Date: 2018-12-07
From: Mt. Rogers Headquarters, VA Rte 16

To: VA Rte 42, Ceres VA
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: broken clouds

It was another beautiful, but cold day. After hiking with wet feet yesterday, I decided to try and keep my as dry as possible today, so I developed a technique of occasionally tapping my with my trekking poles as I hike to knock the snow off the top of my shoes. I am wearing trail running shoes with short gaiters, not quite appropriate for the current trail condition, but they have a good tread. My feet stay warm with my wool socks, even if they're wet. I plan to go home when the storm hits, and pick up boots and taller gaiters to finish my hike. I ran into some thru hikers who were heading south. They all appeared to be in their 20's. Pony Keg and Gritty were the first two I saw. Pony Keg spotted my orange "Thru Hiker" tag from down the trail and shouted out "Hiker Trash!". This is a term that a lot of the young hikers embrace, but not so much the older hikers. I have detested this term all summer, but now, I suddenly embrace it and feel proud. I think it's combination of having hiked nearly 2,000 miles, and that a young hiker recognized that I was accomplishing the same goal as he. Not that it has been an issue, because everyone who is doing a thru hike knows what others hikers are going through, despite their age, background, or lifestyle. One of my main reasons for hiking the trail was to experience the culture of the trail. Now I feel like I have been absorbed into the culture of the trail.I mentioned the incoming storm and Pony Keg and Gritty expressed their excitement about it. That was the glaring difference between our ages. I was not looking forward to the storm. I suppose when I was his age, I probably would have been excited about the storm, but now, 30 years his senior, I had no interest. I told him I where I would be hiking to in a few days which included "Dragon Tooth" and he excitedly told me about climbing, using rebar handholds, etc. The only thing I could think was how there would be snow on it by the time I got there, and how dangerous it might be!  They were trying to get to Damascus before the storm came in. We parted ways and I exchanged greetings with three more from the group, Fish Fry, Tree Breaker, and the last one whose name I can't remember. It was nice to run into some thru hikers, as there are so few of us left out here now. It's instant camaraderie, and they were such nice young men. I wish them well in the rest of their hike.Jo met me in the middle of the day as I crossed a road near the hotel where we were staying, bringing me some cold drinks. She had been "scouting" tomorrow's location and the report wasn't good. It was a narrow mountain road with ruts and ice. She didn't feel comfortable driving her vehicle there, and the hiking distances between other road accesses were either too short or too long. I had her call around to hostels and shuttlers and she found "Bubba", who will be dropping me off at the rutty mountain road tomorrow.I continued and finished in the dark for the second day in a row. I don't mind hiking in the dark, although it is sometimes a little more difficult, depending on the terrain. The days are shorter, and it's hard to hike over 20 miles without being in the dark at the beginning or end of the day. Puddles and I have been in contact with each other. She will be summiting Springer Mountain today, then waiting out the storm in Georgia. I will go home and get out of the path of the storm, do an equipment change, then Puddles in Virginia, where we have approximately 150 miles in common that we will hike together.