what they originally bought. I like the guy- we had a great time talking about canyoneering and mountain climbing, two subjects we were mutually interested in.Caveman proudly reported seeing a beaver on the mountaintop the other day. I tried to explain that it was most likely a ground hog, since I've been seeing lots of them, and there was no water to speak of for miles around. definitely amusing...