Date: 2015-05-12
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Campsite past Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 26.8

TRAIL TRIVIA TIME!A Red Panda hikes up to a road crossing into town, reaching it at 2 p.m. after hiking 18 miles to get there. The next shelter is 7 miles away. Most of those 7 miles are UPHILL. What does she do?!Does she:A. Hitch a ride into town, buy Gatorade and ice cream, and take a showerB. Decide to finish early, find a nearby campsite and pitch her tentC. Eat a double snack with lots of sugar for energy and head uphillThe answer is...............C!I was still hungry again after this shameful display of gluttony, too. Did I mention that I am sick of being hungry? And eating? Because I am. I am also really sick of being grubby. And uphills.I really did want Gatorade and ice cream, too, but big bloated Bertha's blue food bag is still bursting, so it made more sense to skip it and eat down the pack weight and save money instead.I actually woke up feeling less stiff than usual, even though I put in a lot of miles yesterday after recovering from my morning near-death muscle pains. I made it up the first hill slowly but steadily.I was actually HOT in my new 40°sleeping bag last night. It seems like I was just freezing my fingers off two days ago. Now it is like summer is slapping me in the face. I almost regret not buying the fleece liner I was looking at on the EMS website the other day. I had a coupon, so I ordered a new, smaller compression sack since this sleeping bag didn't come with one.Sean, the guy from the shelter last night who was wearing cycling clothes, leapfrogged me for a while. I inhaled some unfortunate flying bug while answering a question he asked when he passed me the second time and spent the next mile trying to cough it up out of my lung.I stopped for a snack and water at Docs Knob Shelter, and he stopped, too. He was only carrying a liter of water at a time. I carry two, and sometimes three, especially lately as it has been getting hotter and water sources have been rarer and farther apart since entering Virginia. He admitted that it makes things more interesting. Dangerous is probably more true. Dying of dehydration is not on my to-do list.He then hiked in front of me for a few miles, chatting. He was nice and interesting. He talked about going to medical school and deciding not to pursue a residency, working as a butcher and living out of his car, polyamory and cycling and skiing and lots of random topics. He was definitely interesting.He was also trying to get into town for the Chinese lunch buffet, so I lost him after a while. I was okay with that. I felt more like hiking alone at my own pace today.I passed by the female Sam I Am (I met the male of the same name in the freezing Roan High Knob Shelter) and Shiny (I think that was his name) as I descended towards Pearisburg. She was talking about splitting a Gatorade, which made me really want orange Gatorade. Luckily Dan is awesome and bought me EmergenC the other day. It was good enough to fulfill my orange drink desire of the day.The day included lots of amazing views. My favorite part, however, was the descent into Pearisburg. I love smooth, gradual downhill. I FLEW in my cool new trail runners. I think they might be as close to perfect as I will be able to attain. They are slightly big, but I knew that was the case. I was willing to sacrifice heel perfection in exchange for the ability to move (and FEEL) my toes. I have a couple of small blisters from where my heels rubbed and slipped, but my feet feel so much better than usual. I hope this continues to be the case.I am also considering getting some toe socks. I have seen a few people with them. I think the brand is Injinji, or something similar. If I wear them at night they might allow my toes a little more circulation. Maybe full feeling will return to them faster that way, hahaha.Why does hiking require so much STUFF?! It seems like I always need something new. New socks. New shoes. New umbrella. New feet. New way of avoiding boys (just kidding. Kind of...). Part of the appeal of the trail was that it would get me away from materialism. But I still want new things it is bad. I guess i can't complain too much, though, since everything I need fits in Bertha. At least most of the time. And minus mom-hugs. Unfortunately Bertha can't hold any of those.Also, I don't know what it is about the south, but the bugs here seem huge. There are tons of monstrous centipedes and millipedes in the trail all the time. Today I saw a lot of spiders, too, and a zillion caterpillars. Also a cute little snake, and a deer's disappearing rear end.The area by Rice Field Shelter was gorgeous, but the shelter was a little crowded (I did read in the register hat Frozen Mac stopped there for lunch yesterday, I am surprised she is not farther ahead) and I was in the mood for solitude so I continued a little farther past it to an awesome campsite. I even managed to hang my bear bag in under 10 minutes. There is also a water source nearby, a very nice bonus.I cooked my dinner, dried my clothes and completed some chores before settling down for the night. I keep neglecting to write letters at night because I am so tired. I owe a lot of people letters. Sorry I will get them written eventually...Agh! Someone else has arrived. It seems like my quiet little camping spot might soon be crowded... bummer. Usually people stop earlier, it is nearly 8:00 now, which is practically my hiker bedtime. Oh well. I am so tired, I will probably be able to just sleep through it.I am thankful for beautiful weather today, and downhills, and trail runners, and EmergenC and moleskin and so many things!