Date: 2009-05-30
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Campsite: Crawfish Valley along Reed Creek
Miles today: 17.9

Note: Hilarious day of hitchhiking¢¦I had a great sleep last night because no one else was in the hostel. I was all by myself! Being rather slow moving at packing up my belongings, I was at Jerry's Kitchen by 9:30 am. I tried to use his computer in order to send off an email, but it just wasn't functioning. Somewhat frustrated, I got up and went over to ask Jerry if there was a problem with the computer. It turns out that he had shut it off, as people using it created problems for his virtual college classes. Jerry was in his late 50's and with a hearing aid, but one also with a determined personality. I was polite and very interested in what he was studying, so I inquired and he told me all about it. It was for a Master's degree that he was hoping to complete by the end of July. I thanked him for his hospitality and headed across the road in order to catch a hitch. I was out there for a few minutes before Jerry came on out and said, "You need a ride?" I told him 'Yes!' and then proceeded to hop into his large SUV and headed off. I asked him some more questions about his degree and he explained that he was going back to school so that he could teach in a high school and then maybe at a community college in the evenings. He explained that he was already working 18 hour days at the Kitchen and, therefore, that he would be able to work in the mornings at his restaurant, teach at the high school during the day, and then teach at the community college in the evening. I could tell that he enjoyed my company and he really wished me well on my journey. When he dropped me off at the trailhead, we said our goodbyes and I proceeded to walk across the street and stuck my thumb out, hoping that I would get another hitch. Because I had slackpacked the day prior, I still had to hitch another 12 miles in order to get back to Partnership Shelter. It took about 15 minutes to catch the second hitch. The guy that picked me up had a thick Appalachian accent again, but of great spirit and generosity. Mark had initially passed me by (many do since it is a 55 mph zone), but swung back around in his 1997 Silver Ford Taurus, nearly the exact same one I drove during my first years of college. When I tried to close the door, the ENTIRE inside panel of the door fell off, exposing all of the wires and cables holding the door together. We were on the road at the time and needed to hurry up as cars were bunched up behind us, but he didn't mind. "Thatz all raht. Happenz all tha tahmm!!!" He helped me put the door back on and then we were off. I explained to him that I used to have the same card, except for the fact that he had cruise control. Feeling a sense of pride, he proceeded to show me, in complete seriousness, how his cruise control functioned, to which I nodded agreeably and exclaimed, "Wow!" He then showed me where he would go fishing each summer. "Raht thar is wha I gu fishin', in da Summa, but doggone heat gits up to nahnty-faav digreez and itz haht!" He also told me about anther story of a hitchhiker who pulled a gun on him and told him to drive to Knoxville, a main city several hours away. In this instant, he was smart and told the hitchhiker that he needed to get some gas first. So, he pulled into the gas station, turned the car off, and took the keys inside the gas station, calling the cops in the process. When Mark dropped me off in Sugar Grove, his door panel fell off AGAIN (!) and, this time, he had to get out of the car in order to fix it. It was a bit funny for me and made a great story. I thanked Mark for his hospitality and even asked if I could take a picture of him in front of his Ford Taurus to show my folks the good people that live in Sugar Grove, VA. He agreed to it and stood in front of his car in proud fashion. By this point, I was still about 5 miles away from my final destination and still needed another hitch. Within 5 minutes of standing at the side of the road with my thumb hanging out, an old boy driving a '91 Cadillac pulled up and I gladly jumped in. This man (he did not mention his name) was about 75 years old. We talked about life out on the trail and how he enjoys watching programs on the History Channel about bears. On this trip, he was on his way into Marion for a part for his car, as he banged it up a bit while RACING (yes, a 75-year-old man racing) truckers and other fast cars on the country backroads. I thought that this was hilarious. Finally, I made it to the trailhead at around 10:30 am and was off into the woods. I initially continued listening to the 'Into the Wild' audiobook and was captivated from start to end, managing to finish it late in the afternoon. Hiking several miles in, I came across the most beautiful rhododendron flowers that I have seen out on the AT. Beautiful pinkish-reddish flowers were scattered all over the branches hanging directly above and to the side of the trail. I have never seen so many colours in the wild in all my life. It was amazing! Right before this, there was a wonderful vista as well that showed the green valleys and thunderhead clouds in the distance. Arriving at the Chatfield Shelter, I talked with two guys from Atlanta, GA who were out doing a section. The one guy said that it would probably take him about 21 years to complete a thru-hike, but that he was going to go for it. Pushing on, I descended several miles, all the way down to these grasslands filled with waist-high weeds and grass - perfect conditions for ticks. At one point, I stopped to watch a farmer cut down the fields with his mammoth-sized tractor, one that resembled the grain operators in the midwest. It was quite beautiful and peaceful to watch. I continued my descent all the way down to Interstate 81, the largest thoroughfare through the Appalachian Mountains. I had to drive this route once, when I was moving my belongings down for my position at Duke. It looked much different walking underneath the overpass. I stopped at the Exxon gas station to fill up with some water and then headed back outside, where I found a very expensive camera at the side of the road. I immediately took the camera back into the convenience store and handed it over to the manager working that day. We have to look out for our fellow hikers!Not that much happened over the next several miles, although I did pass through several more pasture-like fields. Up on the ridge, I actually ran out of water again and was dehydrated and completely drenched with sweat. It was such a humid day! At this point, literally as I was on the trail, I took off my shirt and my pants - letting everything hang out - and changed my clothing. For those few seconds when I was entirely naked out on the trail, it was a very free, invigorating feeling. Interestingly enough, on June 21, the summer solstice and the longest day of the year, all hikers are supposed to walk naked for the day. Dan and Kim's wedding is on the 21st of June and I'll be up in New York for the wedding. I don't think that they would appreciate me confusing which day it actually was and me walking into the ceremony in 'free spirit'. I intended to hike to the next shelter, which would have been a 25-mile day, but upon finding a beautiful campsite and stream to the side, I decided to camp solo at Crawfish Valley on Reed Creek at mile marker 542.7. You do the math: 544 miles will be exactly 25% completed and we will hit this mark officially tomorrow morning. I at some good food by the creek and, I was just about to pee, a figure came through on the trail and I shouted: "Willow!!!" We were both very excited to see each other again and we managed to catch up on all the good happenings over the last few days. Gaucha and her boyfriend, who had just arrived from Cleveland, OH, were right behind Willow. I sat with them while they ate sharing stories and admiring Willow's toes - somehow, all of her toenails had fallen off and she has absolutely no cutaneous tissue on any of her toes. Very strange I didn't have bear rope, so I tried to hang my stuff with Willow's bag, but her cord was just too thin. As darkness approached and the difficulty of finding an appropriate tree became too much, I opted to sleep with my food bags and use them as a pillow. As I sit here writing this inside my small tarp tent, I'm using my mosquito netting on my head for the first time; these bugs are horrible! I'm getting a bit tired, so good night to all!