Date: 2006-06-28
From: Rod Hollow Shelter, VA 

To: BearÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Den Hostel 
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

Day:103 Date: 6/28/06 Start: Rod Hollow Shelter, VA Weather: rain, rain, then buckets of rain. Finish: Bear¢s Den Hostel Miles: 9.9 Cumulative A.T. Miles: 988.9 (-97.3 that we skipped) Branch: Last night, Marco Solo came into the shelter pretty late. This morning we hung around the shelter for a while talking to this wonderful Christian brother. It was so refreshing to be around like-minded, wise company. For the first hour he and Clay hiked together sharing life stories and philosophies. I loved listening to the two of them talk. Today we started the infamous roller coaster. The roller coaster is a 13-mile section in which there are 10 climbs and descents. This is supposed to be pretty tough. To make the hiking more interesting, much of the trail had become a constantly running stream from all of the rain that we have gotten over the last few days. As Clay, Marco Solo, and I began hiking today, it became obvious that it was going to be a tough day for my rebellious throat and me. With each climb, I felt my throat getting increasingly tight. The physical struggle quickly digressed to emotional desperateness. Why would God lead us to this trail and not enable me to hike without being in constant pain? Marco Solo hiked on while Clay and I slowed our pace to help keep my throat relaxed. By the time that we were done with even this slow and short mileage, I was exhausted both physically and emotionally. On happier side of life, today we were able to visit super good friends of ours. Circuit Rider, Sherlock, and Queen Diva are all super great Christians who have been our friends for a few years as we have all worked to share the love of Jesus with our friends on the Appalachian Trail. We had a great time talking with them and others at the hostel. We were able to get to know Pokey the Pink Squid and Marco Solo better, and were so encouraged by hanging out with our friends. Since my throat has been not been working lately, we believe that we will need to get off the trail in Harper¢s Ferry (about 20 miles from here). While my throat was better when we were in Kentucky, once back on the trail, it has been a nightmare. It is our hypothesis that the constant daily exercise of 8-11 hours at a time aggravates an already ornery set of throat muscles. The last few days have been miserable and even possibly dangerous as we have walked. As I write this, I am incredibly depressed as I think about the possibility of leaving the people that we have come to know and love so well. However, even in the midst of this the most unsure part of our lives, I feel God¢s hand at work. I know that He loves us and that He loves the hikers that we toil for, so I know that He will work this out for the best. It is that that I remind myself with as I toss and turn and try to sleep tonight. Clay: This morning was wonderful. Ol¢ Reb asked me to pray for everyone in the shelter before they began the days journey. So, I did. Another young woman talked with Branch about the validity of Scripture. I talked with Marco Solo about his travels around the world, his truly fascinating spiritual pilgrimage, and his journey to faith. What an amazing guy.