Date: 2007-03-18
To: Shake Down Day 3
Miles today: 0.0

The rat made two loud runs through the shelter around 3:30 this morning just to let me know he's here and he's boss, but no problems otherwise. I definitely didn't need to get out the stick someone had whittled into a spear for the purpose of skewering said rat. Breaking camp wasn't as easy as I'd expected. It was hard to force myself to get out of my dry wool and into the cold damp clothes and socks. Due to condensation inside my tent, the poles were covered in ice and frozen in places. I couldn't collapse them all the way down so they stuck out really badly on either side of my rolled up sleeping pad. Looked ridiculous. Oh well, it's not like I expect to see any other hikers today. My trailrunners were frozen completely solid. It took at least 15 cold minutes for me to bust the ice enough to widen the opening and work the laces open as well. And boy, did it hurt to walk down to the spring with my frozen toes in my frozen shoes. Today is a long haul back to my car. It's almost a perfect 20 trail miles but I don't know if it's more or less on Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive is closed, so I won't be bothering vehicle traffic if I stay on there. I'll make better time than on the AT. The blowdowns weren't numerous and they certainly weren't bad, but the ice-heavy trees and bushes are blocking the trail in some spots and I feel bad busting them trying to get through and I feel bad trekking around them. If I average 2 miles per hour, it'll take 10 hours of road walking to get back to my car and that leaves plenty of daylight as a cushion. If I can't make it, I'll just tent where it looks okay. But it'd be really nice to be able to not spend another cold night in the tent waiting for morning. The first 20 minutes of frozen toes and frozen shoes was painful, but then I forgot all about it as everything warmed up. I was even able to tighten up the laces. The wind is tough and I'm exposed on the drive, but the sun is out and she's warming up the day just the nicest bit. I can see a ridge with a bunch of telecommunications towers in the distance. It reminds me of the spot I passed through on my first day with the funny green chairs permanently in the ground for sunset views. But, it's so far away it must be a different ridge. I couldn't have walked from there?! Saw my first person today. A ranger was driving northbound while I'd stopped to eat some of the dry salami for my morning high calorie snack. He stopped and asked what I was up to (in a very nice way), so I explained that I was headed back to Rockfish Gap by the end of the day. When I told him I'd planned to leave a note at the ranger station to explain that I was out of the park and no longer hiking on my permit (I didn't want anyone who actually checked those things to worry), he took down my name and said it was okay. He confirmed that I didn't need anything and then went on his way. A short while later I startled a man and his dog (Aussie) out for a late morning walk. Since he asked me to confirm that Skyline was closed, I asked him how he got there. I mean, he was standing there in day clothes with no pack and looked like he was strolling through a typical suburban neighborhood, not a national park. He explained there was a fire access road that allowed close parking. We wished each other a good day and continued. 48 hours with no people, and then bam! 2 in the space of 40 minutes. It's funny how ready I was to chat with both of them. Didn't bother me one bit that I wasn't the only one out there. That's such a marked contrast to my usual day hikes. Then I always resent others sharing "my" trail, "my" hike. After just 2 days without anyone, I was ready to appreciate my fellow humans. I'm truly not cut out to be a SoBo. It's not the only lesson I learned this trip, but certainly it's one of the strongest. I like having people around. Even if we're not interacting. I just like the presence of other humans. There's something I find deeply reassuring about it. The communications ridge I saw earlier...it WAS the same one. I'm impressed with myself. It's going to be so great to do this for 6 months. To see a far spot and then, slowly, eventually, BE there. And then to look back and see what I've accommplished. All I can think of is: cool. With 2 miles left to my car, I'm passed by two very cheerful women pedaling by on their bikes as they ask me how far they have left to Afton. (Can't they see the skyline drive mileposts?) I smile and tell them, they zip away, and I think how much sooner they'll get to Afton than I will. But then, how's that go... if I was in such a hurry, I wouldn't be walking, right?   Well, I did it. It wasn't my intention to do a day over 11 miles on this trip, but plans changed and I adapted. 20 miles. I'm sure I'll pay for it, but it feels great knowing that I'll have a hot shower, soak in a tub, and sleep in a room with heat tonight. I'll head home tomorrow to start working on getting more of the stuff done (change car insurance, complete paperwork for independent health insurance, taxes, etc) that I need to before The Big Day. I can't believe I ever thought it was a good idea to plan a 10 day trip just a couple of weeks before leaving my entire life for 6 months?!? How did that make sense? Oh well.