Date: 2005-05-20
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

Mile 629I just got into Waynesboro and I've got about 2 1/2 weeks of journal entries to update. I have also been trying to get some pictures on here without any luck yet. Pete, my gear guy buddy was inquiring about my equipment. Everything is working fine. Total pack weight is in the mid 30's, up to 40 pounds with 5+ days of food. I bought a new backpack in Hot Springs; the Osprey Aether 60, it's half the weight of my Gregory pack and still comfortably holds all of my gear. I highly recommend the JetBoil stove to anyone looking for a quick, easy and fairly lightweight cooking system. Thanks to Pete and Kevin who bought it for my trip. The Big Agnes Sarvis tent is nice, although it requires 11 stakes to get a good pitch and I have had some condensation problems even though only half the tent is single wall. Thanks to my parents for buying it for the trip. I am planning to test out the hammock tent I bought in June and/or July when the weather should be the warmest. It will save about a pound and a half compared with the tent. The 35 degree bag I have been using since Springer is working fine now. It compresses much smaller than most bags. It was a bit cold earlier in the trip and I would definately recommend a 0 or 20 degree bag for GA to southern VA or at least a silk liner(which I have) which adds about 8-10 degrees of warmth to the bag. The Salomon trail runners have worked fine also. They sent me a new pair to Damascus for free, because the lacing system broke on the first pair. I'm not big on full leather boots, although I would say the majority of hikers wear them. I have sent home my cold weather clothes: Windpro fleece, heavyweight socks and gloves(I wish I still had them). I am still carrying the IPod. It's great, but the battery charge only lasts for about 12 hours. I might send it home, since I've got the small lightweight AM/FM radio anyway. I realize this information probably doesn't interest most of you, but for the gear geeks like Pete, I hope this answers your questions. And now to the journal... I slept well in the cushioned bunk at the hostel. It rained all night. A good night to be under a roof. Fresh Legs and I got a ride to the laundromat this morning from Bill, the hostel caretaker. While doing laundry, I finally met Brownie. She is from Wilbraham and I had heard about her a few weeks back. I guess she was trying to track me down, because she thought she knew me. We didn't, but it was good to meet someone from home. She is hiking with Souleman, a Sox fan from VT. After the laundry, we headed towards the trail with a nice long stop at Hardee's. Fresh Legs and I timed it perfectly to eat both breakfast and lunch there. I've got to keep the weight up. I was down to 155 yesterday from 170 at the start. Hardee's is high on my list of fast food dining establishments. It's too bad you can't find them up north. We hit the trail after lunch with ominous skies above. We didn't have a set plan, but I was hoping about 15 miles to a campsite. I saw a snake, turtle and three white tailed deer on the trail today. I wonder if the wet weather last night brought them out. The forest floor has really come to life in the last week. I have seen a great deal of poison ivy. None yet, knock on wood. It was a good climb out of Pearisburg, about 1600 feet in just over seven miles. The problem with most trail towns is that you decend into them and then have to climb out. Snowman and Sparkplug, Hairball and Snowbunny and Birdhouse Bob were here at the shelter when we got in. They had a great fire going. We had planned to move on, but the rain looked imminent, so we decided to stay. Good move, because within a half an hour, it was pouring. A short day, but the weather is supposed to be beautiful for the next two days, so we'll make up for it. A good night to be in a shelter. Fresh Legs and I are going to learn how to play spades. Koko.