Date: 2015-05-25
From: Waynesboro Hiker Pavilion

To: Waynesboro Hiker Pavilion
Miles today: 0.0

The Waynesboro church hostel is closed today due to a church emergency, so no shower for me today. I am severely disappointed. Instead, I am camping at the hiker pavilion. It is very cute, and even has hammock posts and a solar panel so hikers can charge their devices. The only problem is that there is no running water, so I went back to Kroger to fill a water bottle and get chocolate milk. And more M&Ms. The crispy kind. I like the crispy kind. I like all the kinds, actually. I JUST LOVE CHOCOLATE. Last week I did not pack anywhere near enough chocolate onto the trail. YET ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED. Red Panda cannot hike well without an ample chocolate supply.This morning when we visited the Rockfish Gap Outfitter, I asked about my pack and picked up my mail drop. They gave Granite Gear a call for me just in case there was even a hint of a chance that there might be someone working, but no luck. So I'll head back there as soon as they open in the morning. If I am SUPER lucky, they will replace my pack. If not, I will have to buy a new one, which will be a super bummer. Please be kind to me, Granite Gear!I bought more denatured alcohol for my stove and then headed outside to process and sort my mail drop. I ate more cookies from Auntie Pat (who I finally got to talk to on the phone today! I sat outside of the YMCA, crammed in a corner behind a bush, trying to stay in the shade, while my phone charged on an outside outlet). I got rid of excess packaging, put my TP away, and tried not to eat everything.When I went to get my guidebook pages I found stamps from mom and $17. SEVENTEEN DOLLARS. THAT IS SUCH A RANDOM AMOUNT. I burst out laughing, imagining my pizza fairy digging into his wallet for a twenty and coming up with only seventeen dollars. Seventeen is much more fun, and of course greatly appreciated. Thank you, pizza fairy! $10 went to pizza, $6 went to extra M&Ms for my trail mix (about 1/5 of which I have already eaten), and $1 went to Chris for laundry quarters, because I didn't have any cash this morning.After the outfitters, we went to Kroger and Chris bought food for the trail and I bought a ton of junk food which I immediately ate after leaving the store, sitting on the sidewalk. It is like I can never get full.Chris and I split our (probably) last pizza tonught. Although there is a popular all-you-can-eat Chinese place in town, I have to go for pizza. At this point, it's like a tradition I just can't break. We initially agreed to splitting a small pizza. Chris claimed that he could only eat a few slices. But it only cost a dollar more to get a large, apparently, so that's what he ordered. We had it delivered to the YMCA, and sat on the picnic table outside to eat it. He ate his ENTIRE HALF faster than I did. After telling me that he couldn't eat much. That's hiker hunger for you.Chris will head back to the trail early in the morning while I try to straighten out my Bertha situation. The YMCA opens early, so I plan to get a shower there (I HAVEN'T SHOWERED IN LIKE FIVE FREAKING DAYS, I CANNOT WAIT TO SHAVE MY PITS), then head to the post office to mail some stuff home. In anticipation of a new pack, I tried to purge Bertha of excess junk that I don't need. It is really hard to decide what I might need and what isn't worth carrying. Chris bought too much resupply food at Kroger today, too, so I will bounce some of it ahead for him so he doesn't have to go to the post office. He tried to determine how much it might cost to ship, but I told him I would just text him to let him know and he could leave me money at the ATC HQ in Harpers Ferry, since I have to go there anyway, and that's where he wants his stuff sent. That's one thing about the trail: you know everyone behind you will pass through places at some point. Hikers leave notes and sometimes gifts on the trail for each other all the time. The day I caught up with Chris, he left me a note in the middle of the trail to let me know he had gotten off to go to the hostel down the road and would be back soon.Another day in town has come to an end and I still have errands to do. actual layro is spread out but the people here are so friendly. Multiple people have offered us rides. There is a list floating around of trail angels who provide shuttle services. The guys at Rockfish Gap Outfitters are amazingly nice. My cashier at Kroger told me to be safe and have a good hike (clearly my disgusting attire makes it clear that I'm a hiker.I actually just realized that there is a 99% chance that I will have to say goodbye to Bertha tomorrow. I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS. She has kind of been a jerk, but has also been an extension of myself for so long now..., she carries my house, my clothes, my food, my LIFE.WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT BERTHA?!I am thankful to Bertha for helping me so much for the last 860+ miles. I am going to go bond with her now while I still can. So sad...