Date: 2004-06-07
From: Rural Retreat, VA

To: Summer like Conditions
Miles today: 13.9

Before hitting the trail, I ate breakfast at a restaurant which serves local residents and truckers. When I placed my order, the waitress affectionately called me by the name, Pumpkin. I always thought that people with red hair get called that name. My hair is brown, well, some of it still is, most of it has turned gray. When she served the meal, she called me by the name, Baby.Next to my table, a banner hung on a post. It contained the passage of John 3:16 from the bible. It read, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believeth in him, should not perish. But have everlasting life."A few feet away from my table and the biblical passage was a retail display which contained a ceramic figurine of what appeared to be the late sex star Marilyn Monroe with a large pair angel wings. She was wearing a slim gown. A bare leg was partially protruding through the gown. On the price tag were written the words, "Heavenly Angle." The word angel had been spelled incorrectly. The figurine was being sold for nine dollars. Next to Marilyn, for sale, was a framed photograph of a Harley Davidson motorcycle.After breakfast, I obtained a ride to the adjoining town of Atkins, VA where I resupplied. On the return trip, I was let off beside a Dairy Queen that adjoins the Appalachian Trail where I had last hiked.There were three hikers in the Dairy Queen. I introduced myself to them. Two of them have been hiking together. The third hiker was a twenty year old man who told us that he had been hiking 30 plus miles each day. Hearing this, the other hikers asked the young man how he could possibly be enjoying himself. The younger hiker seemed ill at ease hearing that question, and replied that he was, in fact, having a good time.I have met several high mileage hikers. Sometimes I remember their faces or trail names, but usually they come and go without leaving an impression. I suspect that within a few weeks, there won't be any more high mileage thru hikers passing me. Most thru hikers begin northbound treks in Georgia during March, April, and early May.Today's hike began in a large meadow full of tall grass, wild flowers, and butterflies. I was wearing my replacement hiking shoes for the first time. The sun had dried out the meadow and my feet remained dry. Hiking this stretch of trail was Zip Off and Kato. It was a good start to the day.Where the trail entered the woods, I noticed a herd of cows resting in the shade. A stream was flowing from where the cows were congregated. Downstream, a southbound hiker was filtering some water from the stream. I informed him about the presence of the cows, inferring that the water might be unhealthy. He thanked me for the heads up.The day started out on a promising note, but it soon became a grueling one. The temperatures were hot and the humidity was high. There was no wind. Much of the trail passed through dairy pastures where the temperatures maxed out under the direct glare of the sun. I did not draw much water from streams due to concerns about bacteria levels. Many of the fields contained pods of cow manure.The hardest miles occurred where the trail cut through private agricultural properties as an easement. There were numerous stiles to cross; these are wooden ladders of several steps that enable hikers to cross over fences. There were stretches of deep mud that had to be circumvented. The worst one was a quagmire of deep mud and probably some cow manure that stretched for about thirty feet along the trail. It was impossible to walk around it on the left side. On the right side of the trail, a rusting wire fence bordered the muck. I did not want to tromp through this mess with my brand new shoes. I grabbed the wire fence, placed my shoes on some lower strands of wire, and traversed along the fence. It became physically exhausting when the fence bent in my direction, causing me to lean backwards toward the muck. The pack on my back made it all the more harder to hold on to the fence. I was afraid that the fence would give way and I would fall back first into the muck. Fortunately, the traverse was a successful one. The last few miles wore me out. There was a final ascent where, for the first time on this journey, the mosquitoes attacked in significant numbers. My left calf muscle was hurting me; I assumed it was adjusting to my new shoes. I was carrying the weight of several days of food. And I was just plain exhausted.I arrived at Knot Maul Branch Shelter during the evening. It was occupied by a southbound section hiker named Freedom Fry, 19 years old.He was an interesting young man to converse with, with a level of maturity beyond his age. He was a music fan of the band "The Dead," which comprises of the remaining members of the band, "The Grateful Dead."I told him that years ago, almost every thru hiker I would meet passing through my home state would invariably be "Deadheads," a word to describe followers of the Grateful Dead. After the death of Jerry Garcia, a key member of that band, many thru hikers shifted their allegiances, for a while at least, to the jam band, "Phish." But nowadays, things are different. Those loyalties seem to have gone away.Freedom Fry agreed with me. He told me that most hikers are not necessarily fans of The Dead or Phish. He told me that he does not like the band, Phish.Later in the evening, Zip Off and Kato rolled in. They too were exhausted from the hike. They told me that they had sunk deep into the muck at that especially muddy stretch. They had been wondering if my new shoes had survived. I proudly exhibited to them my powder blue shoes looking somewhat new.There have been many hot days on this trip, but today was the first one that felt like summer, with excessive humidity, high temperatures, and aggressive mosquitoes. I should have packed in and drank more water. This evening, I am exhausted.