Date: 2016-05-06
From: mile marker 574.1

To: mile marker 590.7
Miles today: 16.6

I am at mile marker 590.7. I covered 16.6 miles.   I was leaving my room this morning when I heard someone call out my name. It was Whisper, a woman I met in Damascus. She is 60 years old and hiking with her dog Boomer. We chatted and she asked if I was coming back to this hotel. This particular area you have access to the town (Bland, Va) from multiple trail points. I told Whisper I had planned on hiking out and she said.... Well, if you want to share a room tonight I'm staying because I am waiting on a box from home. Hummmmm... That means I could slack pack (leave heavy stuff in her room and only carry food, water and rain gear... And it is going to rain tonight!! Guess how long it took for me to say, YES! SURE.. Sounds awesome to me. I threw my heavy stuff in her room and jumped in shuttle with The Bean and JotC (Baton Rouge couple). We were driven back to the trail head where we exited yesterday. Bubba was our shuttle driver. I day shuttle.. But that simply means someone with a car, truck, van that will bring you where you need to go. Anyway I am going to paint a picture of Bubba for you... Because, as I have eluded to before I continue to be pleasantly surprised on this journey. When Bubba picked us up yesterday.. It was on a dirt road, it was raining/snowing, he was standing outside his van, camouflage shorts, hat on backwards, smoking a cigarette, unshaven, not very talkative.. Just get in the van and head out. This morning when he picked us up and we had the chance to really chat with him. WHAT A SWEETHEART!! That gruff Bubba is a big teddy bear. He told several very heart warming stories but my favorite was: he shuttled a mom, father and their 6 year old son, last year during their hike. It happened to be The Saturday before Easter when he brought them to the hotel. That night Bubba went to the Dollar store and bought a Easter basket, filled it with candy.. On Sunday morning he went to the hotel early , put the basket in front of the room door where he knew the family was staying. He knocked and hid behind the car. The young boy opened the door and saw the basket!!! The father was extremely grateful and told Bubba that his son had asked... How will the Easter Bunny find me? And the Dad had said... Don't worry he will find you. Just perfect!! Bubba told stories about how much he enjoys doing what he does because of all the folks he gets to meet. I told him it is people like him that continue to brighten my every day. I already have 5 big brothers but... Bubba would be another great big brother if I ever needed one. So back to the hike. I saw so many different colors today. So many greens... Bright, dark, faded... Flowers blooming... Oh, and lots of mud. Major mud due to all the rain hanging around. I was able to cover my miles pretty quickly due to the light pack and no serious climbs and... I knew it was scheduled to rain mid afternoon. By 3:45 me and Baton Rouge folks were in the van... Yes, with Bubba, heading back to our hotel.. Big Walker Motel in Bland, Va. Home for one more night. Tomorrow, Whisper, Boomer and I will hit the trail between 7 and 8. On a side note: I have talked about food quite a bit. Well, today I dipped my pop tart in my peanut butter.... Delicious!!! And great calories... Which I need plenty of on a daily basis. To answer a few questions: how do I keep my phone charged on the trail.. I have a battery pack that can charge my phone (roughly) 5 times. How long are my hiking days: on average between 8 and 10 hours a day.