Date: 2003-05-28
From: Pearisburg (Holy Family Church Hostel)

To: Pearisburg (Holy Family Church Hostel)
Miles today: 0.0

I cannot overstate this. This was a great day. I slept well on the porch, and stayed dry in a rainstorm. When I woke up, I got to take my first shower in 6 days. I must have been tired for that not to bother me last night. Hikers were leaving so I got a bunk. Soon I got to meet Bill, the hostel caretaker. He comes at 8:30 and gives shuttles to the trail and to different places in town. He has the ugliest little dog I've ever seen. Papillion and I went to the laundry. We went for breakfast at Dairy Queen. Soon an older gentleman came and asked if we were hiking the trail. He was going to pick up Superman With A Question Mark and was looking for where the trail comes out. I should point out that Superman With A Question Mark is a trail name. He sometimes spells it Superman? because the long way takes a lot of ink for the shelter journals.   Somebody called him Superman for a good deed that he may or may not have done. He didn't want to sound pretentious so he added the question mark. I like it, but it is hard to say someone¢s name as a question in the middle of a sentence. Well, his uncle offered a ride to anywhere in town. We declined since we were just around the corner doing laundry. We went back and put our clothes in the dryer. I went to the post office to get my mail drop. There was also a package of gorp and a card from my cousin Mia. As I was leaving, a couple offered me a ride. I again declined, as I was still doing laundry. As I was walking back, Bill the caretaker drove by and he said he would come back for me in five minutes at the laundromat. I was back by 10 am - unbelievable. I didn't grab any lunch but I put together something from my food bag. Penne pasta with pink salmon in a nice alfreado and sundried tomato sauce. I had plenty, so I split it with Loser. JJ and Loser had started digging out to put in forms for a new patio at the shelter. It is a 14x14 section that has 6 inches of dirt and stone to be removed. Loser, Papillion and I got a ride from Bill to Wal-Mart for some supplies. While there, I bought steaks, salad, and potatoes for dinner. This afternoon, JJ continued to dig out the new patio. He got an impressive amount done. We were just planning on digging out the perimeter and attaching the forms. Soon Loser and I decided to go to the library. Right on cue, Bill pulls up to give us our 3rd lift of the day. At the library I got to check out my Trail Journal. Almost 10,000 hits - that is incredible. I was also able to catch up on other people, too. It sure is frustrating when people don't have their journal completely up to date. As soon as I left the library, some guy in a pick-up pulls up and offers me a ride to the hostel. Things just naturally go my way. I have been all over this town and haven't had to walk a bit. I cooked dinner while Papillion, who I call the Crazy Canadian, dug the patio out like crazy. We had a fantastic supper, and soon afterwards I went to call Jess to arrange her visit again. It is hard to determine exactly where I'll be in five days. When I returned to the hostel, the Crazy Canadian had finished up the patio. Just incredible. This was an extremely peaceful day. I needed the rest and good company.   Peace,Dutch