Date: 2015-05-18
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Rockfish Gap - Waynesboro, VA mile 861.7
Miles today: 27.1
Weather: few clouds

I woke up at 4:50 because we wanted to get an early start to get into town at a decent time. First I admired Slow Going's pancake pan ... He had Macgyvered a Teflon one egg pan by cutting off the handle and trimming a half inch off the sides of the pan to make a small pancake griddle that made Dilar size pancakes on his stove. They smelled wonderful and I could still "smell" the pancake memory halfway up the mountain. He also told us Fritos light on fire and make good kindling. Crafty and I left the shelter around 6:15 a little later than planned. We had a 3.5 mile climb. Someone told us the two mile climb plus this one is the longest steepest climb in VA. Fortunately there was a shelter in the middle so it worked out we broke up the climb into 2 days. I enjoyed a break at Hanging Rock Overlook rock which had amazing sideways views including the ridge we just climbed. Then we paused at the Maupin Field Shelter where we met a section hiker from FL. The next several miles were a mix of nice ridge walking with abrupt sections of rocks. It was shady so it was mostly pleasant. Tons of millipedes are on the trail right now and I am always trying to avoid stepping on the ones that are moving across the trail and the ones who didn't make it and have been squished. It's also hard not to impale one with your pole. After the Rock Point Overlook view and the Cedar Cliffs, we had to climb through a hot exposed Rocky section. Heat is my kryptonite and my pace slowed. I had to let Crafty hike ahead of me and I began to wonder if I could make the 27 miles after all since we weren't even halfway yet. She commented about how we were both from hot states but couldn't take the heat. For some reason it reminded me of the people who ran the super hot Chicago marathon a few years ago so I reminded myself I was at the halfway point in the marathon and just had to focus on one mile at a time. We eventually got some shade again and just motored through the next six miles to the shelter. I was on auto pilot afraid to stop in case I might not start again. My feet hurt. We passed a section hiker who told us Andreas was only a mile ahead of us. We were surprised because he had left 25 minutes earlier and he hikes faster so we knew the heat was affecting him too. We arrived at the shelter 15 minutes earlier than expected so we took a break to soak our feet in the creek. There were several hikers there and we heard Andreas had left only about 15 min earlier. We reluctantly left 25 minutes later for the last 5 miles. The last 2.5 miles I went into the zone and hiked them faster than any I've hiked so far. I paused to photograph a couple orange lizards out on the trail after a light sprinkle. I was relieved to discover I had arrived at Rockfish Gap 15 minutes faster than my optimistic calculation. I climbed over the barricade and sat down on the ledge as Crafty arrived. The road was empty save for a white van we saw turn around in a parking lot so we stuck out our thumbs and were ecstatic when the car pulled over and offered us a ride. Bob, Lynn and their dog Annie made room for us in the van. Bob has section hiked a lot with his 14 year old son. They pointed out stuff in town for us and dropped us off at the Quality Inn where we planned to share a room with Andreas. He had called ahead and booked the room but we were surprised we had beat him there. We couldn't imagine where he was. So we checked in and showered when he arrived. He had walked to the parking lot to get phone service and we got picked up quicker. We walked a few blocks to Ming Court which is supposed to be the best All You Can Eat ("AYCE a") Chinese Buffet on the trail. I don't normally do buffets and this is my AYCE meal after being on the trail 7 weeks. We were starving. The restaurant is huge and there was a ton of selection which is probably why it is popular. I made a big salad but mistakenly put "Homemade Mustard" instead of what I thought was "Honey Mustard" Dressing all over it. Those who know me know I love hot but I could barely eat my salad. I had to give up and decided to go for a hot plate. Veggie options not as numerous as meat or fried food options but I got some saut©ed veggies, lo mein noodles, green beans and a couple small spring rolls. We had fruit and tried a couple desserts that were so so. Andreas and Crafty were tired but I was wide awake in spite of tired feet. We didn't eat as much as we thought we would and went back to the hotel. I woke up itchy from my bites and hungry in the middle of the night.