Date: 2009-05-10
From: just south of Tinker Cliffs

To: Catawba, VA
Miles today: 7.4

I. Corrections or Additions to Previous Entries: There aren¢t any gangs in Roanoke, VA. The graffiti I saw on the rocks were ¢love notes¢ from the kids at the high school just bellow the ridge. I would like to thank Hokey Poky from The Star City of the South (Roanoke) for the correction. II. Trail Word for the Day: Hiker¢s Rain - starts at 8:00 pm when the hiker goes to bed and stops at 8:00 am when the hiker is starting the day. (Tic trail word)MacGyver After an old TV show where the hero would construct useful devices out of common materials. To hikers it means to build or repair gear with imagination. (OLC)III. Report for Today: I had a hiker¢s rain with thunder and lightening Friday pm after I called in my report. My new equipment held up very well. During a lightening strike, I thought I saw a tarantula in the tent. I turned on a light and it was a 5¢ spider that was very close to my face which is why it looked like a tarantula. I thought I heard a noise in the night, but it was raining so hard I just ignored it.The next morning I packed up all my stuff which was ringing wet.   I went to clean up my camping spot and found a bunch of straps that some animal had chewed on. !@#$% vermin ate all the webbing material on the hip belt for my back pack. (Miss P & B stop laughing this isn¢t funny!!!). I now have to carry 45 lbs on my shoulders instead of my hips. I started hiking. Five minutes later I discovered the !@#$% vermin ate the straps on my poles. I called Lumpy with an SOS for a new pack and he will have it shipped to my next drop location. I usually hang my pack from a tree, but it was raining and I couldn¢t cover my pack so I put it on a big rock with a cover to keep everything dry. I stopped at Campbell Shelter for lunch and put everything out to dry. I ¢MacGyvered¢ the pack. It is serviceable, but not comfortable. I climbed McAfee Knob which is beautiful and took some great pictures!I finished my day in Catawba, VA. They have a very interesting general store. They let the hikers stay in their out-buildings for $3 a day. I joined 15 to 20 of my new friends for the evening. I ate at the hiker famous Home Place Restaurant. It was a true experience. I signed for a 2 hour wait and it was worth every minute. They seated me at a table for three and served me home-style in 8 large bowls: mash potatoes, gravy (separate bowel), green beans, pinto beans, cold slaw, fried chicken, biscuits, and peach cobbler.   I made a pig of myself. I returned to the General Store outbuildings to enjoy the hoot¢ nanny the young people were putting on.Today I hiked to Dragons Tooth and this was the most technically challenging hike to date. I had to crawl on hands and knees. There was a Nobo with his dog. He was surprised the dog made it even though the dog had four paw-drive.         V. Person of the Day: My mother Marian Nota Frost Luna. She grew up in Broken OK and attended grammar school in New London TX. There was a natural gas explosion at the school. My mother and her brother escaped by running away. They were not found until the next day. My grandmother had been at the school for a school board meeting. She survived. My grandfather drove heavy truck, and they used his truck as a hearse.   Two important things came out of this event. First, it brought Walter Cronkite to the national level for broadcasting.   Second, an odor was injected into natural gas so you can smell it if there is a leak. She graduated from Bay City High School, married, and raised two children. She was a homemaker, active in her church, and a very good cook. Her Lemon Meringue Pie placed at the county fair. But, my favorite was coconut cream. I have never had better fried shrimp anywhere. After my sister and I left home, my Mom went back to collage for an AA degree in medical records. She battled lung and colon cancer and died from pancreatic cancer in 1997. Happy Mother¢s Day,Miss P & B for Tic