Date: 2007-05-14
From: VA 615

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: clear sky

Thru-hikers deal in the currency of mileage. A 15, a 20, a zero--these numbers assign a quantifiable value to our days. But really, it's the non-quantifiable aspects of our hike that make it successful. They say that the average New Yorker walks 3 miles a day. Even though I walked over 3 times that today, I didn't hike too much at all. Instead, I stopped and enjoyed some of the finest trail magic ever, courtesy of the Round Mountain United Methodist Churches. I have to admit that I've become a little leery of trail magic that's associated with Southern Christians due to a certain evangelical food ambush I experienced a while back. The Methodist, however, didn't preach to us at all. Rather, they fed us like kings and told us stories about making apple butter. The pastor came out onto the lawn while we were digesting and played bluegrass and folk music with Chris the Texan (my favorite song was about the 5 pound oppossum in the headlights). I got the feeling that the church provided a sense of community, history, and faith to the town. Tucked away in its little green valley, the church doesn't need to suck people in wiht tales of miracles and beauty--because those things are evident when you lay your eyes on the fields and mountains around it.The food was great, but the real trail magic was the guitar music on the lawn, the tales of stirring huge vats of apple butter with hubcaps, and the relaxation of laying on a lawn on a warm spring day in Virginia. And that was why we only walked a bit over 9 miles today.I got the chance to meet a few new hikers today. I've been seeing the same group of people for hundreds of miles, so new faces are interesting and welcome. Scholar (AT 2005) and I hiked the stretch between VA 615 and the road to Bland. It was nice talking about books with her, and I was happy to be talking to a woman--there's so few of them out here, and I'm missing female bonding! We ran into the Chocolate Bandito who was hiking south towards Damascus. The trail is a small world, because I hiked a short stretch of the CT A.T. with the Bandito's boyfriend, Happy Feet, last year.We hit trail magic #3 today--jugs of cold water on the dry stretch between road crossings. When it rains, it pours.Once again, our little group has parted ways, but we'll rejoin at Trail Days. Lala pulled a 24 yesterday while we opted to attend trail magic in lieu of big miles. Moon Goat is slowing his mileage down because Otto has a bit of a limp. Two Dogs had a bad fall and may have a broken rib but is keeping up. Spaceman and Forrest ate dinner here and then took off to get some more miles in. This leaves Bad Influence and I to march onwards to 606 where I can nab a Coke, and he can score some cell phone reception in order to call his wife--both our biggest ideal perks of civilization. I have to admit that there's something mentally tough about leaving the group--whether it be pushing on or dropping behind. But, I'm slowly getting better at listening to my body and trusting my own gut instinct when it comes to this hike.Trail Days looms ahead. Initially, I wasn't sure if I wanted to attend--the crowds, the town food, the beer would all be overwhelming after "quiet" nights on the AT. But, two goals alone bring me to trail days.1. My appointment with Dr. John.2. Scoring some moonshine.Moon Shine is actually the primary goal. It's been all over the trail--a day before me, a day after, there on a day when I wasn't feeling up to it...it's not that it's difficult to find out here--rather, it's a matter of timing. One of the hikers I know was in Damascus and saw an old man and asked him if there was a liquor store in town. The old man told him to wait a minute. He went into his house and came out with a coke bottle filled with shine. See, it's easy to find the stuff if the stars align. And if you're in Damascus during the country's largest gathering of hiker trash.In other news: Otto the dog peed on my foot yesterday while I was scratching his ears. Luckily, I had crocs on so clean up was easy. But, I've become such a dirtbag that I don't think pee soaked socks would phase me too much.