Date: 2013-05-22
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Tenting
Miles today: 5.1

When I was heading back from my shopping last night, I realized I didn't think to bring my headlamp and there are no lights near the tenting area, but I made out. This little town finally got quiet around 12 pm and I was able to fall asleep. I woke up around 5:30am when the train and the trucks start coming into town. ¢K Fox¢ said she was heading out early and I wished her happy trails. I took off to the gas station to see if they had any fuel for my Jet Boil stove and they didn't, nobody in town carries it, but they did have a BLT and orange juice, so I sat there eating and watching all the people run around like chickens with their heads cut off, grabbing this and that and heading off to work. It made me think how lucky I have been to be able to make this journey happen, and to get as far as I have, of course, with the help of my wife, Kathy. Anyhow, I then went to the library. It was closed but there is a a/c outlet out front and the wifi was on so I was sitting there surfing the web on my phone and one of Glasgow's Finest drives by and waves to me. Then I see this one town employee driving around four or five times and each time he drives by he waves at me. It's 8 o'clock and the Dollar General is now open so I mosey on down to it and that guy that keeps waving at me is going in - man I need his job! By the time I get there, he's pulling out and yes, he waves again - he must be the town¢s official waver. I go on in and pick up a couple of things and head back to my tent to pack it all up but my tent is wet from the dew so I move it into the sun to let it dry awhile. I decide to go back to the library and upload some more pictures and charge my phone, my external charger and my MP3 player and then I go get some lunch. I can't believe how fast time goes by. I take a shower at the one provided at the town shelter and start my 5.9 miles of walking the pavement back to the trail. Surely someone will stop and pick me up. After thirty-five minutes, someone who works for a living pulls over and makes room in the back of his pickup truck for me. When he pulls over at the trail head, I jump out and thank him over and over again. It¢s now 2:15pm and I start hiking. It¢s not too bad. I hike along the James River and then along a stream and then it gets bad - the trail goes straight up. This goes on for miles and then, oh no, not again, I hear thunder! I'm still climbing and I have no time to rest. The sweat is just pouring off me, the winds are steady and the lightning is getting closer. I reach the peak at last and now I start going down. I'm getting ready to be in it, limbs and leafs are falling all around me. This is as low as I can go, so with nothing but adrenalin, I set up my tent in record time, throw my backpack inside and throw myself inside and it poured down ¢ whew, I just made it. With cracks of lightning all around me, I inflate my air mattress and hop on it. I don't really think it will help me against a bolt of lightning, but it makes me feel like it will! After a while, it slows up enough for me to go out and hang my food bag in a tree but round two is coming. If you don't hear from me again, I hope you enjoyed my journal. Till next time! (I hope).