Date: 2009-04-09
From: Front Royal

To: Compton Wayside Shelter
Miles today: 1.5

Note to Readers: We are entering the Shenandoah National Park and the cell coverage is spotty. I. Corrections or Additions to Previous Entries: We had authentic Mexican food in Front Royal. There was cold slaw with the chips and broccoli in the fajitas. II. Trail Word for the Day: Blue Blaze - Spur trails off the AT to bad-weather routes, views, shelters, water sources etc are often marked by AT style blazes painted Blue. (OLC) III. Report for Today: Terry is fighting a mouse as we speak. These shelters are full of mice. Last night in Front Royal we did two loads of laundry which killed two rolls of quarters. We went to a coffee shop where Terry had a latte and I had a mocha coffee. The real whip cream was 3¢ high. Our dinner at the Main Street Mill Restaurant was fantastic: rack of ribs, salad, and garbage baked potatoes. It was a ¢no mas¢ meal. I couldn¢t eat the whole meal. In the morning the Quality Inn breakfast left a lot to be desired: frozen waffles, plastic eggs, and bacon. We found the most amazing General Store; it was just like the old style general stores. Terry bought ¢anti-monkey butt powder¢ (Not a typo). It takes care of itching. The outfitters store was closed, and we purchased supplies at the Discount Mart.We had our second breakfast at the Pancake House: biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs, bacon, home fries, and coffee. This time we ate the whole thing. We checked out of the Quality Inn and they provided free taxi service to the trail. We missed about 2 miles because they dropped us off in a different place than where we left the trail to enter town. Yesterday was a nero day (a very short mileage day ¢ OLC). Today was a nero day. Two nero days equal one zero day (no miles are hiked, usually because the hiker is stopping in a town to resupply and/or rest ¢ OLC)We noticed a lot of changes on the trail: not well marked, poor maintenance, vandalism at sights ¢ signs torn down. The vertical scale on the new maps is three times the scale on the previous map: a 500 mile climb is now a 1,500 mile climb. We missed one trail and went 14 mile the wrong way and dropped 200 feet. After a short time, I was wasted, exhausted. I was resetting my altimeter and noticed I had entered meters instead of feet so we were at a much higher altitude than I thought. In four hours we climbed 1,000 feet.   IV. Question of the Day: YOOO Moe, you bet your bippy we are carrying walking poles. Terry has the ¢gold standard¢ for poles named Leki. I have Komperdell¢s. They are both state of the art poles: look like skiing poles, made of ultra-light carbon fiber, adjustable, with shock absorbers in the frame. They are invaluable for balance and take the load off of the knees. In a Washington Post article a trekker would hike the AT on a pogo stick rather than leave his polls. I agree 100%.V. Person of the Day: I slandered the Moore side of the family yesterday. Today, I am going to cover the Frost side of the family. The Frost Clan was not a friendly bunch so there isn¢t much to say. My Grandfather Jack Frost (not a typo) taught me how to fish at age 6 at the Old Ocean Tank Farm Pond. We used frozen shrimp from the grocery store for bait. We loaded up on perch. When I was older, we fished rivers and the Gulf of Mexico surf. Thank you Papa. Well, Terry missed the mouse and we are giving up and going to bed. Miss P & B for Tic