Date: 2004-03-14
From: The Relax Inn (Atkins,VA)

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Log entry: 43Start time: 0945End time: 1530Morning weather: sunny and warm, 60 degAfternoon weather: partly sunny, still warmEvening weather: Cloudy and breezy, supposed to rain, but nothing as of 1730Breakfast: MoonpieLunch: Cookies, honey roasted nuts, cliff barDinner: Smacks (cereal) peach Nehi (soda), cheddar cheese/pretzel combos, Lipton Noodles (creamy chicken)Trail description: Lots of time in pastures today. Really neat I thought. The climbs weren't terrible. Virginia is a beautiful state. There were lots of stiles today. Stiles are wooden steps or ladders that get you over fences. These were insane steep. Very difficult if you have a dog with you. Some are more like steps but these were more like ladders.People: Javaman(section hiker sobo) and Icecold and Mr 3000, and Jason Animals: Deer (4), butterfly! (realistically probably a moth, but a winged insect none the less, birds, cows, BoMoney spent: $1.77 for white gas from Shell stationBiggest complaints: Heavy pack made for sore shoulders and back but my left arm didn't go numb which was a surprise, the real issues was me missing my familyThoughts: My mind was racing all day. I'll touch on a few of the panderings...The main problem with today was the fact that it is Sunday. Sundays have beenthe hardest days for me to deal with so far. The reason being that back homeSunday is my favorite day of the week. Sundays mean family and pizza. When I'm hiking on Sundays everytime I look at my watch I think of what I would be doing back home at this time. 1000 I would be in church. By 1230 usually eating a meal somewhere. 1400 its either nap time or Mike and I are off on some adventure somewhere. I have had some of my greatest closecalls and thrills sunday afternoons. Mom used to say, "It just wouldn't be Sunday if I wasn't worried about you". It's kinda like I'm living 5 months of Sundays. So I was very somber all day. Happy, but I didn't smile too much.Besides thinking about Sundays in general, I though a lot about my Dad. As I was walking today I remembered the note that Mom slipped into my Fontana mail drop. She ended the note with "no matter what, we're proud of you". For whatever reason this stuck with me today. My whole life, I have lived to make my parents proud. According to this note, I had. Wow. That's it. My life up until this point has been lived to not let them down. Now I guess I have to keep it up. Coach Veale used to say, "Its harder to sustain than it is to attain". Right on coach. It's such a relief to know that your parents are proud of you. I think that all parents are naturally proud, but I think Mom was genuine in her note. Don't screw it up Ben.While I'm thinking about it, if you get time and you have been enjoying myjournal, send him an email to let him know you appreciate his work. His emailaddy is mark_reuschel@hotmail.com. He gets these journals in email form in rough shape. It's too much work for me to use capital letters so Dad goes through and fixes that as well as other grammatical snafu's. In addition he has been adding pictures to the journals. That innvolves cropping and waiting for them to upload on the web through our phone line. I'm serious about sending him a thank you.The most precious gift you can give someone is time.Father is also wanting to come hike with me bad as ever, I hope he can findtime. I can't walk past a single vista, out cropping, or waterfall withoutwishing he was here with me to share it. There was a little grove of trees in a sinkhole over in one of the fields I passed today. I know if he was with me we would have dropped packs, jumped the fence (tresspassed), and seen where thehole led.Oh yeah, about my day...I walked slowly. Due mainly to the fact that I was in no hurry and my pack was full of food. I got to Knot Maul at 1530 and decided that I didn't want to walk any further. The Solemates were pressing on to Chesnut which is supposed to have great views. I thought about it but I think I will put a dent in my food bag and catch them Tuesday evening at Jenny Knob. Icecold, Jason (Icecold's friend), and Bo are all here now. It's 1830 and the rain has started. This peach Nehi is the jam.