Date: 2008-06-06
From: Wolfe Shelter

To: Waynesboro, VA 
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Here I sit, indoors, thankfully, at the Tree Streets B and B. I just ate my supper of chicken nuggets from Krogers, topped off by a strawberry yogurt.   Here's the day's review.   Thursday evening at Wolfe shelter started auspiciously enough, as it was a 10 person shelter with windows and bunks. It was situated by a classic mountain creek, which splashed and tumbled vigorously on its way down the mountain. Tall pines and hardwoods graced the hillsides, and the delightful veery called from the canopy above. Veeries have a very musical, almost atonal trill that descends melodiously over and over, echoing the falling water in the nearby creek.   We tucked into bed, or rather stretched out on our mats and tried to sleep, oh, around 9. Tiny midges and mosquitoes found us, and erratically lit upon our waiting bodies. The day's heat and dampness hung in the air without resolve, all night long. By midnight I got myself up and gathered my things to go pitch my tent below. I finally relaxed once I zipped myself into my tent, but tossed and turned with the cloying heat.    By 6 I gathered my things back up, took down the tent and rejoined the others in the shelter. Everyone was affected by the insects and mugginess, some by getting out of there as fast as possible, others by slowly packing up and conversing about what this weather meant for the days ahead.   V8 and I hit the trail by 7:10. The trekking pole handles were slimy from the start. We walked through fog in the beginning, later walking into bright sun that accented the heat. At the Waynesboro Visitors Center I was cheered by the obvious attempts made to welcome hikers. We were treated like guests and travelers, which just felt great. A kind, generous man driving a Toyota sedan gave us a ride to the B and B, part of his participation in a "Trail Angel Network". It was so helpful to us, as the city is spread out and out by the interstate, not negotiable to the foot traveler.    Once at our destination, we showered and changed clothes, all in an effort to get to a restaurant for breakfast. We had maps and some idea of how to get around, so struck out for the well known "Weazie's", which was a good 8 blocks away.    We walked in the door and immediately were heralded by a blond woman across the room. "Auntie Mame?"   I said "Yes...", but did not recognize her. V8 said she met us at Trail Days with Lipstick, and the penny dropped. Jill, aka Raffle Queen, lives in town here and is very tuned in to the hiking community. She has a daughter completing a thru hike right now, and enjoys hiking as much as she can, herself. We chatted over French toast, and Jill wound up offering us her car to use while she spent the afternoon back at work. Wow! Trail magic plus!    We dropped her off at her office and zipped over to Rockfish Gap Outfitters, to take care of a few things like water purification tablets, insect repellent, sturdy insoles for V8's shoes, and maps. We came back to the room for short naps, and went out to fetch supper and return the car. Rabbit was walking down the street in the 90 degree heat when we left that time, so we gave him a lift to the YMCA, and found out that he DID get his tent back. Thank you, Jill, for your enthusiasm and generosity, as you really made our day today!    In checking the weather on TV, we found an unusual set of conditions across the mid-Atlantic. Heat in excess of 100 with staggering humidity are expected for the next two days. They are issuing health warnings, called a heat advisory, and asking people to limit outdoor activity. Hmm. That explains things a bit more.    For right now I'd like to catch up on sleep and do the prep I need to do for the upcoming Shenandoah stretch. Signing off from cordial but steamy Waynesboro, VA. Marcia JamrogAuntie Mame