Date: 2005-06-07
From: Cedar Cliffs

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Have you ever been so tired you can't sleep? That was the case last night. I would doze and wake but never really get some good sleep. Around 3:30 I heard something and I saw some kind of critter near me. I gave a little yell to frighten it off but now I was wide awake. I lay there for a few minutes and then thought, "What the hell, I'm going to hike". At four AM I was on the trail. I was going slowly because you don't move fast when night hiking. I climbed the Stairway to Heaven, a nice little boulder climb. Interesting thing to do when all you have is your headlamp!. After that section things leveled out and I was able to move a little quicker plus, dawn was approaching. I calculated that I would get into Waynesboro no later than 11:00. At 8:00 I hit the last shelter before Waynesoro which was just five miles away. Nobody was there. I was hoping that Break would still be there if she had stayed there last night. I checked the register and, sure enough, she had been there! This meant she could not be too far ahead because of how early it was. There was a slight possibility I would catch her before W'boro so off I went, flying down the trail. I passed two people and started uphill. It was already warm out and I had already done 11 miles. 11 miles and it was just after eight in the morning! I was climbing, holding my hiking pole and looking down at the trail when I rounded a corner and looked up. There she was, a few feet in front of me, looking at me in what can maybe described as shock. I grinned and said, "Girl, you are one heck of an incentive"! She laughed. It has been three weeks since I have seen Break and even longer since we walked together. So here we are, walking the trail again and heading into Waynesboro, gateway to the southern end of the Shenandoahs. We talked and caught up as we walked and the last few miles flew by. We got to the road leading into W'boro and started to cross it so we could hitch in. A truck comes barreling around the corner and we had to jump and run. Not used to fast moving vehicles! As we trying to avoid getting hit I quickly stuck my thumb out. Believe it or not, that truck slowed and stopped. We got a ride before we were on the right side of the road to hitch from! He dropped us off and the first stop was the post office. Break said she had a couple of packages and I knew I had a couple. She was in front of me so I am watching what is happening. The postal worker brings out two boxes and I am thinkng that this was no big deal. Not too big so we should be able to manage hers and mine in our walk to the campground. Then, The worker comes back with another box. I just started laughing. Break turns and grins. This one was huge. I asked her if she was mailing a body in her bounce box. So here we are, 4 smaller boxes and one monster. We had 4 blocks to walk and so we arranged things the best we could and headed down the street. It had to have been quite a sight! After a short time a car pulled over and asked if we wanted a ride. He gave us a ride to the YMCA where they have a free campground for long distance hikers. Our first order of business was a shower and that was also provided, free of charge. (I guess someone was picking up the tab for the hikers showers this month) After cleaning up Break sat in the hall of the "Y" and said she was going to consolidate. I went across the street to set up my tent. When I got back to the "Y" Break was sitting there in what looked like a pack and box explosion. There was stuff in a large semi-circle around her. She looked at me as I walked up and said,"What in the world was I thinking"! I laughed and sat down. As I waited for her to make some sense of all her stuff Slap Happy and Tree Trunks walked in. They were also camping at the Y so we all talked some and made plans to do a little bar-b-que that night. Slap Happy's shin splint is getting better so she should be back on the trail in a couple of days. Break's foot is still bothering her so, depending on how she feels, she may zero on Wednesday. She and I plan on heading out together so it doesn't matter how long we stay. Personally, I would just as soon see her stay long enough for the foot to feel good and not just "doable", but then, I am dealing with another stubborn woman! Geez, if I had to hike with Break and Free at the same time...Naw, not even going to go there, especially since they read this! The pack explosion soon came under control and we headed to the campsite still packing the monster box which did not seem to be any lighter. We got organized and it was time for town chores so off we went. We each had different things we needed to accomplish so I went one way and Break the other. Once again, mine included the group laundry, but I did volunteer to do it. We would meet back at the tents. Later that evening we bar-b-qued and just enjoyed the pleasant weather. Break was tired and she went to bed early but Slap Happy, Tree Trunks and I sat and talked. We talked about who was off the trail, who was ahead or behind. The typical trail talk. I am still amazed at how fast news can travel up and down the trail and how information can get distorted. Break was telling me that someone told her that I was going to go into Montebello, get my maildrop, and head right out again. This made her think that I was actually ahead of her! Then someone else told her they had just seen me at the "mothership" trail magic and I looked pretty comfortable there. I think she bought this one more than the other! Time for bed. All in all an excellent day!