Date: 2017-08-31
From: Stealth Site, VA

To: Stanimal's Hostel, Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: light rain

8/31/17, Stanimal's Hostel, Glasgow, VAMiles hiked: 1939.0, Miles to go: 241.3Town Day! I was up and out by 7:15 AM. The fact that it's not getting light now until almost 7:00 AM is slowing me down in the mornings; but, wanting to get into town, I got up before first light and started packing. I had a short 13.2 miles to Glasgow. Unfortunately, the first five miles were a climb to the summit of Bluff Mt. I stopped in at Punchbowl Shelter after 3.1 miles of climbing to fill my water bottles. The youth group the northbound hiker had told me about yesterday was still at the shelter. As I suspected, the youth group turned out to be another Washington & Lee University Freshman Orientation group. Every group has been very nice; but, I'm glad I stayed at my stealth site last night. It was a bit crowded at the shelter. Upon reaching the summit of Bluff Mountain, I was rewarded with spectacular views of mist enshrouded mountains to the east and west. I also observed a memorial stone that rested on "the exact spot on which Little Ottie Cline Powell's body was found on April 5, 1891". Apparently, Little Ottie, aged 4 years 11 months, wandered away from school the previous November and managed to cover 7 miles before succumbing to the elements. Taking advantage of good cell phone service at the top of the mountain, I called Stanimal's and made arrangements to be picked up at 1:00 PM at the road crossing 8.9 miles away (yes - it's owned by the same guy who has Stanimal's in Waynesboro). Since it was downhill almost the entire way, I figured 3 1/2 hours gave me plenty of time to make the hike. Unfortunately, the rocks chose this moment to make another appearance. An added twist was that these particular rocks, ranging from walnut to grapefruit size, were loose and tumbly. The descent quickly turned treacherous. I managed to skate the whole way down the mountain staying vertical; but, my pace was greatly attenuated. I made it to the pick up point with 14 minutes to spare. I was met by Bob, a fuzzy guy in a rumpled hat. Bob is the caretaker at the Glasgow Stanimal's. We jumped in his old car with peeling paint and started the five mile trip over the winding mountain road to Glasgow. When I was a graduate student at UVA 30 years ago, my first wife and I would often travel from Charlottesville to our hometown of Charleston, WV. Since this was before the completion of I-64, we had to travel over Rt 60 through the WV mountains. It was a winding mountain road with short passing lanes on many of the uphill sections where you could pass the putzy Ohio drivers who couldn't seem to navigate the curves faster than about 12 mph. The only problem was I was driving a 4 speed manual transmission Dodge Omni which was powered by four hamsters. As we approached the passing zones, I would gear down so I could pass as many putzy Ohio drivers as possible before the lane ran out. The sound of me gearing down would invariably cause my wife to grab the door handle with one hand and cover her eyes with the other while hollering for me to slow down. I think, after all these years, I finally understand the terror my wife must have experienced in those passing lanes. Only, Bob didn't have passing lanes. He had solid yellow lines when he passed the other cars.  Luckily, it was a short trip to Glasgow. Glasgow is a small town with one convenience store, one restaurant, a post office, a fire department, a Dollar General, and a life sized brachiosaurus statue. Go figure. I was the only one staying at Stanimal's, so I had the whole place to myself (Bob and his wife Donna live next door). I completed my usual chores of showering, laundry, washing my pot and spoon, and figuring out how much food I needed for my next segment. I then headed down the street for dinner at the restaurant and resupply at the Dollar General. On my way back to the hostel, I stopped to check out the free thru hiker shelter provided by the town. It was originally constructed as part of an Eagle Scout project and is now maintained by the Episcopal church in town. It's a really nice shelter with electricity, portajohns, and a hot shower. I was excited to see a hiker sitting in the shelter reading a book when I arrived. The trail has been very quiet and it's always fun to touch base with a kindred spirit. I said, "Hey, I'm Beaker!" He looked at me for several seconds and, as the silence stretched out, he finally said, "I'm reading a book." I turned and walked away without another word. Bummer. The remnants of Harvey are supposed to arrive tomorrow. They are predicting steady rain all day. I had contemplated taking a zero until I found out that a travel baseball team will be staying here tomorrow. Choosing between a hostel with 13 teenage boys, a shelter with a jerky bookworm, or hiking in the rain, I've decided to go with hiking in the rain - assuming I survive the ride back to the trail with Bob...