Date: 2005-06-06
From: Tye River, Va. 56

To: Maupin Field Shelter (Rusty's Hard Time Hollow)
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

Started @ Tye River, Va. 56Destination: Maupin Field Shelter      ( Rusty's Hard Time Hollow)Miles Today: 8.8Total miles: 828.5Stayed in hostelDay 87Well, today did not exactly work out as planned but that is a good thing. I was going to make it as far as possible toward the shelter just before Waynesboro but the climb up the Three Ridges was almost more than I could do. The miles today were hard ones and when I got to Maupin Field Shelter for water I looked in the shelter register to see who had gone through ahead of me. There was a note to me from Redhat dated yesterday that she was here at this hostel--1.2 miles on an old fire road to the Parkway and then 1.3 miles south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to a driveway with a gate with an AT logo on it. I thought that since it was dated yesterday she had probably gone on so I decided that since I had not planned to go there I would stick with my plan to continue to hike north. When I left the shelter and started onto the trail I found a card for this hostel RedHat had left on the sign post that she is back on the trail and to join her here at the hostel. It was not specifically addressed to me and I did not know whether she was waiting here for me or what. She had called Toto last week to say she was getting back on and would like to hike with me. I called her cell phone from Glasgow and left a message for her that I did not expect to get into Waynesboro (at the southern end of The Shenendoah National Park) until Wednesday. Then I saw Anchor going south-bound (slack-packing) on the trail a few days ago and she told me she received an e-mail from RedHat saying she was getting on the trail that weekend. I assumed she was getting on in the Shenandoah¢s. So I hike on up the trail for about 20 minutes and suddenly remember that I left my water carrying bag at the shelter. Do I go back or leave it? I need it but I've been climbing and will have to climb up the trail again if I go back and I do not think I have the energy to do that again today. But I went back and decided that RedHat must be waiting for me at this hostel and if she wasn't, well, I needed to stay somewhere. So I read the directions to get here and took off on the road that I hoped was the right one. I walked for much more than 1.2 miles, it seemed, and started thinking it was not the road but I kept going anyway. I decided that if I never came to the Blue Ridge Parkway eventually I'd just go back and look for the other road if there was time or stay at the shelter if there was not time. There were times I felt close to tears but kept telling myself everything would work out in the end. Finally, I started hearing cars, and then, finally saw them, and then the road! I turned left and walked for 1.3 miles which also seemed like much further. Finally the driveway with a gate and I start down it. Soon I see signs that Rusty has put up on the trees. On one tree or pole there is a phone sign and the phone is way up on the pole (a joke). For years he did not have any phone or electricity here and has just within the last year got them. He has operated this hostel since 1982.When I get to the bottom of the driveway (hollow) I go to a building with the open door and ask if RedHat is here. She is probably in the bunkhouse, they say, and point it out. But first I have to sign in the register book. Rusty is not here--he is working somewhere. But a former thru-hiker, Pirate, is here to help. Besides RedHat, there are 4 other hikers here. Some have been here for 5 days. I climb the stairs to the bunkhouse and call for RedHat and she yells, "Dorothy!" She shows me around. The sodas and hotdogs are in the springhouse. There is a pipe with water flowing out and it is ok for drinking without filtering. There is a hot tub that can be used and is heated by burning wood. The part of the building that had the open door has a kitchen, microwave, and small propane stove for hikers to use. He has a supply of food, pancake mix, jelly, apple butter, margarine, peanut butter, bread, etc. for hikers to use. There is cold water only from the faucet so everything is washed in cold water. Around back is a porch with swing, a glider, and a sofa. Down lower in the hollow is a campfire ring and an area for playing some kind of golf. There are lots of games around for playing and lots of books and a Ping-Pong table on the bunkhouse. I'm glad I came here just to experience this. I do not think I could have gone any further on the trail today, anyway. The rocky climb and heat today were about all I could handle. This 19 acre piece of land is for sale for around 1/2 million dollars but he is having trouble selling it because no new home can be built on it because it is less than 23 acres. Well, that is about it for my day-a hard one with a good ending. It is getting dark and we do not want to turn on the light because the bugs will come in. I have already put bug repellent on to keep them away from me. I'll see how these hard lumpy mattresses work. Good-night.