Date: 2004-03-20
From: Holy Family Hostel (Pearisburg, VA)

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Log entry: 49Starting time: 0930Ending time: 1630Morning weather: sunny and cool, 50 degAfternnoon weather: sunny, then clouds blew in, then broke back to sunEvening weather: clear, mildBreakfast: CIB, Poptart (brown sugar cinnamin), Nutty BarsLunch: Dried appricots (gross), peanut butter crackersDinner: Limeade, Lipton Rice (chicken), hot Jello (strawberry), hot chocolateTrail description: Two good climbs today but the rest was all ridgewalk, flat. some cool outcroppings. The bald at Rice Field is right on.People: The Solemates, numerous weekenders on the trail, none at our shelterAnimals: Doe, (a deer, a female deer), crow, (I wish I had a shotgun) I actually saw 7 deer all totaled throughout the day.Money spent: noneComplaints: Thirst for a while, got pretty tired near the end of the day.Thoughts: It was sad to say goodbye to the barn but I was ready to get back out on the trail. We caught a ride with a lady that runs a greenhouse. She drove a Nissan Quest. Those things are like a spaceship inside. Pretty futuristic. We got dropped off right where we left off. After the short walk through the woods we came out at Wade's Market where we planned on making phone calls and I would send home all the journals I had typed and still not successfully sent home. But both payphones were not working. So I went inside and the nice ladies inside let me use the house phone. I just made simple contact with mother to let her know that my journals wouldn't find them until Wednesday at best. By 0930 I set out, the Solemates were still munching on biscuits. About an hour into my hike, during the climb, I ran into EZ1. The 81 year old doing his 2004 thru insections. He hikes 3 weeks then goes home for a week to do "chores". I wish we could have spent the night together, he seemed full of conversation. He is heading to Shenandoah next so we may see him them. Once on the ridge, walking was easy. Ridgewalks are great. Ridgewalks are typically long flatter stretches atop a mountain. The Smokies are where you experience them first and then they quit and start again solid after Mt Rogers. Otherwise most of the trails either climb up then down and through gaps, not much flat areas. So besides the climbs up the ridges, Virginia is a fun state to hike. The balds of Rice Field Shelter are great. Awesome views of the farmlands of Virginia. The shelter is also either newly built or newly refurbished. The privy is 4-star. I just stopped to visit the privy and moved on until the next water source and ate a quick lunch. Dried apricots taste like lake water. I ran into 7 more hikers on the 12.3 miles to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter. I also chased deer all day. First I saw a single doe. Then later a group of 4 and another of 3. Those last 2 might have been the same. The climb up the mountain before Pine Swamp was a toughy I thought. It was at a good grade to speed up and over but my belly was empty and the water from the spring tasted like nasty spring water. I thought it was my filter but I pumped at tonights source and it tasted great. I wandered into the shelter around 1630 and read the Bible and did squaw work until the Solemates strolled in at 1800. I then made a fire which occupied an hour and a half then I ate and here I am journalling at 2130. I think I will start Tom Clancy's Patriot Games. Should be a good one.