Date: 2014-05-04
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: clear sky

In which it's been a day of firsts.For once I didn't wake up hungry. But hungry or not I was going to eat the wonderful breakfast at Woods Hole. I've been hearing about it and now I'm going to experience it! Round one was two cups of coffee with cream. Oh baby that hit the spot! It was fantastic to mingle with everyone while sipping coffee and smelling breakfast as it was being prepared. Next, we circled up in the yard, held hands for a moment of silence then went around the circle and said what we are thankful final. Finally, we inched our way thru the buffet line to get food. Breakfast featured an oatmeal peach crisp, scrambled eggs with sausage, homemade bread with apple butter and jams, orange slices and pineapple juice. I'm thinking how in the world am I going to be able to go hike? But I did and it fueled me nicely.I made it to Pearisburg in record to do a resupply. This is the first time I've had to go in to town to do it. So another adventure here I come. this is when I switched from Plan A to Plan B. I was to take a right at the road crossing coming down the mountain in to town which was preceeded by a road bed. I mistook the road for the road bed and hiked on further. Wrong road! But it all worked out alright. I could still get to town I just had to walk further. So I did a road walk and headed uphill.Then another first and I want to say thanks again to Rancid. He was headed toward town and not only gave me a ride to Food Lion, but also stayed long enough for me to shop and gave me a ride back to the trail. What trail magic today! That ride sure made my resupply a little easier.Back on the trail the terrain was a little creepy. I crossed the New River then walked along the length of a factory of some sort. At one point it felt like I had walked a big circle and ended up in the same spot. It definitely wasn't a pretty area and I couldn't wait to be back up in the mountains. It's ironic how I look forward to a brief town visit but ultimately can't wait to get back to the woods.So up a big climb I went and I ran met Thirsty and Eyore. They were hanging out by the creek doing trail magic before they walked more for the day and camped. I took off my pack, sat on a log and ate an orange while I talked with them and Tika and 5150 who I also just met.I finally made it to the ridge for my final ridge walk of the day. Spring is starting to blossom above 3000 ft. The forest bed was green, little yellow and purple flowers lined the trail and the trail is beginning to narrow a bit from the shrubs growing their leaves. I'm in my own little world thinking (probably about food) and I see a little black blob. Wow. It's a bear cub! Then my thinking went like this... "Oh let me get a picture. Oh wait, if there's a cub there's a mama. Ugh. Ok, make noise and keep walking on alert." So no picture and the cub saw me and ran down the hill. The was the end of that story. My first bear for this trip.I got to the shelter just a short while after. It had a spectacular view of the valley below, with yellow, straw like grasses blowing in the wind on the ridge. The shelter was set a little ways off the trail. I climbed over the stile and true to form no one was here. So I made the decision that I was staying here by myself tonight alone. I got my chores down and dinner made then three more hikers showed up. There's a chance of some weather coming in. I'm hoping it'll hold off. Time will tell.