Date: 2005-05-01
From: Past Audie Murphy Memorial

To: Salem, VA
Miles today: 9.8

past Audie Murphy Memorial (679) to here (??) Was not sure where I was until I found a town sign and a map.Well, yesterday was a very interesting day. It rained all night and most of the morning yesterday. I hiked (if you can call it that) Dragons tooth. At least it had stopped raining then. After a long, very tough, rocky climb, came the descent which was very, very tough. It was very foggy and wet. There were no views. At times, I was on my hands & knees or sliding on my stomach. The hiking poles were frequently useless and in the way. I tossed them up and down ledges. At times, I used toes and fingers on ledges to descend. Two spots had bars set in the rock. It would have been impassable without those bars. It was very difficult and at times I thought that it was life threatening. I spent an hour going about 1/2 mile. There were places that there would have been serious to fatal damage if I had slipped and fell. I did about 9.8 miles total in 7 hours. It was not my kind of trail. Being short was a major handicap. I felt like I had been beaten up.Then there was some easier (not easy) trail followed by Knife Edge which was a milder form of Dragons Tooth. I got off trail at VA624 to go to a store and B&B. The B&B was full and as I mentioned, the hostel is closed. It is a very small town. Two ladies from Minnesota that I had met on Dragons Tooth drove up as I was at the store. They offered me a ride to there hotel about 10 minutes away. I took the offer. The ride turned out to be to Salem, VA about 20 miles away. Since the last couple of days had really beat me up, I was very grateful and really needed a day or two off. I did a zero day at the Comfort Inn and arranged a taxi to the outfitters in Daleville for Monday morning then getting back on trail. I am thinking about getting back on trail .3 miles from the outfitters. It would mean skipping some trail but I am already not a ¢white blazer¢. We shall see.Shoneys ayce yesterday, hotel buffet this AM. Doing laundromat visit now and Wal-Mart and Walgreens later. Had Mongolian BBQ. It seemed very Chinese to me. I do not really need very much food. I plan on getting a summer weight sleeping bag and sending more stuff home. I hope to lighten my load by about 2 more pounds. I think Mexican food and a frozen margarita sound good for dinner. It was a good day to zero. It poured last evening and night. I also had great need for a close bathroom¢¦not the poops but¢¦.I must have been backed up. Laundry going into dryer now, remembered to pull pack towel out to air dry. It was great to talk to you (Alma) last night. I¢m glad you were surprised at your birthday dinner last night. I had arranged the card & flowers with your sister Dale.The day off has helped my feet. They are not 100 percent but do feel better. All I am wearing at the Laundromat is boots, sock liners, rain top, and my $7 nylon pants. Everything else in dryer. Lots of trail has been no fun lately. My feet hurt, trail has been tough, and weather has been poor. I hope things improve and mike the trail more enjoyable. It has been more endurance for a while now. I have decided to skip from Catawba to Daleville and get back on trail at the outfitters tomorrow.