Date: 2003-07-21
From: Rockfish Gap

To: Jarman Gap
Miles today: 8.8

start Rockfish Gapdestination Jarman GapI knew it was going to be a bad day. The weather channel was calling for severe thunder storms here today through Weds. We decide to hike anyway. I mean what else can we do? The postal service ain't got nothing on us. I went to bed last night dreaming of hot cinnamon rolls, red rasberry yogurt and fresh bananas. All offered on the Holiday Express breakfast. They are out of cinnamon rolls, yogurt of any kind and bananas. I fume as I poured a bowl of Fruit Loops cereal, covered with 2% milk. I do not need to watch my fat intake or my calories. Thank you very much. I pour a glass of juice and continue fuming. The hostess says they are waiting on the truck to come in with supplies. I contemplate waiting also, but figure I am being just a mite bit unreasonable. I don't care. Back in the room I go through my foodbag, AGAIN. I pick out things to send ahead to Harpers Ferry. There are several consession type places in the Shenandoahs, so a hiker does not need to carry much food. I take my pack to the fitness room and weigh it. 38 pounds. I fume even more as I drag it back to the room. I dump everything out and start all over, AGAIN. Once again I go through my food. Once again I take out items I don't think I will want to eat in the next 100 miles. This is crazy. How could I possibly know what my taste buds might be hungry for tonight, much less tomorrow. I fill the box with even more food, eyeing it reluctantly. Mudbutt is no help, she asks if I am willing to carry it all? I growl at her and stuff my pack, AGAIN. I ship my light jacket ahead and contemplate sending my sleeping bag also. She talks me into keeping my bag. I weigh my pack again. Now it weighs 34 pounds. It still feels like it weighs a hundred and 34 pounds. We call a cab and go to the post office to mail our packages. I am already regretting mailing the food ahead. That is crazy because there will be places along the trail to buy food. The cab takes us to Rockfish Gap and once again we are on the trail. Right off the bat Mudbutt's book tells us to turn left. It is obvious that we turn right. My foul mood darkens even more. Can't anyone do anything right?? Mudbutt is wise to let me hike ahead alone. I am all out of sorts and don't really know why. Me and Jesus have a meeting and he adjusts my attitude. Once more(again) I have let small petty things set my teeth on edge. I ask for forgiveness and begin to be thankful for all that I have. I tell the Lord how his patience and mercy are so precious to me. I spend a long while just praising him for whatever pops into my head. After awhile my dark mood lifts and I feel better. I throw my pack off at a road crossing and sit down to wait for Mudbutt. It is lunch time. She gets almost to the road before she sees the stile she has to climb. She fusses a bit but makes it over and we sit down to eat. Our miles today are long and have very little water available. I am rationing mine as I eat. The yeast rolls provided by Mrs. Swarey taste as good as they did yesterday. I tell Mudbutt that I sure wish someone would come by and offer us a cold soda. Before long the maintainance truck from the forestry pulls in and right behind him is a tractor. The operator gets out and we ask him how far it is to the concession stand. He frowns and tells us it is about 30 miles. He says he has some ice water he would be glad to share with us. We fill up our bottles and guzzel it down. It tastes so good. We are refilling our bottles a second time, when he reaches into his ice chest and pulls out a can of coke. He says it has been rolling around in the cooler all day and we can have it if we want. I bow to him and thank him. We split the coke and swear it is the best tasting thing we have ever had. We head on up the trail and listen to the sounds of thunder get closer and closer. I am almost to the top of the mountain when the rain starts. There are several towers up here so I figure I am safe from the lightning. I hike on and the rain stops just seconds after it started. As I hike through the fields, the underbrush comes up to my shoulders. Long limbs with thorns reach across the trail to grab at my pack and my arms. I wish I had gaiters for my arms. I spy some ripe blackberries and stop to pick a handful. They are delicious. Plump and sweet and juicy. A while later the trail is once again lined with wild blueberries. My lips and tongue turn blue as I eat handful after handful. I wait for Mudbutt at the second road crossing. She is not too far behind me. I have noticed a dramatic increase in her speed and stamina the last few days. We sit down to rest and before long a small pickup pulls in. The occupants wave to us and turn around. Just before they pull into the road, Mudbutt says to them (out of their hearing of course) "Oh, don't leave, offer us something to drink". The lady rolls down her window and asks us how we are on water. Mudbutt and I look at each other, grinning like Cheshire cats. We say we could use some if they have some to spare. The driver backs the truck up and shuts it off and gets out. They hand each of us a bottle of cold water!What trail magic. They are Buzz and Chris. They do some hiking and have dreamed of hiking the AT. Of course we tell them all about our hike, and how great it is. They offer us another bottle of water, which we take graciously and talk some more. They take our empty bottles for us and wish us well. This morning I was complaining about not getting what I wanted for breakfast and this afternoon I am thankful for a bottle of water. When we finally did reach a water source, it was silty and made filtering a slow and tedious job. I kept having to stop and clean the silt filter. It was slow going. The next spring was no better. We found a very small somewhat level campsite and set up our tents for the night. There is a pretty strong breeze blowing but no rain yet. We ate dinner and hung our food bag from a tree. I had put too much water in my pasta dinner, but I didn't complain. It tasted just fine. I cleaned out the water source so that in the morning there will be a deeper place to put my filter in. I think about how many people would love to be out here but can't be. Again I say a prayer of thanksgiving to my heavenly Father. total miles 8.8