Date: 2013-06-15
From: Grace Hiker Hostel, Waynesboro, VA

To: Grace Hiker Hostel, Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0

My knee felt noticeably better when I woke up this morning. Whew! I was starting to get nervous. It wasn't 100%, but it was definitely on the mend. After the clean-up/pack-up, I headed to the library to update the ol' trail journal. I pecked away at the keys until my photo started ringing. It was my beloved. Tom injected my day with a bit of sunshine. He's good like that. I strolled back towards downtown and planted myself in a white wicker chair in front of a big glass window looking in on a dainty cafe. It was a good place to people watch, to watch those out on the street and to watch those munching away at their brunch uncomfortably looking back at me. I was bidding my time. At 11:30 a.m., the town of Waynesboro treated hikers to lunch at the Heritage on Main. It was their version of Trail Days. And it was happily attended! Some hikers came by foot, others piled out of the back of trucks. The waitstaff dragged tables together, and Yellow Truck presided over the event from one end of the table. In record time orders were taken and delivered to the hikers. In even faster time, food was inhaled and plates licked clean. Afterward, Yellow Truck and Santa's Helper loaded up hikers and took them to the movies; also a treat from the town of Waynesboro. I wasn't in the mood for a movie, mainly because I had no idea what was showing these days. Instead, Santa's Helper took some of us to the local outfitter. I needed a new pair of socks because the mice seem to have been chewing holes in them at night in the shelter. They have a taste for merino wool and salt it would seem. Santa's Helper dropped me at Kline's Dairy bar, a local ice cream shop famous for its homemade custard style ice cream. I ordered a small scoop of lemon gingersnap in a cone. The barista handed me a cone topped with a scoop of ice cream the size of my head. I thought, there's no way I can eat all of this. But I settled in with my ice cream and a news article, and before I knew it I was crunching the last bit of cone. The scary thing is, I wasn't really full. Wow. This appetite is getting serious.I headed to the grocery store to do my resupply. It's funny, I've only been off the trail four days, and I already feel out of practice. I've come so far, and yet I still feel like I'm faking my way through. Like someone is going to catch me as a fraud. I wonder how many more miles, if ever, it will take to convince myself that I'm REALLY doing this. Anywho, I was careful to try not to buy too much. I'm going to make a concerted effort to keep my pack weight down.The hostel had opened back up for the evening, so I went to check in and get my bed ready. There was word out that a big group was coming in, but they never came. I spent my evening chatting with Santa's Helper and some of the other volunteers. Marit, our chaperone for the evening, saw my knee wrapped in a heat wrap and asked if she could work on it. It turns out she is not only an AT thru-hiker, PCT thru-hiker, but she's also a massage therapist. Talk about good luck! So we sat in from of the big screen TV and watched As Good As it Gets, and Marit massaged my knees and feet, and I couldn't help but think, this is about as good as it gets! I'm going to miss Waynesboro, but I'm anxious (both nervous-anxious and eager-anxious) to get back out on the trail and see how my knee will do. I guess only tomorrow will tell...