Date: 2007-05-31
From: Va 620 Trout Creek

To: Va 311 Catawba Va
Miles today: 13.6

Appalachian Trail JournalDate: 5/31/07Mileage:   13.6 milesElevation: Starting location: Va 620 Trout CreekStarting time: 7:44Ending location: Va 311 Catawba, VaEnding time: 6:30Weather: thunder storms and hailBreakfast: oatmealLunch: hot dog and slushyDinner: fried chicken, green beans, mash potatoes, bisquits, gravy, fried apples, roast beef, brown beans and cherry cobblerSleeping details: motelMoney spent:        Trail food:         Town food: 13        Lodging: 12        Gear:        Travel:Trailmagic: Norman Gregory - ride from Catawba to Troutville. Story in journal entry.People around me: Bruce, Iceman, Skip and ShiverOnline Journal Entry: Gforce, Iceman, Shiver, myself and Bruce are traveling the trail together. I fell coming down a mountain my feet slipped out from under me on loose little rocks. When I fell I bent one of my leki poles. We came up on a rocky area where two rocks had a copperhead between them. If I was leading I know I would have stepped right on the snake. Thank god Gforce was leading and seen movement and stopped. The snake blended in so well it was almost invisible.We went on and as I was climbing a rocky mountain after misplacing my pole do to the bend in the pole. I then started using the pole to pull up. As it slips my weight pulls backward and I fell this time I did a back flip and would most likely rolled on off the edge but Bruce had stopped be hind me to take out his camera to take a picture of how steep we was climbing, he caught me near the edge.After that time I was emotionally ready to go home. We stopped at Va 624 because of the store down the road. We was going to have lunch. As we reached the road Iceman was out of water so everyone was in the creek fooling with water. I yelled down and asked which way to the store and they say right I put my thumb out and a young girl pulled over right away. I said can you give my friends and I a ride to town. She said I am only going to the store up the road. I said that's where I am going. She loaded Shiver, Iceman's and my pack in her trunk and the 3 of us got in the back seat. Bruce put his pack in the front seat and said he will just walk. After we got there I called enterprise car rental for a cost of renting a car. That would get me to a motel and Bruce to Pearisburg to get his truck. I then got my food. We eat outside and afterwards I got sick from eating to much and threw up. Near the last 5 miles it starts thundering hard and I stoped under a tree and told Bruce I and going to put up my tent and stay until the storm passes. He is saying its going to pass over I am wasting time. But I took everything out of my pack to get my tent out which is on the bottom. I started by staking the bottom and it starts to rain as I tried to get the top staked as I got the last stake in I asked Bruce to step on the stake. Bruce accidentally tripped over the cord and it collapses the tent by now everything I have is getting muddy and wet and it starts to hail. We grab the tent and held it up over our heads. Then I have to get my stuff back inside my backpack so I leave the tent I am holding up. After that and my horrible day I was so ready for a motel and ride home.When we got to Va 311 I was muddy and wet from head to toe. We started walking toward the resturant and after about 5 minutes Bruce and I got a ride in the back of a truck. They dropped us off and Shiver and Iceman had reserved a table. I went to the restroom to clean the mud off and to change into my swim suit which looks like shorts and a tank top it was my only dry outfit. The local people are wearing dresses and nice clothes. I told them in the restroom I am sorry to be so messy that I got caught on the AT in a hail storm. I asked a young lady in the restroom if the town had a motel. She said no so I asked if they had any bed and breakfast. She thought maybe they had one so she would ask her dad and come back. She came back and said her dad wanted to talk to me. I told her I would be out in a second that I am changing. In the mean time Shiver stepped in and said we got seated. I followed both outside and stopped to talk to the ladies dad first. He told me he would drive me to a nearby town to a motel. I thanked him but explained I wouldn't have a way back to the trail. he said he would also get us back the next day. I said let me go talk to my friends. When I got to the table Skip had joined us at the table but Iceman had stepped outside on the porch. So we went outside to talk to Iceman about going to a motel. We took him up on his offer and he said he would check on the cost of some motels and take his family home.We then had the best meal and Skip said something about going to and asked shiver if she would split a room. I spoke up and said she is staying with me and if he wanted to he was welcome to sleep on the floor in our room. Shiver thanked me later. So 5 of us went to the motel and shared the room.