Date: 2014-05-12
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Elkton, VA
Miles today: 44.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 61: Monday, 12 May 2014 from Waynesboro (856.3) to Elkton (901.1) Mum here: As I was working on the last two journal entries for the weekend, a text came in. I opened it, thinking it was from On Point. To my surprise, it was a photo of Buffalo from a strange number. There was no name nor message. So, this happened on the PCT last year when I got the photo of Buff at the 1000-mile banner from an email with the name "claire" in it! Anything's possible on these trails!I sent a text back thanking whoever sent it but asking WHO sent it and where it was taken, thinking that may be my only way of knowing where Buffalo is. Very soon after, I got a response, "I'm Violet's mother, Mama V and it's 6 miles from Elkton." Wanting to know more, I continued to text. I found out that Mama V's from Fredricksburg, out hiking for Mother's Day Weekend. Her husband came to pick her up and they got a motel room for the kids so they could get a shower and a good night's sleep! At the end of the day, FAHthur and I got into the Best Western in Santa Nella, CA, and I called Buffalo and left a message. About 20 minutes later, he called back. Buffalo had met a small group back in Waynesboro. The next day, they met Violet and her mom, who was a novice at backpacking. Sounds like Violet was doing a great job of helping her to have a good time, and the whole group really pitched in to help her with things like setting up her tent. (That's why I decided to 'tarp' with Buffalo. I knew he'd set it up and all I'd have to do is to hold a corner here, a line there!)If I got the conversation correct, sounds like the whole small group is at the motel: Violet, Gentle Spirit, Bright Side, West (I think that's the name), and Buffalo. He commented that the group has helped him go a bit faster. Sounds like they're a good group; he likened them to his first group on the PCT, and how cool it is that they are all a part of each other's story! (We said the same thing to Heidi and What-a-Hill, that we like being Trail Angels, meeting hikers who become a part of our story and we, a part of theirs!)"How do you like the Shenandoah?""It's awesome but I haven't seen much wildlife. There's an Australian girl and her mom just ahead, who got some footage of a mama bear and cubs!""It's neat that you're texting with Mama V. If she says anything about 'Buffalo's Crack', it's just Gatorade! I gave her some when she complained of having headaches." [OK son!]Buffalo is getting within range of some family. He left a message for my niece Kathy, then got a message back that she'd really only be available on Saturdays. He'll try to figure out where he'll be this coming Saturday and see if she could come out. That would be cool!He's got less than 100 miles left in Virginia! Still lovin' it! No Virginia Blues here! I asked him if he's going to do the 4-State Challenge. "I don't think so. At this point, I don't care about big mileage, just enjoying the trail." Good for you, Buffalo!It was an interesting day, via text and phone. Oh, and we did get a couple text messages from On Point. This morning he wrote that he was fine and didn't need a ride or anything. After the phone call with Buffalo, there was a text that said the road-walk to Idyllwild went OK.I had thought about this, and Buffalo commented that it is pretty neat that we were able to "link" the AT and the PCT into our trip! Yes, it was very cool, along with a wedding at the start and the end of our trip, and in the same family!FAHthur and I got to "see" the vistas back down the winding road from Idyllwild. It was a crystal clear day, unlike the foggy night we went up! Yucca plants dotted the hillsides. They are so huge (tall as well as thick) that along the ridges, they look like fence posts! But, a couple hours into the drive and we hit the Central Valley - Kansas comes to mind! We watched the car thermometer reach 91 degrees! OK, it's time to get back to Olympia!A great day from East to West!The Mum and....