Date: 2008-05-15
From: Pearis Mtn, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 5:30am and looked out the tent at Pearisburg lights about 1,500 feet below me. I just laid there enjoying the cool morning for about 30 minutes before sticking my stove outside the tent to brew my coffee. I used up the last of my Stumpknocker's Blend coffee that I was carrying, but this is the last morning on this walk that I'll be enjoying coffee on the Trail. I REALLY AM going stoveless for the rest of this walk.....at least I think I am. 8-) I had someone sign my guestbook who said I wouldn't be able to do it. He may be right, but I feel pretty confident because I walked about 1,000 miles one year and completed that thru hike without a stove....which also means that I did without coffee for that 1,000 miles. I had just 2 Poptarts and 1 small pack of raisins left in my foodbag, so I had those for breakfast....along with my coffee.....a full 25.4 ounces of coffee this morning since it's my last. :-) I was walking into town with no food left and no coffee left. I've only done that one other time! I usually have enough food left for at least another day in the woods. I heard a good story from another hiker the other day; He said the guy he was walking around was retired and his alarm on his watch would go off at 9am everyday. He asked him why he had the watch alarm set for 9am when he was always up and walking way before then. The guy said that he used to clock in at work everyday at 9am....and now he's reminded just how lucky he is to be doing what he's doing and be where he is each day at 9am, instead of punching that time clock. :-) I was packed up and ready to walk at 8am. I saw Bus Driver come walking up and we walked together for about 2 miles down the hill towards Pearisburg. I got to the road at Pearisburg and walked up the long hill to where most services are. I met Freebird and Sherlock just before I got to the top. It always seems strange when you meet someone with the same trailname of someone else you know....well, I know another Freebird AND another Sherlock! I walked down to the PO and picked up my bounce box. The best thing in the bounce box was the second half of the book I've been reading on the Trail. I also had more coffee (but I'll send that home along with my stove) and there were maps of the next several hundred miles of VA. I walked to the old downtown section where I remembered a good little sit-down restaurant. I really don't like Hardee's or DQ for breakfast. I think the name has changed to Marsha's Restaurant. I walked in and ordered 2 eggs over easy, bacon, homefries, toast and coffee.....AND it was excellent!!! I don't know how you can order the same stuff in another restaurant and have it just be a ho-hum breakfast. Marsha sure can cook a good breakfast!! :-) Forest Gimp saw me sitting inside and came in to talk a minute. I told her that I wasn't staying in town tonight, that I just needed to get a shower and hang out till my ride to Trail Days showed up. She suggested the church hostel. I hadn't thought of that. I have always come into Pearisburg on all my walks and never even seen the hostel before, so I headed out towards the other end of town where it's at. It seemed like a fairly long walk....maybe 2 miles or so from the trailhead. I got there and Yazzie was the only one there, although he said the bunks upstairs were all full of hiker's gear. That was ok because I only wanted a place to shower and hang out for a while. I got my shower first. I went into the shower fully dressed and started from the top of my head. I ended up washing me and my clothes, dried them out as much as I could, then sat outside in a cool damp breeze to try and dry out the rest of the way. It was close to lunch time and my clothes were still wet, so I stuck on a jacket and walked half a mile to Wal-Mart and bought a rotisserie chicken. My clothes were all dry by the time I got back to the hostel. :-) Other hikers started getting into the hostel; Jackaroo, Catfish, Forest Gimp, Zack, Mike, Sea to Land, Alien, Snackeeze and others that I can't think of right now. I also found out that the girl I'd been called Brushy Sage is really Barefoot Sage....not sure why I thought it was Brushy. I just hung out and read till Mrs Gorp picked me up to drive me to Trail Days. It was great seeing her again....she has really become a close friend with all the adventures we've done together! I'm on my way to Trail Days for the weekend....hoping to see lots of friends. :-) Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)