Date: 2009-04-30
From: Old Orchard Shelter, VA

To: Trimpi Shelter, VA
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Cell noneOG notesI don't remember if I mentioned this last night or not, we narrowly escaped getting caught in a thunderstorm and huge downpour. We arrived at the shelter just as it started to rain, then the lightening and thunder started. Numerous hikers came in totally drenched; it made us so glad we didn't get caught in it.As I was typing the last paragraph we heard thunder in the distance. The forecast calls for a 40% chance of rain tonight. I'm glad to say we're in a shelter again tonight; hopefully we'll stay dry.This is a very disjointed entry: I was just watching a Humming Bird pick at a dead tree. I've only seen them at Humingbird feeders so I was surprised to see it at the tree. It kept going up to the tree then back away and then back at the tree, the same way I've seen them do at the feeder. It is cool to see and hear them. They are so small and the buzz, oops the hum they make is incredible.We seem to be losing our friends, they're ahead of us and behind us. Old Gear, Gangsta, Wags, Hermes, Saint, Windup, Newt, Miss Scarlett, Squeegee, and Sam Wise are all ahead of us. Red Leg, Braid (he's back on the trail!), Tiger, Floater, Rusty, and Wicked, are all behind us. We are meeting new people, but they are faster hikers than us, so we probably won't see them again. That is how the trail community goes - you meet people, then split up, then sometimes later down the trail you meet up with them again. It is nice to meet new people and most are friendly as soon as you meet them. Bob Peoples, the fellow who owns the Kincora Hostel, told us "The trail is a great equalizer." All hikers are equal, doctors, lawyers, mechanics, and rocket scientists are all equal out here. We're like brothers and sisters with one purpose...hike all the way to Maine. We all approach it a little differently, but we all get up each morning and start hiking north.C6 notesWe stink. OG just had his feet up on the end of the picnic table bench near me as he was zipping his pants legs back on, and his feet stink awful! (Mine do, too, but I wasn't smelling mine just then.) We sweat as we hike, so our shirts and bodies stink, too. Don't get close to us until we take showers and wash our clothes! This is one of the unpleasant parts of this adventure.We get to take a shower when we get a room somewhere. (On average maybe every 4 to 6 days or so.) That has been in hostels (pretty crude), motel rooms (better than hostels, but not high class), hotel rooms (which we haven't had yet), and Bed and Breakfasts (Elegance! Except that you share the bathroom with the other guests). Showers at hostels are usually pretty crude. We put shampoo and soap in our mail drop boxes so we would have it to use when we are at places that are crude.We wash our clothes at those places, too. The hostels have had washers and dryers we can use for a fee. (We washed our clothes with an old fashioned wash tub and hand wringer at one, but dried the clothes in a normal dryer.) The Duckett House B & B let us wash our clothes in their laundry room. In Damascus (The Lazy Fox Inn B & B), we went to the local laundromat. We don't have much to wash...we wear our shirt, pair of pants, and underwear, but don't carry another set of those clothes. (I do carry another pair of underwear and bra so I have a clean set to put on when I'm washing the pair I've been wearing for days.) When we wash clothes, we wear our rain suits. When our clothes are done, we put our (now clean) hiking clothes back on. The smell washes out (mostly), but not all of the stains, so our clothes are looking pretty ratty now. If you're not a hiker, this sounds pretty disgusting. Strangely, I find being so dirty doesn't phase me much when we're in the woods. It does bother me a LOT when we are around clean people, or in towns. One thing I found strange when we were in Damascus over the weekend was that about 24 hours after I took my first shower, my hair felt greasy. I go days without a shower while hiking, and my hair doesn't bother me. I keep my hair in braids while hiking though, so that may have something to do with it not bothering me in the woods (I mean about it feeling dirty or greasy).Just thought you might want to know about this aspect of hiking the AT. If you want to meet us at any time while we're hiking, keep all this in mind, please. Stinking and being dirty is an unavoidable part of the experience. Old Goat & Check Six