Date: 2016-06-14
From: US 220

To: Bearwallow Gap - VA 43
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

Starting point- 727.5Ending point- 749.1Today we said goodbye to our campground friends. The bible says that as Christians, we are to show hospitlity to strangers. Hebrews 13:2 tells us that some people, unaware of it, have entertained Angels by doing so. If you guys are reading this, we just want you to know that we are not Angels! Keep up the entertaining though, maybe next time. The bible also tells us in Matthew 10:42 that there is a reward for those who give even a cup of cold water to Disciples of Jesus Surely you guys have us more than just a cup of cold water. They sent us off with homemade jellies made with wild picked blackberries and rhubarb grown in their garden. Yum! After hiking a short distance, we ran an errand in nearby Daleville. We picked up a pair of new hiking shoes from the daleville outfitter. Maybe these will hold the secret to no blisters? Time will tell. She got a new purse (Kavu) that has climbing by ropes for a strap. After two months without a purse, it was time for a lifestyle upgrade. Continuing, the hike took us into the blue ridge parkway for the first time. And did it ever. We crossed it 6 times in one day. This was so fun because we got to see each other every 45 minutes. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a very scenic stretch of road that follows the Ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountains. The trail used to be located along the path of much of the current road, until the road was built and much of the trail got relocated. One other thing we bought at the store was a powder that claimed to eliminate chafing. So this conversation happened today: "Sherpa, pull your pants up, there's a car coming!" Dont worry, nobody saw him attempt to apply his anti chafing powder... He asked, "Porter, can you keep my "anti monkey butt anti friction powder" in your purse?" She helped him finish applying it but refused to store it...Since we have been slackpacking for a month now (hiking from road crossing to road crossing supported by a car), we thought it would be interesting to share our thoughts. One of the really nice things is that it gives you the option to always walk downhill. Every town on the trail seems to be located in a gap in the mountains. The best practice is to always walk into town, whether going North or South. In addition, when you hike southbound, you get to meet all of the northbound hikers, which makes for an interesting hike. In fact, you become very recognizable. Someone said "hi Sherpa!" on the trail today that he didn't know. Note: you should always take note of the most recent water or campsite if you are hiking southbound, because chances are, someone will ask you about the next one regularly. Another big advantage of slackpacking is that you don't smell like a thru hiker because laundry is an option and clean clothes are plentiful. Onther nice advantage is that dayhikers, tourists, etc do not know that you are a thruhiker unless you mention it. Sometimes, it is fun to mingle and chat. Other times, you just want to get miles uninterrupted. But the best thing about hiking without a pack (besides of course not having to carry a pack), is that you can drink as much chocolate milk as you want!!!