Date: 2007-10-30
From: Dick's Dome Shelter

To: Front Royal
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

mi.15.0 sleep housedest. Front Royal day 110 Well the loud howling thingys didn't get me last night. It was a little chilly. I need to get back in my hammock. My new pad works well for insulation. But not so good for padding. It is better than the cheap closed cell foam pad, but worse than the inflatable pads. Most importantly though it is lighter than the inflatables. I got up a later than I wanted to and took my time packing up. It was cold and I didn't want to get started. Something that will probibly start happening a lot. I also realized something important insulation wise. My top quilt is made with a head hole so I can wear it like a poucho. I can wear this underneath my rain jacket. It is actually pretty toasty. Just after 8am I finally got going. I think I determined that no matter which shelter I stay at the next 1, or in this case 2, is way better than the one I stay at. In this case the one I would have hiked onto I would have been able to hang in no problem. The one I stopped at for a snack later was supper cool with bunks. It also had a solar shower that fills itself from the spring. Today I found another great spot to stop for lunch. I didn't end up eating diner that night. For some reason I just wasn't feeling it. What that ment was the hunger hit hard and fast. So I stopped at another high medow to relax and eat. It was rather strange. First when I stopped it was around 11:30 and I could see the sun and the moon. That seems a little strange. Second 2 hikers out for a couple days stopped by. They northbound thru hiked last year. The one was even from Cincy. Small world. We talked for awhile and they pushed on. There is just something different about talking to another long distance hiker. It's hard to explain. Just something about what is talked about and how it is discussed. A lot of it is that we share so many common experiences and know a lot of what each other has gone through, goes through, and needs wiothout saying any of it. Basically someone who it seems to someone else that you know each other for a long time when you just met. I passed something on the trail today I was looking forward to. The trail goes right by a federal zooilogical rehabilation center. I heard from a section hiker that he was walking past and saw a garraf and zebra. So my hopes were set high. What I saw something out of Jarassic Park 2 or 3. Where out of no where they come up another island with all the abandoned building and fences. This was surronded by a 10 foot tall fence. The trail went right up next to it and follow it for awhile. Barb wire on top. Everything was overgrown like the animals took control. I saw what looked like a couple abandoned building. No animals though. Later along the road I saw a couple used ones, so something has to be going on there. I was going to call for a ride from the trailhead but I got there and saw someone there. She thru hiked twice and did work there with a work crew. She was loading up some extra boards. I talked for a couple minutes. She offered some soda to me. A nice little surprise. She gave me a ride to the Post Office. I called and had Sharon come and pick me up there. I also picked up my maildrops, pural. I got the maps untl Damascus, new shoes, rain pants, swapping out memory cards (pics coming at some point), and some food. A lot of food. Once again I got 2 lbs of cookies. I sat in the parking lot and brought down the class of the place for awhile waiting on my ride. This was a great time to continue to test my theory. I am getting pretty good at guess the sex and age of a person based on the vehicle they are driving. It is endless fun on road trips. You should give it a try. Sharon pulled up and picked me up. We hit up the grocery store where I needed a few things (not to mention ben and jerry's and choclate milk), the outfitter for a fuel canister, and the book store. I am carrying 2 books. More about that later. All I have to say is Virgina is for lovers. After that we went to her house. Her husband is really active with the PATC. That's why I met them the other night. One of their friends was over doing work on their house. They got to talking over dinner about all their travels around the world. I really need to get started. So many places I have yet to see. I will have to say I got feed really well. More pie and ice cream for dessert. I lucked out again. She does a lot of sewing and had her machine setup. She has a nice workspace setup on a desk in a closet. She even let me use her nice machine. I was able to repair the tieouts on my tarp. Hammocking for me tonight. The rest of the night was filled with talking with them, friends on the phone, and journaling. I am finally caught up.