Date: 2003-06-13
From: Cow Pen Gap Shelter

To: Dutch Haus, Montebello, VA
Miles today: 0.0

2:00 p.m. - I'm trying to be patient and learning how hard it actually is. I guess reality got the best of me this morning because skimping on the extra two miles last night put me woefully behind schedule to get to town. Right now I've got my butt parked where I hope a shuttle will stop in a little while. The Dutch Haus runs one shuttle at 10:30 and one at 12:30. I thought I'd make it in time for the 12:30, but was just a bit shy of catching it. So, I figured I'd walk to town. I started following blue blazes, down this very steep gravel road. Then they disappeared. I walked all the way down to a yellow gate that was closed and locked and said it was for homeowner use only. Hum, then I was at the road wondering which way to town. There wasn't a sign or direction anywhere in sight. Feeling like my navigational skills weren't up to it and a bit stupid for walking down there and not knowing where to go, I contemplated. Then realized, that maybe the road that the shuttle comes in on was at one of the dirt road junctions (there was a five way stop) and I freaked because I thought maybe the shuttle would come back at 2 or so to drop people off after lunch. It didn't happen. 12:00 a.m. - Bedtime- Fact of the matter was that the blue blazes I had originally started to follow would have led me to the Dutch Haus but when I got to the end and saw the property owners sign beside the locked gate, I thought surely there was no way the shuttle runs up the road. I high-taled it back up the rad. I made the same ground uphill in 15 minutes that it took me 45 minutes to go down earlier. I was tired (I'd hiked 14 miles or so by 12 on the trail - and at least 2 going up and down that hill). I ate lunch at the shuttle stop. It never came. I tested my patience until 2:30, then tried calling the Dutch Haus with my cell phone - about 25 times! The call kept getting dropped. I kept calling just to get directions to walk there, but everytime I called I couldn't hear her or she couldn't hear me... I was so exasperated. I was cursing up a storm at my circumstances because, I JUST WANTED TO GET OFF THE MOUNTAIN, TAKE A SHOWER, CLEAN MY CLOTHES AND RELAX A BIT, and I'd been looking forward to it for so long. Finally, a truck comes rumbling up this steep mountain road. It's Lois to save the day! Oh, I was so happy to see her. It's amazing how quickly my mood changed in the three minutes of her arrival. I was a totally different woman. Lois took me to the store for resupply but I didn't get much because I know Tracy and David are still coming tomorrow. I stock up on some goodies though- ice cream , pop tarts, bananas - great slackpacking food for tomorrow.Then we head to the Dutch Haus. What an amazing place. It is a quaint bed and breakfast in this sturdy log home. I definately got a choice room, with a double bed. They even provide hikers with terry clothe robes to wear while their clothes are being washed. You'd think that's not important, but if hikers want all their belongings to be cleaned when they go to town, they've got no choice but to wear tent, rainfly or garbage bag while their clothes are washing. Had a great relaxing afternoon chillin with Lois and Pakabear. I did a bit of emailing but totally slacked and didn't update trailjournals. Lois went all out on dinner - we ate some awesome baked chicken, penne pasta and veggies, with a strogenof sauce (I think). It was a good meal, followed by TWO slices of apple pie (with ice cream). Just before going to bed this evening I found a tick on me!!!! On my left hip. He wasn't too huge- not like ticks you can see on dogs sometimes. I pulled out my tweezers and asked Here's Jonny to take a look; he said it was a deer tick (that's bad - they carry lyme disease), so I took the tweezers to the sucker and SPLAT! Blood bursting tick guts went everywhere. I thought they just let go when you squeeze them. What a mess. The tick was so stuck in there and at such an akward angle for me to work that Jonny actually had to remove the head. I hope he got it all. I'm going to have Tracy check my head for ticks tomorrow. I swear if she finds one, I'll shave my head tomorrow. Those things are just digusting.