Date: 2004-06-20
From: Route 624 in Catabwa, Virginia

To: Mooove!
Miles today: 5.9

Another lousy sleep. The garage was a snore fest with one individual in particular blasting away all night.I was the first person to get up as the early morning light entered the central door to the garage. Making several trips, I picked up my gear, stepped around snoozing hikers, and placed the equipment on a bench outside. There I packed up my belongings in anticipation of hitting the trail for a few short miles of hiking. Before leaving, I walked back inside the garage and dropped into a box a donation for the visit and a note of thanks. In spite of the Spartan conditions at this place, and the poor sleep, I am grateful that the owner of this hostel and others along the trail offer their homes or church properties to accommodate hikers. While hiking in the woods, I came across a family of cows was standing on the trail and blocking my way. There were two adults and some calves. One of the adults was quite large, with black fur and horns. When I cautiously approached, this animal stared hard in my direction and refused to budge. I stopped and made some noise to get them to move, but they refused to comply. When I drew closer, the adult advanced toward me, causing me to back off. Finally, after I made some additional noise and waved my arms, the cows moved off into the trees where some other members of the herd were located. I resumed hiking and crossed a stile into a pasture. My assumption was that these cows had breached the fence somewhere and wandered from the pasture into the forest.I crossed two dew soaked pastures and my shoes and socks became drenched in water. Here is what happens. With each step forward, the tall wet grasses bend around my pants and deposit their water on the fabric. The water runs down my pants and into my shoes. The other source of wetness is direct contact between the shoes and the grass. I was unable to utilize my sandals because the sores on my feet are still not healed.The trail ascended a hill and re-entered the woods. From that point on, I walked along a wooded ridge top that dipped and rose frequently. Soon, I could hear the sound of traffic and the trail descended to a road.I walked and hitch hiked toward the location of a bed and breakfast where I had arranged for the delivery of a new rain tarp and chemicals to make water potable. Along the way, a pickup truck drove by, then turned around and pulled over as I was visiting a country store. The driver offered me a ride and I accepted. He identified himself as a former thru hiker of the Appalachian Trail. His hiking name is Captain Nemo and he drove me to the bed and breakfast. The married couple who own the bed and breakfast showed me around the place. They gave me the choice of a bedroom or a less expensive bed in a common room. I chose the less expensive option. The couple went to church and I busied myself with washing my clothes, organizing my gear, planning the logistics of my next resupply, and writing my journal. Later in the day, the man drove me on his motorcycle back to the restaurant where I had eaten last night. There, I met some other hikers and enjoyed a good meal. Above all, I spent much of this day off of my feet.Before going to bed, I will soak my feet in Epson salts and speed up the healing of the sores that have been bothering me.Tomorrow, I will be hiking through a popular stretch of the trail with some notable overlooks.