Date: 2010-05-06
From: Wise Shelter

To: Troutdale
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

Windy night. Restless sleep. Starting to get warm out. Woke up early but to lazy to commit to starting the day. Sid was up before me. Already past sunrise. Everyone picks on me for being so late. Daytripper and Thunder cowboy camped on a cool flat rock. He was so proud of the spot that he had to show me himself!Blueberry oatmeal! Mmmmm. Glad Studmuffin didn't pee on that one. Well, it's not like they're real blueberries. More like blueberry flavored marshmallows.Hiked fast and hard over what seemed like the Sahara. Except with less sand. That and more water. Well, not really. The water sources are pretty few and far between around here. Short shrubs. Rocky horizons made me imagine being in Africa.BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!Dang it! They're still dynamiting over at White top Mtn. I found out what all the explosions are all about. They're making the horse trail higher so the people who ride their horses here, don't have to walk through a section. What a crock of crap! The rich people complained all the way to congress. They had a congressional hearing. Hired Big Wig lawyers and turned this so called, "Wilderness" area into the equivalent of their golf course. Some kind of preservation that is! I guess if you have enough whine and cheese, the Forestry laws don't apply to you. BULL CRAP! The area is right beside a "FRAGILE" zone as described by our AT guides. There's suppose to be a rare salamander in the area. I guess hiking boots and tent sites are a greater threat to their survival than DYNOMITE.Met Long John, 6 Course, and Sid at the top of Pine Mtn. Haha, they thought they'd seen the last of me. We said goodbye and everything at the last shelter. The reason why is because I'm stopping in Troutdale today. That and Trail Days. I thought they'd be ahead by a few days.Took a break at Orchard Shelter and saw a flip-flopper who took 6 weeks to get here from Harpers Ferry. Interesting! He's apprehensive of climbing his first 5000ft mountain. We giggled a little. I wished him good luck.Hiked really hard and fast to make Jerry's Kitchen before closing. Met Captain Radish! He's going south towards Damascus for Trail Days. A lot of people flipped and are going South right now. Funny seeing them going the opposite way. Met Chief, Turtle and All Good. The cascades were nice! Dunked my head into the stream! Washed the snot off my beard. It's like dried oatmeal flakes. Yuck! Chief was laying in the water and cooling off. He's a nice guy, really personable. He looks like a grungy, hippy version of John Travolta. Hot, hot, HOT day today! There's plenty of shade with all the Virginia leaves though! Heard the cars on the highway and hiked even faster. I'm excited to see my mail! TOWN GRAVITY!Figured out which way to walk on VA16. Ever so careful not to go in the wrong direction. That would suck on a day like today. I ended up walking the whole 2.3 miles to town. No one would pick me up! Maybe it's the beard. Maybe the glowing sunburned redneck appearance. Come on though! It's hot out!! Either way, it's all I could do not to curse the residence of Troutdale. Terrible of me, I know.Ate a salad only a starving Ethiopian would appreciate. Lish made me some macadamia nut cookies! Devoured! Snickers bar. Gone! Lance crackers. Nothing but crumbs on my beard! Got my backup left eye contact just in time for my right eye contact to begin acting up! Drank a ton of water!There was a sign at the road crossing that said, Ratman and Tumbler are already at the church. They yellow blazed ahead after Ratman got sick. 6 Course and Sid came to town to meet them. Ratman is feeling better after taking Amoxicillin. So happy he's feeling better! Couldn't ask for a better man. Great person. I know he'll make it! 6 Course ordered two dinners at once! Haha. I checked out the hostel and decided to spend the night. Got dinner with 6 Course (yes, he ate again), and Wizard. Doyle (dog) is pissed at Wizard. So Wizard bought Doyle a cheeseburger. Wizard felt bad for making him do so many miles in one day. He couldn't resist the gravity of JUNK FOOD!! Ate a cheese steak sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onion, yellow peppers, green peppers, mushrooms and had a brownie sundae to top it off! Oh my! Oh, and a pack of blueberry pop-tarts and a Pepsi! First soda in a while.Ratman, Tumbler, Sid and 6 Course in the bunkroom tonight. Doyle (dog) is a lot more sociable now. He's still afraid of everything, but he'll let you rub him. Seeker, Stitch, Yahtzee, Licious, and Wizard in the bunkroom beside ours. Seeker and Licious groomed Doyle while Wizard got ready for bed.Damascus gear swap:Fleece liner, Doxycycline, Rice patty hat, sleeping bag?, Peak one food bag, batteries AA, tank top, Sombrero, Steak filet minion, grill, salad, guitar, pick, capo??, sleeveless shirt, mangos, 2 right eye contacts, one left eye contact, oranges, strawberries, TEVAS, CD's, water bottle, underwear, 2 scalpel blades, and monkey butt powder