Date: 2012-05-01
From: Sugar Rum Gap - Woods Hole Hostel

To: Lane Street - Pearisburg VA - Rendezvous Motel
Miles today: 10.4

Day 37 - Tuesday, May 1stHiking Days 28 / Nero Days 7 /  Zero Days 2Start Location: Sugar Rum Gap - Woods Hole HostelMile Marker: 619.4Ending Location: Lane Street - Pearisburg VA - Rendezvous HotelMile Marker: 629.8 - Nero 7Time: 4h 10min Miles: 10.4Weather: Nice morning, clear skies and sunny later.  Warmer high around 75.  Intermittent rain. With the late night last night it was hard to get up.  But with coffee available at 7:15, still up and ready to go.  Breakfast at 8:00.  Normally late, but word on the trail is that it is an event that should not be missed.  I only have just over 10 miles to Pearisburg where I plan to actually get my rest day so breakfast is a go.  Cup after glorious cup of coffee went done soooo very easily.  In the background, there was music playing. I would call it country but it was really more like hillbilly banjo type music.  It was very fitting for here and enjoyable to listen to.  Breakfast was at full capacity.  Prior to breakfast everyone circled the table, lead by Neville, held hands and stated their name, location they were from and something they were grateful for.  Then on to a fully organic meal.  Many of the food items are grown, raised, canned in their land or the land around them. With breakfast done I fussed around a bit before heading back to the bunkhouse.  I was moving slowly.  Out at 10:30.  Dundee was having a bad morning and was still there as I pushed on.  He wasn't stopping at Pearisburg since he resupplied when we were in town yesterday.  But since he just broke the frame to his backpack for the third time, he was not happy.  The frame is a very thin carbon fiber setup from Z-packs.  The same manufacturer as mine but I opted out of the frame since I don't carry as much.  I haven't used a pack with a frame for ad long as I have been hiking any kind of distance.  The hike wasn't so bad.  Clouds and thunder started up a bit.  Nothing too bad.  Just enough to make me regret that I stopped to put on my rain jacket.  Once on Angels Rest, the final rock cropping lookout before you start your down into Pearisburg, I ran into two day hikers that got caught in the rain.  They didn't seem to mind that much but I think they were glad to be heading down.  As I got closer to the road I finally took off my rain jacket.  Getting used to the poncho more.  I actually think with the warmer storms I will use only that.  So ... Do I even need a rain jacket?  Hmmm.  Time will tell.  With monte bello and Dutch Haus coming up, I'll make a decision there. Once on Lane street, I was done with my short day and headed up to the town area about 0.6 miles up a rather steep hill.  But right on top is the Dairy Queen.  So of course I stopped and had a banana split.  $4.15.  It was so good I even purchased a second one.  So in just a few minutes in town, I already spent $8 on ice-cream.  But worth it. Ads my way a few more blocks to the hotel.  Full.  Crap.  On to the next one.  Full.  Really?  Are you F'in kidding me.  Oh, then I remembered it thundered out and even a slight sprinkle.  All that meant the boo-hoo hikers who dont want to get wet stayed in town.  Can't get wet hiking you know.  40 pounds if F'in gear with all the designer labels that are meant to to be used while crabbing in the Arctic circle and still, after carrying it for 600 miles they are still afraid of getting wet.  Grow the fuck up and hike you sissy's.  Called over to the motel down the hill, out if town.  I got some weird answer that he might have a room later if a southbound slacker didn't come in but he wasn't sure and it was his last room.  Well, this sucked big-time but I put my name down for it just in case. Still needed to do the things that I put off when I was at Woods Hole.  Needed to do laundry and resupply.  I knew where the laundry was that was first.  With the new fire station being built the road was closed.  Needed to make a huge detour just to get there.  I'm down the literally the bare necessities with regards to my cloths.  I put my windshirt on top and tied my rain jacket like a skirt to cover the lower half.  Just then a local thug looking guy came in.  Went right to the bathroom.  Was there for 20 minutes.  At first I thought he was going to call up his buddies and give me a beat down for being some kind is wacko hanging in the laundry room with a jacket covering their private body parts.  But instead, I think he went in there to either shoot up or do meth.  In there a while and never used the toilet.  He left quickly and no issues.  Meth is realty a big problem in these small towns like this.  Too bad. I had my phone plugged in to recharge.  About 90% which should hold me a bit. As I was finishing up Doc came in.  She said she grabbed the last room which was a former fitness room with a cot.  It actually was offered to me at the first motel but I passed on it.  I'm either in-town or not.  Not part way.  Doc seemed very happy to have it so I'm glad it worked out for her.  On to the Dollar General.  I needed to get in and out since it was nearing 5:30 and I still had to head back to the trail before it got dark with a 1200 foot climb right out of town.  Grabbed what I needed.  Too much actually but did not have time to really focus on it.  With an older lady doing her weekly shopping ahead of me I thought I would grab one more thing.  Back to the line.  Now three ahead of me.  Forgot toilet paper.  Out of line.  Came back and now 7 people in front if me.  Really?  Really.  Well my patience was running thin by this point.  Got through it, went outside, jammed everything in my pack.  Threw my old drink bottle away and forgot to take off my rubber band. Shit.  Last one.I picked up my pack and thought I was gonna die.  There is no way I was going to carry all that crap over the hills. Just not gonna happen.  But no time to figure it out now.  With it now being past 6:00, no dinner, and still on the far side of town, things were not going well.  Passing on that converted fitness room was looking more and more like a poor decision.  But always forward ... Never back.  Went back to the laundry to drop off the extras that I did not need such as 5 rolls of T.P.  etc.  You can only buy a package of six for $1 but need only one.  Ramen in five packs for $1 but never need five.  There was a new group of hikers there do it was easy to unload. Once I was back on the main road I thought I would call the motel back to see if the room opened up.  The motel was literally next to the trail at the bottom of the hill I climbed up when I arrived.  Nothing to loose.  Called and it was available.  I had turned off my phone since it uses the charge so quickly when in phone mode.  This was great news.  With my town chores being done all I needed was dinner.  My pace picked up to the motel.  I probably did another 5-6 miles around town with a full pack.  So my 10 mile rest day had turned out to be more like a 15-16 mile crappy hiking day.  No bother.  I have a room. Got my room.  Kond of place you pay cash for.  Basic but glad to have it.  With some light left, I headed back up the steep incline to the pizza place for a calzone and chicken things.  They were supposed to be fingers but "things" are much more appropriate.  Calzone was great.  But the waitress was surprised when I asked for a knife to cut it.  I guess you are supposed to eat it more like a pizza with your hands.  But I eat my pizza with a fork and knife so whatever.  On the way back I stopped at Hardy's For real chicken fingers and a Swiss cheese burger for later.  As it turns out the town must only serve chicken "things" since these were also bad.  Back to the room.  The motel was filled with a group of guys.  Not sure if they are permanent residents or workers brought in for the construction of the new fire station.  Still a group of 12-15 good ole local boys finishing their day in a parking lot drinking beers around their pickup trucks is never a good thing.  At least I am not wearing my jacket as a skirt.  I'm sure that would have been a real attention getter with these guys. Back in.  Watched tv.  Shot out some e-mails.  Bed late  .. 11:00.  Never ate my burger.  For a day that was planned to be my relaxing and rest day really turned out to be an everything but.