Date: 2009-06-23
From: Daleville/I-81

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

It was an early morning rise, as I had to head into Staunton with Zack. I only slept about 4 hours last night, which was becoming a too-consistent theme. I need more sleep! I said my goodbyes to Jill, but was happy knowing that I would be able to see the two of them within 10 days when I would make it back to the Waynesboro/Rockfish Gap area. I was able to meet Zack¢s boss, who owns the musical instrument store. They allowed for me to jump onto the computer so that I would be able to update my journal a little bit. I didn¢t get much done, but I was happy that I was able to get on for a little while. I hate the feeling of being so behind : )Zack gave me the keys to his car so that I could run around and do my errands. I headed to Big Lots, where I made some big purchases for the stretch from Daleville to Glasgow and from Waynesboro through the Shenandoah¢s to Linden. I also made a trip to Sharp Shopper, a second hand grocery store (very impressive). Then, it was off to Rockfish Gap Outfitters to pick up a new pack cover, since I had left mine behind in one of the shelters, and then to Walmart to pick up a new small knee band, as I had left mine behind at Jill¢s house. When I arrived back in Staunton, Zack was all ready to go. We stopped to get a small lunch at the local deli mart. I wanted to treat him for lunch since they had been doing so much for me in the past few days. The deli was such a great place and everyone was just incredibly friendly. Zack was saying that the closer you get to Charlottesville, the meaner the people, whereas the closer you get to Staunton, the friendlier the people. I still had quite a bit to get organized in the car, so I spent the better part of 30 minutes throwing boxes around un-packaging boxes and then re-packaging everything into ziplock bags. During this time, Zack and I talked about our own personal lives and he was telling me about how he met Jill and knew that she was the ¢one¢. Seeing them together for a short while, it was evident that they were a great fit together ¢ they offer one another a great deal of balance and support. I wasn¢t finished by the time we hit Lexington and I knew that Zack had to get back to work, so we quickly worked on the rest of the re-packaging. I also stopped to fill up my water bottles, as I knew that it might be a tough hitch back to Daleville, VA ¢ over 40 miles away. Zack dropped me off at the interstate exit and I headed off trying to catch a hitch. It was tough standing there for what seemed like several hours with the hot sun blaring down on me. Car after car passed by and I was beginning to feel as if I should have taken the back country roads to return to Daleville. Fortunately, just as despair was setting in, a guy swerved off to the side and shouted, ¢Where you heading!?¢ I shouted back, ¢Daleville¢ and he gave me the thumbs up and into the car I jumped. His name was David, a 60-year-old landscape architect from Lexington. He was a very pleasant chap, but he really enjoyed swearing. He told me all about his son, getting his master¢s at NC State and how he is too poor to retire, so he is just going to keep working until he dies. He also told me all kinds of crazy childhood stories, including those hiking and driving his big ol¢ truck through the mountains. Although the interstate has a speed limit of 65 mph, David drove at the speed he wanted, sometimes going only 40 mph, with cars absolutely flying past us. He also told me that he hasn¢t worn a seat belt for 40 years and that he was going to start anytime soon. I wasn¢t going to say anything to him. He dropped me off at the trailhead and he told me that if I ever found myself in Lexington again that I should look him up. Finally, I was back to the trail! It was great to be back. I ended up hiking 10 miles in four hours ¢ not bad for being off the trail for several days. At the Wilson Creek Shelter, I saw Jersey Girl, who I had met all the way back at the Woods Hole Hostel close to Pearisburg. She had already set up her tent inside the shelter because the bugs were merciless. I also met two young college guys from Buffalo, NY ¢ Fungi and Camel. They had 100 days to hike the entire trip and they were only on Day 37. It was amazing, but they were pulling 25-mile days consistently and had taken only one zero day. I understand the physical challenge of the hike, but if you pass by everything without actually stopping to catch your breath or to look around you, then what the hell is the point of going at all?