Date: 2004-07-02
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Rod Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: clear sky

What an emotional roller-coaster today was. Just yesterday one of the hikers who went to lunch had said that Belle had left the trail. I knew she was going to hike out of Pearisberg, but that was weeks ago. I had assumed she was back there taking her time, being patient with her ankle. So hearing that she¢d come off was sad. She has such true grit to hang in there so long, hoping for a strong recovery. I felt bad for her. Today would be the first of two long days which would have me positioned for a short mileage day in to Harpers Ferry the morning of July 4th.        The miles were clicking off fairly fast and in no time I reached the second of what would be a four shelter day. To my shock and pleasant surprise, the shelter register had an entry from Belle just two days earlier. I was stunned. Figuring a best guess, I imagined that if I hiked long and hard, I had an outside chance of catching her either this very day with a 32 or 36 mile day. Or most definitely by mid-morning on the next¢¦the game was a foot! I kicked the legs into high gear covering the 4.4 miles to the next shelter in an hour twenty. The register entry from her showed I¢d closed the two day lead by half a day. I could tell from her writing that she wasn¢t enjoying being alone and apparently the foot pain was still there. On to the next shelter which was nine miles and over more difficult rocky terrain. I did it in two hours and fifty minutes, it had now been 24.1 miles and I was exhausted. But I figured if I could find the strength for yet another eight miles I just might close the distance, then I opened the shelter register.        Belle had made it here last night and was here this very morning. But the news was bad. Her hiking was really putting her in pain. All I can say is that it must have been considerable, she¢s no wallflower. The register¢s morning entry announced that the swelling and pain were too much in conjunction with the loneliness of missing her trail buddies. She had decided, sadly, to come off the trail she had grown to love and fly home. I couldn¢t believe what I was reading. To go from the joy of having my new friend so close to having the deck of cards fall. I just sat there on the shelters edge overwhelmed with those words. I couldn¢t help but think if I could have gone faster, got to her sooner, maybe I could have reversed her sadness from being out here by herself. I closed nearly two days in one long 24 mile day and it wasn¢t enough. Nobody knows better than me how easy it is to get down or depressed out here, it has happen to me on other attempts. If it wasn¢t for Belle and others like Carp, Goose, Dave Underfoot, Dharma and Greg and so many others, my hike may have been very different.        I am strong this year because of the strong fellowship I¢ve found in others out here. My faith and these friendships have given my legs wings. Belle wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail and hike she did. More than 300 miles. She did it on her first ever foray into backpacking in nasty, cold, wet weather that constantly whispered in her ear to stop, to quit, which she would not. Eventually the trail stopped her the only way it could, through injury. It knew her will would never give in. Belle, you hiked the good hike, I¢m proud of you and you should be proud of you too. The trail just won¢t be as musical ¢ ding ding.