Date: 2004-10-16
From: Rock Spring Hut

To: Luray - Hawkesbill B+B
Miles today: 14.0

What a day!   Spent the night alone at the hut, although a group of people with powerful lights came by at 10PM on their way to the locked cabin, which is right next to the hut. Never saw them again.   My watch, which has a light to see the time at night, has begun to give out. No more light, which means that the battery is dieing. Still the timepiece is working, so I did get up at 5:30AM and was on the trail by 7AM. It was a very dull and overcast day and I started out with gloves and rain jacket on. By mid-morning the rains came and persisted on and off all day, so it was full rain gear for the duration. Despite the conditions, I made excellent time. The trail, although rocky in places, is well maintained, and I moved along without any difficulty. Got some good views from Crescent Rock Overlook, and passed the highest point on the trail in the SNP, on the Stony Man Nature Trail. I met two SOBOs ¢ Lucky and Drifter ¢ and once I got to Ayres Rock and the descent into Thornton Gap and the road, I met 20-40 day trippers climbing up and down ¢ it was like a fantasy ride at Disneyland!   I got to US 211 at 2PM ¢ a remarkable 14 miles in 7 hours ¢ unheard of for me. Then my luck changed. I could not get a lift, despite a good flow of traffic, so I had to hike the extra six miles into Luray ¢ 20 miles in 10 hours. As I was hiking on the road, still trying unsuccessfully to hitch a ride, it began to cloud over and I could see a thunderstorm approaching. Soon I was in the midst of one of the worst thunderstorms of my hike so far. The rain just poured down with thunder and lightening on all sides. Soon the rain had changed to hail, as I slogged along the long and open road towards Luray, head down to the wind, all hope of a ride abandoned, and to add insult to injury, being sprayed with freezing ice cold water by the frequent disdainful passing vehicles.   So I arrived wet, hungry, thirsty, cold and footsore in Laurey ¢ only to find that all of the motels, all seven of them, were full! In one the sign changed from ¢Vacancy¢ to ¢No Vacancy¢ as I approached, and in another the person in front of me took the last three rooms! All of the B+B were also full. So there I was at my wits end, the next town was 18 miles away, there were no taxis, no means of transport, darkness was upon me, and no place to stay having walked up and down the entire town at least three times. I then remembered that some times the local police will let you stay in the Fire House, or even in the jail. So I headed to the local police station, which is attached to the local jail. I explained my predicament to a very understanding young officer Atkins. He called a friend of his who manages several B+B. Although all of his were full; he agreed to put me up in a house that they were rehabbing into two apartments.   So I am currently located in the lower of the two apartments. It has light and heat and even a working shower, so I have nothing to complain about. Any port in a storm. Have showered and spoke with KT on the cell ¢ all seems well.      I reckon that I must have walked 24 miles today with all of the back and forth. Only 14 miles on the trail. My feet are realy feeling it. Walking on the blacktop is realy brutal when your feet are used to the soft trails. I plan to check into a motel in the morning and stay here for three nights as per the original plan. I am safe, warm, dry, fed, and comfortable. The plan is to be picked up here at 9AM, the house is a little bit out of the way, and then back to the main B+B for breakfast. Then I will try for a motel again. What a day!Thought ¢          If you don¢t have it, and cant get it, then you need to learn to live without it.