Date: 2007-05-26
From: Pearisburg

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: broken clouds

This was my worst day on the trail. First, I went to the Courthouse Cafe for some sugary pasteries and coffee. There were five 50-something women there who were also hiking the A.T. I noticed while walking that my right elbow reminded me of when I had tennis elbow from whipping a crop through the air to get the cows to 'walk up' when I was a milker at Twin Oaks. I thought it was from using the poles as we hike - jamming them into the ground, but now (Troutdale) I think it might be from tightening the hipbelt everytime I put my pack on. We basically have to tighten them as much as possible and that's when I really feel my elbow although I tend to carry my poles in my hand a lot - if it's mostly level walking. The hike started with a hot hike up a road with little traffic. Then, Whiskey counted 19 switchbacks (she was bored I guess) {I wasn't bored; I was practicing mindfullness!}up the 1.7 mile climb. It was very steep, despite the switchbacks. It was very hard and took up two hours. We couldn't go on and even though we were on a narrow part of the trail we took our packs off and ate and rested. When we started hiking we found that we were about 3 minutes from the top. We dropped our packs again and walked the 50 yds. to a small rock to overlook the valley and see the whole town of Pearisburg. Incredible! Once we're back in C'ville, we'll post some of the pictures we've taken, including of Pearisburg from almost two miles straight up! Then it was level for a few miles and then it went down into dark tunnels of roddodendrons. Then it went up and up and up - gradual, but long. I was exhausted. Doc's Knob Shelter was dark and the area in front of the shelter was all wet because the nearby stream trickled through there. The water source wasn't great either. There were five 22 or so year olds who had been friends since jr. high who hiked together each year to keep in touch. They brought three coleman fuel cannisters and used part of one. They also brought a bunch of other stuff that we longer distance hikers laughed at them for. They laughed too. They were nice and fun, named: Galupa (after the name they gave his granola concoction), Galupa's Amigo, Hangar, King Kong, and Dozer (who was asleep most of the evening). Also there were Luna, Torpedo, and Tony Tiger. Torpedo asked me to give Duct Tape and Nice Enough the message:"Hurry up!" Tony Tiger, a Texan, was pretty funny. He said there was a lawyer who'd been on the trail last year as well and called himself Not Guilty this year. Some hikers renamed him Repeat Offender. Joking about being on the trail too long, we were throwing out women's names and he'd hesitate for a moment and then say, "She so hot!" Julia Childs! "Now she's Hot!" Barbara Bush. "She's totally hot!" He also basically chain smoked. If I didn't mention it already, I think about 75% of through hikers smoke. Also, in any town you go in, people smoke in restaurants. Most of the people who picked us up hitching smoked. Right now in Jerry's Restaurant and Store, it's full of smoke! Ducttaped into the logbook at Doc's Knob was a cigarette with a note saying it was for somebody in particular if he got desperate. Quote from the logbook: "Please don't throw cigarette butts in the privy. It makes them soggy and hard to light." Tented under a low canopy of roddodentrons.