Date: 2018-04-23
From: Massie Gap

To: DickeyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap
Miles today: 18.1

We all wanted to be ready to go as soon as breakfast was over, so everyone was up and at it around 7. We all went down and ordered breakfast, which hit the spot. Next Step feasted on French toast and I had an egg, bacon and cheese sandwich, with chocolate milk and a Coke. (No Coke Zero was available, and at this point, I need all the calories I can get). It took a bit longer than we had hoped for everyone to eat and resupply, but we were all shuttled back and walked up .6 miles from the parking lot by 9:30. Next Step, Heartburn, Butter Knife and I were hoping to hike the 18 miles to get a ride to the Troutdale Church Hostel. The forecast was calling for rain most of the day with gusting wind, and none of us wanted to have to set up camp in the rain while we are soaking wet. Finn and Happy Feet also started with us, but weren¢t as keen on trying to get to Troutdale. Next Step and I took off up the trail. We both felt very refreshed from our previous low mileage day. We hadn¢t gone far when it began to sleet. Are you kidding me?!?! Are we doing that again?!?! Fortunately, it only lasted a few minutes as it turned into a light rain. We only had to hike about a mile before we reached the first shelter and popped in for our morning stretch. Just as we were getting started, Butter Knife and Heartburn walked up. They were happy just to watch, instead of joining in on our mountain yoga. We got out a quick snack and were about to leave as Finn and Happy Feet pulled in. That was the last time we saw them for the rest of the day. We hiked on and soon came to an open rugged meadow, just like we had seen yesterday when we saw the ponies. The wind was gusting so hard that I was literally stumbling down the trail. For some reason this was cracking me up. If I hadn¢t had my hiking poles. I really think I would have toppled over or lifted off! But I can assure you that later on when the rain was coming down harder and the wind was gusting, I no longer found anything funny about it. Nope, not even a chuckle! Next Step posted a short video on Instagram that captured one of our windy moments. Butter Knife commented that the terrain was like she imagined the savannah in Africa. She said that she expected a giraffe to go strolling by at any moment. A giraffe would have been awesome, but instead, as we headed over the hill there was something very scary...longhorn cattle headed our way!!! No thank you, I am terrified of cows!!!! This brought back some fond and some ¢not so fond¢ memories from my childhood. My Papaw had a farm and most Saturdays we would go to the farm so that my Dad could help with the farming chores. The fond memories were from hours spent playing in the creek or having scavenger hunts. But my favorite part was the ride home when we got to stop at the country store and load up on snacks and Yoo Hoos ( I might be 51, but I still love an ice cold Yoo Hoo!!). Now, for the ¢not so fond¢ memories. My least favorite job was having to help when the cows got out. My mom, sister and I would stand near the gate and when my dad rounded up the cows, our job was to make sure the cows didn¢t slip by and that they actually went through the gate. Daddy said, ¢Now if they start coming toward you and try to get by, just wave your arms and yell.¢ Hello?!?! That would not be a problem!!! As soon as those cows even glanced my way, my arms would flail around like I was trying to fly and I would bellow out so loudly I probably scared the poor cows half to death! But I can assure you, they didn¢t run past me!! Fortunately, the long horn cows and bulls we saw today were not very interested in us at all. I was very thankful because I realized that I was the only one wearing red. Perfect! Now I¢ve never heard of an AT hiker being trampled by a longhorn cow or a bull, but I did not want me to be the reason they started a new statistic!! So just to be on the safe side, I got through the gate as quickly as possible. Soon after, it started raining a bit harder and we were happy to be out of the open meadow and back in the woods. We hiked about 6 more miles and then made it to the next shelter where we stopped for lunch. It was a treat! Before we left the store this morning, we had them make us some amazing sandwiches from the deli. Spirit Man strolled in as we started eating, which was a nice surprise. A few other flip flop hikers also joined us. In AT terminology a Flip Flop is used to describe a hike that is not done in the more traditional continuous NOBO or SOBO manner. Using the three hikers we met today as an example, two of the hikers started in Duncannon, PA, while the third hiker started in Harpers Ferry, WV. All three hikers are continuing south to Springer Mountain, GA and will then ¢flip flop¢ back to the start point and hike north to Katahdin. We tried to make it a quick stop so we could get to our destination before dark. Heartburn, Butter Knife, Next Step and I headed out and started one of our two long descents for the day. The four of us hiked together for the rest of the day. It was absolutely wonderful as we chatted while we hiked! It also made the miles go by quicker than normal, which was a good thing because this would turn out to be our longest hiking day yet. Heartburn and Butter Knife were waiting under a map awning when Next Step and I finished up the hike. By then, we were all thoroughly soaked! There was NOTHING dry on any of us and it was getting colder by the minute. The number one hiking rule when you¢re wet and cold is to keep moving. However, the hostel was almost three miles from the intersection (VA 16 and 650) where our hike ended for the day and we were going to have to try to get a ride. Unfortunately, this was not a well-traveled highway and all the vehicles that passed us were not very interested in picking up 4 drenched hikers. Several would slow down, but when they saw how wet we were, they would literally punch the gas!! Seriously?!?! Butter Knife made the command decision for us to at least start walking in the direction of Troutdale and just hope that someone would have pity on us. I agreed and quickly joined her. The last thing I wanted to do was keep standing there freezing half to death! Several cars and trucks zoomed right past us. Then up puttered an angel!!! A guy pulled over and I opened the door and asked as pitifully as possible if he could please take us to Troutdale Church Hostel??? Sure, packs in the trunk and just throw everything that¢s in the seat, in the floor. I¢m pretty sure he had been eating in his vehicle for at least the last 15 years and had yet to stop by a trash can. I just swiped all the food boxes, half eaten oatmeal cakes, baggies full of mashed bananas, and many other unidentifiable objects onto the floor. Every warning light on the dashboard was flashing, but we managed to make it to the hostel without breaking down. I couldn¢t help but think to never judge a book by its cover. All these nice vehicles had passed us by, and this dude didn¢t hesitate to not only give us a ride, but also give each of us a Mt. Dew when he dropped us off! And we all felt complete gratitude for his generosity!!! We made our way to the hostel which consisted of a small cabin with two bunk beds, a microwave, and most importantly, A HEATER!!! We were greeted by our nightly neighbors, Crazy Brit and D2. We all quickly got off our cold soaking wet clothes and felt immediate relief! Soon we would also have our bellies full of hot food and our earlier misery was becoming a faint memory. Okay, maybe that¢s overstating it! Lol But we were all truly thankful to be warm and dry. Now to get a good night¢s sleep and do it all again tomorrow, since the forecast is calling for more rain. At least tomorrow, we already have a ride set up back to the trail, we only have 13 miles to hike and we¢re going to TOWN!!!! My favorite!!Hugs ¢ Which WayElevation Data:               Weather:Ascent ~ 2,700                  Day ¢ 49 degrees / Rain and WindDescent ~ 4,350                Night ¢ 49 degrees / Rain and WindGrade ~ 7.4Over the Horizon: McAfee¢s Knob