Date: 2009-07-02
From: Ivy Creek Overlook

To: Hightop Shelter
Miles today: 9.8

This morning, I woke up at 5:30 again as we needed to leave ¢on time¢ to ensure that Zack could make it back to Staunton in time to begin work. I had already packed up my belongings the night before, so I was essentially all ready to go. I said goodbye to Jill, thanking her for everything. I honestly do not know what I would have done without her help over the past few weeks; she and Zack helped me out so much. It was great to see her and to meet her husband, Zack, and the two dogs. I do hope that our paths will cross again sometime in the near future. On the way up Skyline Drive again, we saw two bears ¢ one cub and one large male bear, lots of wild turkeys crossing the road, and tons of deer. It was very impressive again. As I was so incredibly tired from a lack of sleep over the past few days, when Zack dropped me off, I literally just unpacked all of my belongings in the Ivy Creek Overlook parking lot, climbed into my sleeping bag underneath a tall tree and fell asleep. I didn¢t really care what people thought of me at the time. I was more interested in getting my much-needed sleep and re-charging my batteries for another big day ahead. One little kid asked his mother, ¢Is he homeless?¢ while the mother replied, ¢Maybe. But, see, he has some hiking sticks. I think that he¢s a hiker!¢ I was back out on the trail at 1 pm ¢ a rather late start ¢ but I was happy to have rested for a short while. I spoke with a motorcyclist for a short while, when Toubab came along. I introduced Toubab and told that motorcyclist that Toubab had just returned from spending two years in Mali through the Peace Corps. Attempting to make a joke, the biker said, ¢Ohh yeah? I¢ve been in the Peace Corps for five years already!¢ Toubab and I just looked at each other with an uneasy¢¦ ¢okkkkay¢. We were waiting for an explanation or a punch line. ¢Yeah! I¢ve been keeping the peace between my two kids for five years!!! Hahahahahahahaha!¢ You could tell that he was a heavy smoker because when he laughed he nearly coughed up a long. Toubab and I, again, just looked at each other with a bit of a perplexed grin. I had moved rather slowly today, as my body was still very tired from the near 32-miler the day before. I had intended to do another 20 miles, but as I had arrived at the Hightop Hut shelter at 4:30 pm with the next shelter being another 12 miles away, I decided to stay put. Toubab and Patch had made it to the shelter before I did. They ended up sharing an absolutely crazy story, but it might require a bit of explanation. So, remember how I was telling you about someone writing a rather provocative entry in the Priest shelter? Well, it was a sexual innuendo comment by a fellow thru-hiker, who I had met all the way back at Woods Hole Hostel. Anyway, the night before, Patch, Toubab, and Jungli were all set to sleep at a shelter 22 miles back from this one. A park ranger came up to the group and questioned Toubab intensely. Turns out that he, along with the other park rangers, were looking for a guy with a similar name (who also had a shaved head) who was violating his parole, as he was a sex offender for child molestation. I was in complete shock. Later that day, I was told by another thru-hiker that the rangers did catch him. While at the shelter, I tried to talk with my Aunt Kathy over the phone, but the connection continued to go in and out and we were only able to get a few words across to one another. It was as if we were both speaking a different language. She, her husband, Michael, her sister, Becky, and my cousins Katie and Alex would be making their way down to SNP tomorrow to pick me up. I just couldn¢t wait to see them again. After I hung up, I talked with Jungli, Toubab, and Patch for a while; it was honestly great to be in the presence of well-minded thru-hikers again and embrace that the camaraderie that we share. The weather is chilling down right now ¢ maybe in the 50¢s and with a wind chill in the 40¢s. I can see my breath right now ¢ in July!!!