Date: 2013-06-21
From: Stealth camp near Pinnacles Picnic Area

To: Budget Inn, Luray, VA, Thorton Ga[
Miles today: 5.4

I woke up at 5:48. It was already light out. Happy Summer Solstice! I got up and treated myself to a much anticipated flushing toilet and sink. I was wide awake. There was no going back to sleep. Fortunately, Redspecs got up soon after me. We were heading out of the campsite by 7:30. We hiked over the Pinnacles which were little more than a pile of rocks. We've seen a few of those in the last few months, so we didn't stop to check out this particular pile. We stopped at the Byrd's Nest #3 to sign the register. It seems that most people are only 4-5 days ahead. I thought they would be much farther along. That made me feel better. We saw a turn off for Mary's Rock. We ditched our packs and hiked up the .1 spur to the lookout. We had a 270 degree view, east, north and west. There were trees covering all the hills and valleys. A tiny slash of black asphalt with yellow stripes divided the forest. You could see voids in the trees where other roads ran through and wound their way down to the valley floor. We sat on the rocks and looked towards Luray. It gave away nothing of its character. We got to the turn off for Thorton Gap. I thought it would take a bit to hitch a ride the 9 miles into town, especially since we were technically in the national park. But Redspecs is nothing if not direct, so he walked straight up to the one couple in the parking lot and asked if they were headed to Luray. They weren't, but it was their 44th wedding anniversary and they were looking for something special to do. So they moved some stuff out of their backseat. We put our packs in their trunk, and they drove us down the mountain to our hotel in Luray. Virginians are pretty fantastic people. We checked into our tiny cavernous room at the Budget Inn. It had one little window, so we opened to the door to let in the light and some fresh air. The flies moved in immediately. At least 2-3 dozen of them. We took showers and headed to the outfitters. Redspecs needed new boots, and I wanted to get a lighter rain jacket. Mine is too heavy, and it offers virtually no waterproofing. So what's the point of carrying it? Afterwards, we parted ways. I took some stuff to the post office to mail off. I had planned to go the library to update trail journals, but it had closed a half hour earlier. So instead I sat in a grassy, shady spot under a bit spruce tree and talked to Tom. A much better option if you ask me I stopped by Uncle Bucks to grab a quick bite to eat and ended up eating an entire chicken fried steak, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast and a side of home-style potatoes. Then I crossed the street and had a mocha frappe and a HUGE slice of coconut cake. I guess I was hungry. I thought it better to eat before I went grocery shopping. Redspecs and I met up at the Dollar General. I wasn't looking forward to the hoof back to our hotel. But ever the forward man, he asked the lady behind us in line if she would drive us back to our motel. I was both embarassed and in awe. She just found it funny. I holed up in the office of the motel and got a few trail journal entries done, while Redspecs took our stinking clothes to the washateria. He's saintly. For dinner (can you believe I was hungry again?) we headed across the street and up the hill to the very stately Mimslyn Inn. We sat on the terrasse and watched the sun set over the hills. I had Oysters Rockafeller and felt very un-hiker-esque. It was fantastic! The fireflies had come out and the moon was big and bright and clear when we headed back to our motel room. Back to our room that was full of flies.