Date: 2015-06-04
From: Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters

To: Pine Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.5
Weather: light rain

Did I mention how nice Chris's parents are? Did I mention that they bought me SOCKS yesterday?! Oh my god, people are way too nice. I have two pairs of hiking socks (Darn Tough are the brand of choice on the trail). Two pairs are not enough. I sent home my Columbo socks because they were too large - I wore them over my normal socks to take up space in the 10s, which they were perfect for. But then I switched to my trail runners and didn't need double layers.SO NOW, I CAN WEAR A NEW, CLEAN PAIR OF SOCKS EVERY DAY UNTIL DAD PICKS ME UP ON SATURDAY. This is amazingly good stuff. Clean socks are like a dream. The socks I wore today are soaked and muddy and smelly and gross. I hate putting damp, wet socks back on in the morning. NOW I DON'T HAVE TO! Yayyyy!Also, they bought me breakfast. We went to Cafe Bueno, where Chris not only ate his entire breakfast, but then half of his mom's. And half of his dad's. It was kind of funny. His mom kept offering to order more toast for us to eat. We are very good at eating. As we finished up, she asked if I was anxious to get back to the trail. I nodded. I am always anxious to get back to the trail.They dropped me off right near the beginning of the side trail to ATC HQ. Chris's dad said he felt bad leaving me in the rain, but I busted out my cool umbrella and assured him I would be fine. And then I got THREE HUGS: a mom hug, a dad hug, and a hiking companion hug. I enjoyed that. I thanked them for their over-the-top generosity. I bid farewell to Chris yet AGAIN. We always run into each other, though. I figure I will see him again soon.After goodbyes, I headed back to the trail!I did not start out well. At first, I had to walk through Harpers Ferry and then down the old canal towpath. Harpers Ferry is awesome, and beautiful. There is so much history everywhere. The buildings are brick and stone, or else just amazingly cool old architecture. I loved looking as I walked, slowly and carefully so as not to slip in they rain. I wished that my phone wasn't buried in my pack, again to keep it safe from the rain. There were so many awesome picture-worthy things to see today, but it wasn't worth the death of my phone.Anyway, my first hour and a half or so of hiking sucked. My feet hurt and I was so tired and full of Chris's mom's cookies (my breakfast dessert). I missed having Chris in front of me to motivate me. I was mad at having to navigate around eight hundred pond-sized puddles. I was just very grumpy. I just was not having the hike this morning.But Red Panda doesn't give up! She sucks it up and hikes in the rain, awkwardly wielding both trekking poles and umbrella!After a few miles, the towpath ended and I entered the woods again. I immediately felt better. The towpath was basically a dirt road. Road walking is much different from hiking on the trail. The surface is different. The pace and tempo of your steps are different. Hiking is more complex. Especially in rocky areas, with your brain constantly computing the best place for your next step to land. Hiking, you don't just walk. You avoid rocks, slip through mud, scramble uphill, and cheer internally when you hit a nice, smooth, flat stretch. At least, I do.So back in the woods, on soil and rock and root instead of gravel and pavement, I felt better. My feet felt better. My spirits lifted. My sense of trail-wonder returned. Even in the rain, I was so glad to be back on the trail, alone with myself and my thoughts.And think I did. I did a lot of thinking. It was a soul-searching kind of day. I think I really needed it. I thought about home. I thought about Chris. I thought about life. I thought about Jim more than I have in weeks, too. It didn't make me quite as sad as it used to. Trail therapy is slowly healing me.I didn't pass too many people. I passed lots of cool places (including Gathlan State Park and Washington Monument State Park). There was an old (1887?) stone barn... there were just so many things!! Too many to list. Maryland is a freaking cool state. Worst day to be so rainy and have my phone too buried for pictures.There is also a really cool little backpacker campground with bathrooms and showers (and it's free!) that I stopped at to pee and fill my water bottles. I almost stayed there, but got there kind of early and decided to keep going. Two section hikers (Paperweight, who thru-hiked last year, and his girlfriend Honey Bee) were serving as custodians of candy and cans. The Baron (apparently a thru-hiker who ended up off-trail because of an injury) had dropped off trail magic goodies, but then gone home. So Paperweight and Honey Bee encouraged me to take snacks, so they would have less to be responsible for.I have been eating so much sugar lately it has been making me sick. I consumed so many cookies the last few days... I had three emergency bathroom sessions today. I wasn't near a privy for a single one of them. They were actually of the poop first, dig and bury second nature. It was shameful. I just couldn't dig a hole fast enough. The other day at the hobo camp, we were discussing the digging of preemptive catholes. Some people dig them at night, so that in the morning they are all ready to go. Swamp Fox said something like, "Just pick up a rock!". GENIUS, RIGHT?! There you go, hole there ready for you. Unfortunately in reality it doesn't work out so well... I couldn't find any rocks of a proper size to uproot for a poop hole. Not ONCE out of my three emergencies. Bummer. It was such a gross day, I am so sick of poop holes. I know that I need to eat more protein. CLIF builder bars, trail mix, and tuna packets are on my hiker wishlist. Maybe almond butter, too.Haha I am glad I wasn't hiking with Chris today, that's for sure. It would not have been fun to have a witness to my bowel distress.So anyway, enough about poop. My distress wasn't enough to keep me from stocking up on trail magic junk food. The backpacker campground was really cute and I enjoyed talking briefly with the candy guardians. But I went past it, aiming for then next shelter.Some hikers participate in the four-state challenge. There's about 40-45 miles of the AT between the Virginia and Pennsylvania state lines. From the VA line, the trail goes north through West Virginia and Maryland before hitting Pennsylvania. The challenge? To hike from the Virginia border to the Pennsylvania border in 24 hours. That is an exceptionally long day of hiking.If the timing was different and I had the opportunity to slackpack, I might have gone for the four-state challenge. But I will be skipping it for now. And probably forever. My feet will be much happier this way.I am sheltering tonight to avoid a wet tent. Also it is late (I had a late start because of breakfast and so a late finish) and I am lazy.There is a guy in the shelter who fits the category of what Chris calls "narrators": middle aged men who just like to talk. And talk. And talk. As I arrived and dug out clothes to change into and started rehydrating veggies for my dinner, he talked. A lot. I was not in a talking mood. He seemed excited that we are both from Connecticut (small world...), and talked about how he used to work at EMS, and how he started a thru-hike last year but was forced off the trail when he had to put his dog down. It was a sad story and under other circumstances I might care. But this dude was already in his sleeping bag for the night. I wanted him to shut up so I could cook dinner and finish my chores because I wanted to be in my sleeping bag, too. I guess I am just Red Panda GrumpyPants today.Funk stopped by the shelter for water as I was preparing to cook. Yesterday he mentioned that his brother might try to throw a trail magic picnic at Caledonia State Park on Saturday. It sounded like an excellent plan to me to try to attend, especially since it would be an easy place for dad to find me. So I told Funk I was aiming for Caledonia on Saturday when I saw him this evening. He continued on to camp somewhere north, trying to put in more miles so he can make it to Caledonia earlier on Saturday.I am thankful for a goal, for alone time and new socks and hugs. I am grateful for my awesome umbrella keeping me dry today. I am excited that I only have two more days until I can see both of my parents and my pizza fairy AND MY TWIN. Hugs await this hiker! Hooray!