Date: 2015-05-11
From: Partnership Shelter, VA

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Downing an entire large pizza and a 2-liter of Coke to one's self is a bad idea if you're looking for a sound night of rest. Rock Boat and I both tossed and turned the night away up on our lonely ridge the same way we would have had we stayed in the party atmosphere of the shelter below. I spent hours staring at the stars high above which wasn't a bad thing, I guess, except sleep is the best thing for a recovering body out here. I dozed off for a bit around ~2:00am, until I was woken by the pelting of rain. As if on cue, Rock Boat and I both begin scrambling, exchanging similar words showing our disapproval for what was taking place. Rock Boat had wisely set up his tent earlier and only needed to throw on his rainfly. I, on the other hand, was cowboy camping again, making the situation a bit more urgent. I quickly collected my belongings spread haphazardly around me, dug out my rainfly from the bottom of my pack, and did the only reasonable thing I could think of by throwing the fly over my belongings and myself. Fortunately the rain passed in ~30 minutes and stars returned, allowing me to climb out of the greenhouse I had began developing under my rainfly in more ways the one.The remainder of the predawn hours would pass, both Rock Boat and I tossing, farting, and periodically complaining to one another along the way. I finally managed to doze off before sunrise and woke up, like clockwork, at 6:30am to the rising sun and gentle snoring of Rock Boat who had found his peace with sleep at some point as well. We gradually packed our gear, said farewell to Oliver, and returned to the visitors center nearby where we called the Marion shuttle service to pick us up at 9:00am. Perhaps the coolest thing about Marion, from a hikers point of view, is the hiker-friendly shuttle service. For 50 cents a ride, you can literally get anywhere in town through a series of stops along the various routes. Our driver offered us friendly tips and even a mini tour of the town as we drove down out of the mountains. We arrived at the Relax Inn around 10:00am, checked in to our room, and would spend the remainder of the day doing exactly what should be done on a zero - nothing.Well, some trails related chores had to be done, but not at the cost of our much-needed relaxation. We both took a shower and discovered we were only given a single bar of soap. Although a step up from creek water, it would do the job until later when we brought back our own goods. With gadgets charging and, we walked ~10 minutes to a shopping area and immediately into a Chinese buffet. Offering a very limited selection as far as buffets go, the food was decent and helped us accomplish our goal of developing another food baby. We waddled over next door to both Ingles and Walmart to resupply for the next few days. Important items purchased include: Vaseline, Gold Bond, and knee-high pantyhose. The latter is an experiment that may fail miserably. Having some of the most torn up feet I've seen on the trail, I'm willing to try anything to lessen the friction and beating my feet take each day. It may ultimately not work out, but you can be assured I'm going to look good doing it.After returning to the hotel, I would waste away the afternoon hours watching golf on TV, doing laundry, gradually downing another 2-liter of Coke, packing my food, and observing myself in a mirror. Rock Boat headed back out to the shopping center where he got his already short hair chopped off and then took advantage of Sonic's happy hour and scored himself a Route 44. As evening rolled around, we watched as storms kicked up and unleashed just east of us over the mountains - right along the AT. This made us feel good about utilizing the day by taking a zero. It sure beats lugging around wet, heavy gear. We somehow decided we were once again hungry and would walk to a nearby Mexican restaurant. The food was prepared exceptionally fast and was as equally tasty. A brief rain shower passed outside as we ate, but the sun had returned as we exited to make our walk back.We both took turns taking pur second showers of the afternoon, this time with the girliest smelling shampoo and body wash Rock Boat could score at Walmart. Just forget my last entry regarding saving scented stuff for weekend warriors. Tonight, and for the next 12 hours, we're happy to admit that smelling like a fruit basket of deliciousness sure beats sour sweat. Tomorrow we plan to get up and shower again, simply for the fact that there is shampoo and body wash needing to be used. Afterwards it'll be back into the mountains and continuing north. Trail Days is approaching in ~3 days and the tentative plan is to cover another ~60 miles before then. A fresh supply of pop tarts, Nutty bars, and Snickers stand ready for when they're called upon.Here's to the Marion public transit system, pizza, Chinese, and Mexican food in 24 hours, and the ample supply of soft, 2-ply toilet paper called into action as a result.