Date: 2004-05-26
From: Lambert's Meadow

To: Troutville, VA
Miles today: 9.1

I'm at Comfort Inn! Woo-hoo! Ever since I was a young child, my family has spent the night at the Troutville Comfort Inn when we travel to Alabama to visit relatives. Tonight, Krispy, K-less, myself, Bum, and Beartracks are in the very same hotel. I've had a chill day and tonight we're celebrating Krispy's birthday. It's raining outside and we're all in for the night. Before the party starts, I will journal.I awoke at 6 AM and woke up the boys, our goal: Shoney's Breakfast Buffet. By 6:30, I was set to go and hit the trail first. Within a minute I was joined by 2 hikers who are trying to hike the trail in 3 1/2 months. One of them was a 22-year-old named Monk. The other...uhh...I have no clue what his name was. I was hurrying toward breakfast and leading our path over rocky ridges. The map made it look flat, but it was a tough hike. I was talking with Monk when I realized: I had left my water bottle at camp. Rather than slow up, I decided that it made more sense to push to town even faster. I was hiking so quickly that "Monk" asked me to slow up ? I did just in time to see a gorgeous view of Roanoke from some rocks overlooking a lake. The view was somewhat jarring though: Roanoke is the 1st large city that has been visible from the trail. While it was shocking it was cool to see urban life and still be fully enveloped in woods. As we took our break, Monk gave me some water: the only 3 sips I had over 9 miles.The final 3 miles went quickly and passed grafitti-laden rocks ? I would have rued the defacement of nature more, but I was focused on one thing: Shoney's. By 9:30 a.m. I arrived at the road, having covered 9.1 miles in 3 hours. I quickly went to the outfitters to pick up my maildrop. I got it and then called Comfort Inn to reserve a room. Before I could leave the shopping center, I was stunned to see a cigar shop. I purchased an Arturo Fuentes Short Story, my first real cigar in 2 months. With mail drop and cigar in hand, I left for my breakfast fantasy.I arrived at Shoney's expecting to see a hoard of my friends. Apparently, the majority of them wanted to be "safe" and only Beartracks had made it. I joined him and we dined like kings: eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, french toast, fruit, pancakes, home fries, and more. I could barely move as I left the restaurant for my day in town. While in town I went to the truck stop to do laundry for the four of us. I cleaned everybody's clothes and also managed to find "PGA Tour Video Golf"...Woo-hoo! (more wasted money...d'oh!) I was having a calm afternoon when I saw a scary and hilarious sight: Booboo was in the truck stop in a kilt. Of course, truckers don't know it's a kilt; they think it's a skirt. One trucker in a "wife beater" t-shirt with a stomach lopped over his belt kept staring Booboo down. Maybe he thought Booboo was a "truck lot attendant." Either way, I was laughing uncontrollably as I watched from across the lounge. We all just returned from Kroger's Food Mart and were completely drenched on the walk home. I ate a budget-friendly dinner at McDonald's with K-less. We talked about God and his time in a Christian band. He seemed mildly disillusioned but did not want to delve into it. I did not push.Everyone here is cool and we're going to have fun with Krispy tonight. I'm not going to drink much (still recovering from the night at Catawlog and my idiocy). I am going to have a cigar, though ? I'd write more, but I have a party to attend tonight. Until tomorrow.God Bless,BeatBoxP.S.: Tomorrow I will zero.