Date: 2018-05-24
From: Laurel Creek 

To: Kimberling Creek Campsite
Miles today: 7.7

Last night was pretty cold near the falls. The quilt I bought has been leaking down feathers consistently. My fleece jacket looks like it's been feathered every morning. I got up and packed my things away. I joined Booger bear, Scissors, Kamikaze, Spineli, and Wizard for breakfast. Wizard had been having the same issues with his quilt that he got at trail days. Eventually both our quilts will be nothing more than empty shells. I was excited today because I'm seeing Theresa for the first time in two months. We had a 6 mile hike to the access road to Bland VA.  I followed Scissors down to the access road. I followed her pace so I could have a conversation with her. She had been listening to Ram Das' book Be Love Now. There was a part in the book where he talks mostly about his guru and the lessons he learned. Scissors wasn't jiving with that part of the book. I'll need to listen to it so we can have a book club talk about it. The hike was flat and then followed a road for a mile. Road walking is never enjoyable since our feet were never really made to walk on consistent flat surfaces. We arrived at the brushy mountain outpost. Booger Bear and his parents were there. Booga and I didn't know if we'd be at the same spot when his parents came and visited but luck prevailed. They headed into town with Spineli and Wizard to grab grub. Kamikaze got a massive ice cream cone at the outpost. It looked amazing! Theresa drove in 20 minutes later. I was really excited to see her. I was also glad to have caught up with Scissors and Kamikaze so they could meet Theresa.The first thing we did is get food in Bland, VA. There wasn't many choices and we settled on Subway. I got the normal sub with all the veggies. Kamikaze had been feeling sick after eating. She was checking Web MD which told her she had cancer as usual. She went to lay outside with Theo to feel better. Booga, Spineli, and Wizard had the same idea about the best food in town.  Scissors needed to go to the post office to pickup a package from mom. She also needed to send a letter to Vermont to say she was unemployed so she could get Obamacare. It didn't really make sense that she had to send a physical letter. That's the government for ya. We went across the street to the grocery store so Kamikaze and Scissors could resupply. Theresa and I decided to hike the trail tonight so we could roll out with them. I pulled our packs out of the trunk and started putting Theresa's pack together. We threw all our stuff out in Bland¢s City Hall front yard. I got rid of the stuff sacks that housed the sleeping blanket, air mattress, and three person tent. I packed Theresa¢s pack like I packed mine. I took more of the weight so she didn¢t have to carry so much. We saw Asshole in town and offered him a ride back to the trailhead. We jammed more packs in the trunk of the car and were back on the road to the trail head.  At the Brushy Mountain Outpost, Theresa left her car in the parking lot. The trail from this section followed very closely to the highway. It had steep hills with slick gravel and was Theresa¢s worst nightmare. Theresa found out that her boots were too small as her toes were hitting the front of her boots on the steep decline.  It only lasted a quarter mile and we came to a campsite with a stream nearby. Kamikaze was calling it quits for the day and Scissors pushed onto the shelter. Theresa and I decided to setup or shelter there as well. I figured at least we were on the trail and could have an early start tomorrow. We placed our tent in a little nook of rhododendron near the river.  At the campsite Jake the dog and Kamikaze were hanging out. They were trying to get the fire to burn more but all the wood was wet from several days of rain. Theresa and I hung out with them by the fire. After awhile Theresa started talking with Kamikaze about losing Matt. They both shared their own experiences with grief and how it can change over time.   They talked about the aspect where other people expect you to eventually get over it. Even doctors tried to prescribe them antidepressants to handle their grief. They both wanted to feel that hurt instead of muting it with drugs. They talked until 11 pm and decided to call it a night.Tonight I'm listening to the little stream next to our tent snuggling up to my lady.