Date: 2008-11-25
To: Our trip has come to an early demise
Miles today: 0.0

   We awoke to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground and a temperature of 22 degrees. Erik called out from his tent, ¢Hey, Wendy¢¦ Do you remember that road we crossed on our way?¢   ¢Yeah¢¦¢   ¢We could hike back to it and hitch a ride back to the car.¢   A lump formed in my throat. Returning to the car was the last thing I wanted to do. I expected to be out here for at least two more nights. I thought we would hike back to Wise shelter and then see the ponies again before we headed back. Erik, on the other hand, was worried about the exposed area on Stone Mountain. He feared that up to a foot of snow might have fallen at the higher elevations and that we were not prepared to travel through that. I suggested we wait until we reached the road to decide.        We got changed, lit our stoves, and ate our oatmeal, huddled in the far corner of the shelter. Our boots had become blocks of ice overnight. And the mice had found new nesting material in Erik¢s fleece sleeping liner bag! They chewed holes right through it. We packed up and Erik had to help me put on my boots. I don¢t know what I would have done without him! The laces were impossible for me to move. We put plastic bags over our socks and jammed our feet into the ice blocks. Finally, we were ready to go. We saw feline animal tracks on the path before us. It was lightly snowing and my hands were numb. Gradually, feeling returned to both my fingers and toes. We had three and a half miles to hike before we reached the road. I was feeling optimistic about continuing our original plan, but when we reached the road, Erik said, ¢I really think we should get back to the car.¢ I told him that I didn¢t feel like I needed to be rescued. We hiked here voluntarily, on our own power, and that was how I intended to get back. I convinced him to try going just a little further, but he was worried about water and how we would survive the night. I then noticed that my water tube was frozen. (I had not yet learned about blowing warm air back into it). I gave in. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was too stubborn. I was just determined to deal with any kind of weather that came my way, knowing I will have to do this on a thru-hike.    We turned back to the road. I wondered how long it would take to get a ride and how many miles we were from our car. We would have to be driven all the way around the mountain in order to get back to it. While we waited for the next vehicle to pass by, I got very cold. Erik tried to offer me a power bar, but I just didn¢t feel like eating anything. After a few minutes, a truck approached in the opposite direction. I stuck out my thumb, but got no reaction. It did start slowing, however, and stopped several hundred yards down the road. Erik ran over to it as I waited behind. The interaction appeared tense. I made my way over and the guy in the passenger seat told us there was a general store four and a half miles down the road that we could walk to and get help from. I smiled hopefully and we started walking. It wasn¢t long before a red pick-up truck advanced in the direction we were headed. I stuck out my thumb, and they stopped. The two hunters with rifles in tow said they were not headed toward our destination, but when we mentioned the general store down the road, they said we could hop in the bed and they could take us there. We happily climbed into the open back end and settled in for our very first hitch. It was exciting and surprisingly easy and natural, and we were happy to at least have a ride for four miles. We were probably a good 15-20 miles away from our car by road. Those four miles soon became the longest I have experienced! The truck was not moving fast, but the cold, windy air was quickly turning us into human icicles. I remained still and calm and tried to remember that we were getting closer to the store with each passing yard.         Finally, they turned into the parking lot, realized they were headed in our general direction after all, and offered to take us farther down the road, but Erik declined, preferring to warm up inside instead. He couldn¢t endure any more of such a raw, exposed ride. So we politely thanked them and opened the door to the store. Instead of rows of wares, I saw tablecloths draped over square tables and chairs! It looked more like a caf© than a store. There were only a couple of shelves of items that seemed to have been leftovers from yard sales, along with a few canned goods and cat food. An elderly couple stood at the cashier. The woman took one look at our snow-covered bodies and with a mixture of pity and disappointment, simply said, ¢Oh, people¢¦¢ Her husband told us to go stand near the wood stove. This place turned out to be the perfect place to await our next ride.         It was only a moment later that a heavy-set man dressed only in a stretched out tank top, shorts, and low-cut boots with no socks walked in with a smug smile. ¢Oh, Lord! Look at this!¢ the woman said to us as her disbelief at our situation quickly transferred to his. She looked outside at the snow and then back to him. ¢What are you doing like that?¢ she asked.    ¢Oh, I never get cold,¢ he smiled. ¢Now, my wife -she¢s always cold! She¢s always wrapped up in blankets and I¢m always walkin¢ around the house like this. We just got married six months ago,¢ he proudly stated.         He went on to say that he just got a job two days ago. ¢I¢ve been prayin¢ for it. It was because of her that I got it.¢ Erik gave him two thumbs up. He looked right at Erik, smiled, and returned the two thumbs.        ¢Well, where is she?¢ asked the elderly woman. ¢Is she here?¢¢Yeah. She¢s in the truck. She¢s 300 pounds, but she¢s real strong, you know what I mean? We went to a wrestling match two weeks ago and she started booing one of them. This guy comes up to her and says, ¢You want to fight?¢ and puts up his fists. It took two security guards to get her off him.¢        He stopped his story telling for a moment to ask the lady for directions. I wondered if we should ask him for the next leg of our hitch, not knowing if anyone else would be coming into the store. When he told us we would have to sit in the bed of the pick-up, Erik declined. We¢d warm up with some coffee and a bite to eat and hope for something better to come along.        Not wanting to part so quickly from his new audience, the man started telling us about the time he fell off a ladder when he was 21 and broke every bone in his body. ¢I had eight plates in my head. They had to put it all back together, but they didn¢t give me a pretty face! They had to find out where my cerebral fluid was leaking, so they injected me with something. I woke up freezing cold. After they wheeled me out of the hospital, I¢ve never been cold again!¢ He grinned and then said ¢God bless you,¢ as he turned to head out.      ¢Would you like a cup of coffee?¢ asked the woman.       ¢No. I¢m fine. But she¢ll take one.¢      ¢How does she like it?¢       ¢She takes it black.¢              Interacting with characters like this was as new to me as hitchhiking...         We ordered a couple of sandwiches and some coffee and as I was heading to my seat, I saw an Expedition-type of SUV pull in. A man, woman, and child got out, and as I sized up the situation, I realized that there would be plenty of room for both Erik and I, as well as our gear. Yes! This was our ride! Now, we just had to figure out how to ask them. They gave us a brief hello, but did not appear to want to interact. Erik thought it would be best to ask after they had eaten.        While we waited for our food, I decided to try typing something on Erik¢s iphone. The man then asked us if we needed to get somewhere! We explained our situation and his daughter (the woman that came in with him) suggested that we could stay at one of the B+Bs in the area. However, the man said that he could take us back to our car, as he had some free time. He had planned to go out hunting, but the weather had driven him away. He said that he had been in our situation many times and that it was no problem for him to give us a ride. We were so relieved and thankful!        Immediately after they had finished their meal, they seemed to want to leave, so we quickly got up and gathered our gear. He dropped his daughter and grandson off at their house and then we were on our way. We enjoyed some nice conversation with him about changes in the trail made over the years, the Grayson Highland horses, and other animals in the area as he brought us all the way back to the Massie Gap backpacking lot in his heated car. Although he did not want to take it, we insisted on giving him some money for his time and trouble. I wish I had asked to take his picture.         Although our trip was cut short, I felt that I had received a true AT experience. It had been our first time hiking in the dark, sleeping out in twenty degree weather, hiking through snow, putting on frozen boots, fending off mice, hitchhiking, and experiencing the genuine human kindness and offers of help that I had read so much about.