Date: 2006-05-09
From: Pearisburg VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The zero day certainly worked out. I woke rested, relaxed and ready to hike. I packed and left the hostel early to stragithen out all of my mail drop business. While hitching to the PO, Bill, church caretaker, pulled over and I climbed in the truck with Energizer Bunny and her friends Evelyn and Fireman Bob. They dropped me and headed for the trail. I was certain I'd be seeing them later. Guess again. After a few calls I located a box in Bland and it forwarded ahead to Catawba, a four or five day nike. No problem. Next is stop a gas station to pick up hot chocolate and cereal bars. A good thing because when paying I found out there was still no money on my AAA travel card. There I was again, alone and penniless in a small town far from home. In my now calmer state I called and left a message for Andrew hoping it would be cleared up by the time I got to Catawba. Next stop was the post office where I sent home my next camera. I have an envelope full of stamps so didn't need cash.   While completing the transaction I was happy to see Caboose and Walkabout come in. I knew they were behind and was glad we caught up. Hadn't seen them since Damascs. Laughing, I told them my tale of woe. Another customer smiled when I told them about being offered charity through a car window. They were in a similar situation, no cassh and playing catch-up with a food box. Shared common experiences are comforting and define our shared purpose. Still calm, I decided to take another zero day at the free hostel. I'd call Andrew in the morning when I knew he'd be home form Spain. Good thing I had the phone card Mom had sent in a care package. Otherwise I'd have been separated from the familiar would all together. Left the very nice lady at the post office window, worried I wouldn't be able to get breakfast, she offered to help me out. People are so kind to us here. I thanked her and said I was fine, I'd shopped yesterday. When I told Caboose about it she smiled and said the lady had done the same for them the day before. Resigned to my fate but in good spirits I headed back to the hostel and bumped into Hobbit on his way out of town. I explained why I was headed back. great guy that he is, he offered to help me out. He lives in Roanoke, just on the other side of Catawba and said he could lend me some cash if I went to his place at the end of the next leg of the hike. A really nice offer, but had to call home to get the whole thinkg fixed permanently. Too bad too because I really wanted to see him again on the trail. One last call to Andrew and great joy. He was home, got in very early this morning. I was so glad to hear his voice, gruff as it was. Ten days of living it up in Madrid plus picking up a cold, he was pretty hoarse. We laughed and floofed and got back on track with each other. He sounded so relaxed, best I'd heard him in a long time. My trouble all worked out as well. He was fixing thing with AAA today. We also told me there was only one box not two so nothing was lost. All good news.I have officially decided to skip Trail Days. I'd rather make a firm date to visit Lyn and Peter and get Andrew down here. New happiness, he's free the weekend of May 19-21. He's calling Lyn to make arrangements. I'll step up my hike to get as close to the Shenandoahs as I can in nine days. This visit is much needed and long over due. I can smell brats boiled in beer already.Everything taken care of I was happy to head for the trail. Clouds still covered the ridge but I was happy to climb up into them. Unable to get a hitch out of town, I walked the mile or so to the trailhead. The trail out of town crosses through a few backyards in a residential neighborhood, crosses beneath a highway and skirts a factory and toxic waste dump. The last obstacle is a crazy past thru-hiker who offered me his socks and who said he'd been homeless in Brattleboro VT for four years after being nearly beaten to death by heroin addicts. That steep, steep climb was looking better and better. And the climb was steep and pretty tough. I passed Evelyn hiking in the other direction. Three miles was enough for her. The sky cleared as I topped the ridge. I dropped my pack, peeled off my shirt and laid down in the grass to warm in the sun. I got to Rice Field Shelter in mid-afternoon after six miles on trail. Free Fall was there. We started talking and I didin't see a reason to go any further on what turned ot to be a beautiful day. Free Fall has decided to get off trail, that he shouldn't hike any further on a stress fracture. Like any of us in his place, he doesn't want to give up the hike. It's a hard dream to let go.  Note from Chris (the transcriber) Journals from May 9 and 10 were almost identical (mileage and starting and ending point were the same) so I combined them.