Date: 2012-05-23
From: Big Walker Motel, Bland

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

We were up at the crack of dawn and were running around trying to get ready before 6am.  Anna's alarm went off twice and then mine went off at 5:30.  The race was on.  We were all a little groggy considering we went to bed after midnight talking about our situation.  PMo felt it was risky but Anna thought that the guy was just lonely and had been drinking a lot.  He showed up at our door at 5:45 and Baxter announced his arrival with a bunch of obnoxious barking.  PMo did an incredible job keeping Baxter under control and we continued imploding our packs.  We were ready to roll at 6 sharp and I ate my breakfast bananas while Anna drank a cup of coffee the guy brought us.  I took down his license plate, emailed it to a buddy, and decided I should bring my phone and my knife into the truck just in case.  Our driver friend had sobered up and was much less intense.  We made small talk and I tried to keep him talking so I could continue to learn about him.  He dropped us off without altercation.  After a round of hugs and thank you's, we were alone at the road.  We were definitely getting an early start today.  The morning was still dark and rainy with clouds hanging low.  We had a decent amount of road walking to do which was nice since it was brighter and we could avoid getting soaked from the waist-high plants usually present.  Anna put her poncho on and Baxter acted really concerned.  We teased her that Baxter thought an orange monster had swallowed her feet first.  Baxter kept looking at her and growling.  We finally got in the woods but we had a bit of difficulty staying on trail.  The blazes were a little tricky to follow and others must have had similar trail confusion before us.  It is funny how the wrong route gets twice the traffic of the correct route sometimes.  We finally got on track and cruised up some big hills.  The wind and rain had freshly knocked down two big trees which made for some slippery creativity as we found alternative routes.  We stopped to eat breakfast at the Helveys Mill Shelter where we met Shaggy, who was leaving, Grandpa Detour, and PJ smiley, who were just getting out of their sleeping bags.  I ate two large honey buns for 1460 calories and shared my Starburst with the shelter.  Talk about a balanced meal!  PMo ate a big protien bar and made a face like something horrible had happened at the factory while Anna dug into her massive collection of Clif bars to select just the right one.  We were all sitting on the ledge of the shelter and Baxter half-sat out on the ground.  He hates the ground and does everything he can to avoid touching it.  Of course, he is just fine with ingesting poop.  We all have our quirks, I suppose.  At some point I looked down and saw a tick trying to get a few calories out of my leg.  It took multiple tries to get a clean release.  They usually crawl around to find a good spot but this one wasn't picky.  We left fueled up and in good spirits.  We all hike about the same speed but the girls like to take breaks here and there so we eventually end up separated.  I decided to eat lunch sitting on my pack out on the VA 611 gravel road.  The rain at this point was very light and I didn't bother to use my umbrella.  I had packed in a pre-made gas station sandwich on a sesame roll.  No refrigeration but that turkey and swiss was packed so full of preservatives I was not concerned.  And it was pretty good too.  I dug into my snack supply and finished up pretty satisfied.  I then found another tick trying to make a meal out of my leg and disposed of it.  The girls and Baxter arrived about thirty minutes later and sat down for their lunch.  We all left together for Jenny Knob Shelter.  I got their first and left them a big arrow on the ground in sticks.  I saw Knief there and he didn't look like he was doing all that well.  He had some rough times in Damascus and got some friction from the police on his way out. Ultimately, it was a great story but a really crummy deal.  I set up my rainfly for PMo in the trees over a dry spot from some previous tent and threw my sleeping bag in the shelter.  The girls arrived and we took an afternoon siesta in the sunny southwest-facing shelter. This nap was glorious.  We awoke to new people rolling into the shelter and hanging out including Hambone, Brian, and Dreamealker. It was a fun crew although a little odd in the sense that they mostly ignored PMo and Anna.  However, this allowed the girls to make a spectacular dinner of mashed potatoes and Mac n cheese.  As hiker midnight approached I got caught up on my music news.  Someone had left a copy of the latest Rolling Stone in with the shelter register.  There was a good article on Radiohead but the light was fading and I soon traded the magazine for my sleeping bag.