Date: 2005-06-10
From: Lewis Mountain Campground/Shenandoah National Park

To: Bearfence Hut
Miles today: 15.2

Today has been very tough....physically as well as emotionally. We didn't roll out of bed very early, and if I psychoanalyze myself, I would say it was because I was putting off the inevitable. Mom and Dad had to leave to head back to Memphis today. It has been great visiting this past week, but saying goodbye put me back in Helen, GA, 2 1/2 months ago. I guess the difference is that this time, we aren't stepping off into the unknown and we also have the support of friends who have gone through the same homesickness.The morning mirrored my feelings as it was overcast and foggy. We ate the fruit that Dad brought back last night and got caloried up on Poptarts. As we re-packed our backpacks---wondering again how we get all that stuff in there each day---Bug and I took turns getting in as much last minute time with Pima as we could. I had a hard time making eye contact with Mom throughout the morning as I didn't want to break down in tears our last few hours before they left.Mom had to say goodbye to Bug and I at the campground because there just wasn't room enough in the car for all of their things, our packs, 2 dogs, and 4 adults. We hugged tight, but left before the tears could start too much.Dad drove us back to Powell Gap where we had left off the other day. The 20 minute ride was pretty quiet except for the occassional joke or comment on the weather. When we got to the Gap, Dad and I said our goodbyes. Bug and I walked Pima a short distance on the trail and said our goodbyes to him. We lectured him to be good and behave for his Mamaw and Papaw and to not aggravate Bonny too terribly. I think in some regards it was tougher shutting that car door, than it was to walk up the trail in Georgia.Bug and I quickly headed down the trail. I just finished talking about the emotional difficulties, but the physical difficulties came with shouldering a full pack again. We took 3 zero days spread out over the course of the week, and that paired with the fact that we "slack-packed" all week really got us out of shape. Granted we filled our packs with goodies for our fellow hikers each morning, but the packs got lighter by the hour. We had not remembered our packs being this heavy before, but we finally came to the conclusion that we were just spoiled throughout the course of the week.The day began to get easier and we slowly started to get back into the swing of things. Bug and I stopped at the first shelter to snack and read the register. I didn't really observe many views today, not because they weren't there, but because my mind was in another place. I didn't think it would happen, but we did make it to our planned destination this evening. We spotted a few deer on our way to the shelter, but no more bears. About 1 mile from the shelter, we passed Lewis Mountain Campground where we had been with my folks for a couple of days. We saw a weekender who stopped to ask us a few questions. Once he had left, Bug began to walk up another trail. Apparently he had stashed the laundry degergent we bought back in Waynesboro, up in the woods. Smart man, my husband! Now we only had to carry that extra weight for 8 miles instead of the additional 15 from Powell Gap.At the shelter, we arrived to find Buttah, whom we have been trailing ever since Springer. He is a fellow Memphian that we had met at our local outfitter. His register entries have sometimes left us perplexed, but most often provided us with quite a bit of humor. We couldn't believe that we had caught up to him and that cheered us up a little bit. We also saw Doc Gnarley who said he had the pleasure of meeting my Mom this afternoon. We took time to sign the register, and now we are about 50 yards up from the shelter setting up camp. There is room in the shelter, but I really don't sleep well in there. Been an exhausting day, so I will stop here.