Date: 2018-05-26
From: VA 611 campsite

To: Lickskillet Road
Miles today: 4.3

Theresa and I woke up around 7:30 am. We could hear Booger Bear shuffling around in his tent getting ready. Theresa and I wanted to be lazy but we knew that we needed to get up. Booga's dad George was going to pick us up at Lickskillet about 4.5 miles away. We packed the 3 person tent away which weighed about 7 pounds. It was definitely a glamping tent.  I made more hot water for oatmeal and coffee. We headed out around 9:30.  It started raining, but only a little bit at first. Theresa had been worried about hiking in the rain. The canopy provided protection from it.  It started raining harder and harder. Soon it was a full on downpour from the sky. The canopy could no longer hold that amount of rain and it was transferred to us.  It was the most rain I had seen so far on the trail. We were not wearing our rain jackets since it was still too hot to hike in them. We were completely soaked after 10 minutes. Theresa didn't mind being soaked though. I'm glad she was kinda enjoying it. We arrived at the next shelter.  A hiker named Squirrel was hanging out trying to wait out the rain. His grandpa had given him his trail name before he passed away. We hung out at the shelter for about 30 minutes. A few other soaked hikers showed up and took shelter. The rain was not stopping. We all started to get cold from not moving and put on our rain jackets for warmth. Then we pushed on.The trail became a stream with all the water falling fast from the sky. Streams beside us merged with other streams and became a river. There was one stealth site completely surrounded by water. It had its own moat. After another mile we arrived at Lickskillet and waited for George to pick us up. The house at the trail crossing had a huge Confederate flag. We didn't see the owner though. George arrived and saved us from the rain. He gave Theresa and I a drive back to our car at the Brushy Mountain Outpost. Liz gave me a whole bunch of food and beer that they had left over.  We said our goodbyes, but we'd see them again an soon.Theresa and I didn't want to camp tonight because it was supposed to rain more. We opted for a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express instead in Dublin, VA. Before that we got lunch at Al's on First. We were still in our hiker garb from hiking in the rain. Everyone in the establishment was dressed in business casual. We did get some looks. I ordered a huge fried chicken salad. I needed those veggies! Theresa ordered a fried chicken sandwich. The portions were huge and luckily American portions are exactly what thru hikers need. I couldn't eat all my food in one sitting but I knew I would finish it off later.We checked into the Holiday Inn and had a king sized bed. We took showers in our room. It felt great to get the 7 days of grime off my body. The fact that we had our own shower was luxury from staying in hostels. We took a nap and just relaxed for a bit. We found a really cheap movie theater in town showing the new Han Solo movie. The other choice was Deadpool 2 but Star Wars always trumps other movies for me. We got 2 tickets, popcorn, candy, and soda for $25.  In Austin it would be twice as much. It reminded me of Highland theater in Akron Ohio. I enjoyed the movie but thought Rogue One was a better offshoot movie.  We headed back to the hotel but stopped at Sheetz on the way. They make made to order sandwiches. I got a footlong grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and provolone. It reminded me of when Sheetz opened up near my old high school and we would hang out there most days because there was nothing else around. Theresa got a soft serve ice cream cone at McDonald's because it was her nightcap.Tonight I'm in a cozy king bed with my lady. I couldn't ask for anything more.