Date: 2008-05-10
From: Jenkins shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

11.4 trail mi,+ 3 town miles.   It was pleasant to be back in my tent last night. It is, when you think about it, the only private space and time that we have on this trip. Thunder had been rumbling deeply to the north west, and a few quick lightening flashes lit up the post sunset sky. I was stretched out on my sleeping mat with my sleeping bag draped over me. Here's how it went: "Ooh, that was louder". "Nah, its fading away". "Yikes! That was right over my head!"" Should I move into the shelter? I don't really want to, its musty and crowded, but maybe it would be safer if a ripping big thunderstorm comes in". "Do air mattresses conduct electricity? What about my hiking poles?"" I wish Jan was here. Maybe she won't mind if I go over and visit in her tent for a little while"... etc.   "As it was, the storm built to quite a crescendo, rain began to patter on the tent and lightening lit up the sky repeatedly. But it petered out gradually,and receded, leaving us with a few showers during the night, but no drama. I slept well, and even managed to adapt to the slight slant of the site without fully waking up.    This morning was an early start, up at 6 and on the trail by 7:30. I laced up my boots at the picnic table while enjoying the banter that Edge, Footloose, Yazzie and Mike-Who-Has-No-Trail-Name were conducting. Footloose, a recent Virginia Tech grad and ardent AT hiker hit the trail first. Jan and I followed, and the others came along soon after. Each night we form these little shelter communities, and disband in the mornings, often never to see one another again. But the company is usually very good, with the affection for hiking and nature a strong common denominator.   In 4 or 5 miles, V8 and I reached a campsite area that was nested up off of a Forest Service road. I hiked up the stone stairs into the area and saw a metal trash can. Wow! That's neat! We'll have to take advantage of that and put our three baggies worth of trash in it. Then I saw the styrofoam cooler. "For AT Hikers". Inside, it was chock full of ice and bottles of fresh juice, OJ, apple, and such. The Round Mtn. United Methodist Church had left it there, real trail magic. I was so moved. These people don't know me, and they still put cold fresh juice out for us as we pass by. It tasted so good, and left a deep feeling of appreciation with me all day. I jotted a note of thanks and popped it in the baggie with the New Testament, hoping the pastor gets it.   We walked as quickly as we could today, and covered 11+ miles by 1:30. The AT descends down a Forest Service Rd into a junction near a secondary road. We knew Bland was to the right, about 2.5 miles, so we stood with our packs and a sign and a smile, but could not get a ride.    Mike came down from the trail, and together we all tried to get a ride while walking on the side of the road. No luck. 2.5 miles, warm sun, gravel shoulder, and we entered the little community of Bland.    We hiked down to the IGA and got our groceries, then tried to find a ride up the hill to the I-81 interchange, another mile away. No luck. Trudge, trudge, trudge.    The motel was up on a hill way above the highway, which gave it a magnificent view of the hills, but took our last bit of energy to master. Bill Bryson commented extensively on the plight of the pedestrian in American highway areas, and I was thinking about that a lot as there were no sidewalks, limited shoulders, and no expectation at all that folks might want to actually walk to the convenience store, Dollar General, or the motel.   Once there, however, we found the manager pleasant, and the rooms clean and fresh. Ahhh. The feet were so very glad we were done for the day.    I washed clothes in the bathtub, as there are no public laundry facilities in town, and hung them on the rail fence outside to dry.Even after 4:30 there was enough sun to half dry our togs.   Late in the afternoon Jan told me that The General was here, a fellow from England whom we met at the Hiker Hostel in Dahlonega. Sure enough, he was just checking in. Later we sat for an hour or so and caught up on mutual friends, leg and foot issues, and favorite parts of the trail.   Cheese and yogurt are nesting in the ice bucket for the night. I have been drinking iced Pepsi like I just came from a trek across the desert, plastic cup after plastic cup from the 2 litre bottle we ordered with the pizza. The weather people on TV are saying that severe thunderstorms are coming through tomorrow. How that affects our progress remains to be seen.   It's bedtime. 8:24 pm. Goodnight from the Big Walker Motel in the beautiful Appalachian mountains of Virginia. Marcia JamrogAuntie Mame