5/14 Getting a ride

20.1 hiked today, 922 miles N, 1252 miles left
Near Pinnacles Pinic Area

Today I had a fairly long day. I started out hiking with Captain Bly back to the road junction where he had parked his car. We met up with Postcard along the way and as a trio it was very pleasent hike. Great conversation and a easy pace to keep me from burning out too early. They stayed by his car and I pushed on looking forward to getting lunch at Big Medeow where there is a resturant. I got there at about noon and sat down and ordered my food. Then a man tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I could join him and his wife for lunch which I did. They, Jim and Jane, were a very nice couple from, if memory serves me, SC and where passing through the Shenandoah's on there way to a wedding. Jim had hiked part of the AT and was excited to talk about my experiances on the trail. Between he and his wife I barely managed to eat my lunch. They were a real pleasure but pursumably they had to get moving and so they left but not before kindly performing some trail magic by paying my check. Thank you! After that I gave Wingheart a call. I am planning on going to the Trail Days festival in Damascus VA, 500 miles back, and my previous ride, McGyver, had changed his mind about going. Wingheart offered to pick me up in Front Royal which was perfect because it was an easy 3 hiking days away. That will put me there the night before he will drive by on the nearby inter-state. The reast of the day was an easy hike will lots of views of the towns below. I decided to try to get to Front Royal early in the day so tonight I am camping out about halfway betweeh shelters. That trims about 6-7 miles from my remaining distance meaning I can get into Front Royal in the early afternoon. I am near a senic overlook and the trees are not providing much coverage from the wind. That wasn't a problem at 8 when I set up camp but now the wind is really howling. Inmy hammock I have a ground cloth under me to block the wind and a pad under my core. I hope I will stay warm in my ham!
mock.
I only have 34 miles left till my week of zeros for Trail Days.

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Anticipated Schedule

Hi everyone. Hope you are enjoying the blog. People want to meet me and others are just interested so I have made a schedule of when I think I may get in and out of states comming up. Below is only a "guesstimate" so don't be surprised if I am 2-3 early or late on some of these checkpoints. Enjoy.

VA:
2 more days May 24th-25th
MD:
May 26th-28th
PA:
May 29th-June 12th
NJ:
June 13th-17th
NY:
June 18th-23rd
CT:
June 24th-27th
MA:
June June 28th-July 3rd
VT:
July 4th-13th
NH:
July 14th-July 24th
MI:
July 25th-August 12th

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5/12 Shenandoahs is for drivers

26.2 hiked today, 881.3 miles N, 1292.7 miles left
Pinefield Hut

After my late hike last night I took it easy this morning. Not much happened. I sort of hiked in a annoyed daze as it seems the trail in this section pretty much shadows the road through the Shenandoahs with the road, Skyline Drive, taking the senic spots. As a result I spent much of the day listening to cars and straight piped motorcycles. I was shooting to pick up some food at Loft Mountain Camp Ground but they hadn't opened yet for the season so I ate from my two day supply. Thunderstorms rolled through in the afternoon but fortunatly they were all show and little rain. It rained just enough to make everyone get out the pack covers and rain gear but turned out to just be enough to moisten the ground.
The shelter is packed tonight but it looks like almost everyone is electing to sleep in tents or me in a hammock so the shelter is nearly empty. Invisable Man is here along with a group of people who are celibrating the end of college. They have taken finals and they will graduate next weekend. They are very friendly and it looks like have too much food. Perhaps I can help them with that in the morning. ;)

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5/11 In and out of Waynesboro

12 hiked today, 855.1 miles N, 1318.9 miles left
Calf Mountain Shelter

Last night again I slept in my hammock and again it rained. The rain fly worked like a dream but drying it off delayed my start for the day.
Caveman left early so I was on my own till I got to town. I passed the ruins of an old cabin and stone walls and that got me thinking about what this area must have looked like 100-200 years ago when the land was cleared and being worked by mostly manual labor. Later on I came across a very old cementary the tombstones had worn away into pointed spikes of rock.
When I got to the road I needed to get into town to hit the outfitters and pick up some food. I missed the turn for town so I had to backtrack about 1/2 mile and then walk down to the visitor's center where I can get a ride in to town. That turned out to be very easy as one of the clerks there was going that way herself and was happy to drop me off. I first went to the outfitters and tried on shoes for a while before giving up the hope that there are any shoes that can fit my feet well. I picked up a new stuff sack for my now smaller load of clothes and sleeping bag. Then I hit the chinese buffet in town where I just kept eating and eating for a hour. Next the grocery store for some cheese and tortillas and payphone to call home.
Finally the library to check my email, the YMCA for a shower and then a call for a ride back to the trail. On the way back the trail angel who was driving was nice enough to wait while I picked up mexican food to go. I am not sure why I keep trying mexicn food as I have been endlessly disappointed out here but this place listened carefuly and tried to make a vegi burrito that had something other than just beans in it. When my meal was up I got a shopping bag full of dinner plate sized tin foil dishes, one for the rice, one for the beans, one for the burrito, and finally a bag of chips. When I got to the trail I was running out of time and had no idea how to put all this in my pack so for the next seven miles I hiked without poles carrying the bag instead. I made very good time as the climbs were no more than a few hundred feet at a time. I got to the shelter just after dark. The Invisable Man was there and we caught up on the last few days of goings on while I unpacked. I fi!
red up my stove and put the beans and rice on it to reheat while I ate the to order but still somewhat disappointing burrito. I hope tomrrow I can make it to shelter before dark.

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5/10 Do I have to go?

17 hiked today, 843.1 miles N, 1330.9 miles left
Paul C. Wolfe Shelter

This morning Rusty made his famous pancakes. What make them so good is the following:
They are the size of dinner plates
They ae about 1/2" thick
They are porus enough to soak up syrup and butter well
They have a texture that is elastic but not rubery. A perfect cross between cake and bread.

I managed to eat two before I was stuffed. After that I wandered about killing time until noon when he would drive us up to the trail. I looked at the Hot Tub which is a galvinized steel tub mounted on top of a fire pit. It looks kindof like those drawings of canibels making soup. There was a spring feed cold tub neraby for refreshing plunges. Next to that a woodfired sauna. Rusty also has a goat and it was fun petting his goat and watching it climb its fence to chew at nearby trees.
He is adding stones to his chimmy and need some help hauling the 80lbs bricks he was using so all of us thru hikers helped him do that for a little while and then he took us out to the trail. Bowser had already been there a few days and was enjoying himself enough to stay another. McGyver also decided to stay at the last minute so it was Caveman and I going out both wishig we could stay longer.
The day turned out very nice with rolling terrain, warm weather, and clear skys. We made good time getting to shelter a little before dark.

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5/9 Stay at Rusty's

2.5 hiked today, miles N, miles left
Rusty's Hard Time Hollow

Yesterday I didn't explain my motives for the long and late hike. That was to set me up for today where I am spending the day at "Rusty's Hard Time Hollow".
It took an hour to get there and there was exactly what I was looking for, peace and relaxion. The hike down Rusty's driveway is an experiance in itself with dozens of signs, most silly, attached to any surface. The signage kept going right on into the small collecion of homemade buildings that dot the hollow.
Rusty himself is a cross between an Amish man and Santa. He maybe is 60-70 years old and stands around 5'9". He has a round belly and walks slowly but looks are not everything. When he moves he does it with consideration and power. He handles the most delicate tasks to the most diffcult with a surpriseing grace. Add to this a peppery white beard and you have Rusty.
I was greated by Caveman who showed me around. Iceman Dan, Bowser, and McGyver we all there.
The enviroment is hard to descibe so I will write more snap shots than narative but the one thing that unites these is the Hollow slogan "It don't don't matter, do what you want"
I helped and Rusty and the other hikers dig a 120' trench to install a new phone cabel. Along the way someone pickaxed into Rusty's water line and we had to wait for his 2000 gallon water tank to drain, dig up the pipe, and patch it. It was satisfying and hard work.
In the middle of that I took blissful 2 hour nap in my hammock.
Rusty has a spring house and in it's basin there are around 100 cans of pop cooling. Everyone is encouraged to help themselves. When done you throw the empties onto his driveway to be crushed by the car.
Some of the others grabed .22 rifles and did some shooting off his front porch into the large grassy area.
He has a woodfired hot tub and sauna if anyone wants to fill and light them.
All around the kitchen is all the staples of the hiker diet; Little Debbies, Ramen, Lipton Sides, etc. You are welcome to help yourself to these during your stay.

All in all staying here I find involves a great deal of sweat but with it comes a great deal of peace and bliss. I am not sure how else to explain it. It still doesn't make sense to me.
We all stayed up late talking. Rusty and the other hikers are watching a movie but I am too tired so I am hitting the sack.

A bit of warning topeople hoping to visit Rusty's, only Thru-Hikers are allowed to come in so if you haven't or aren't Thru-Hiking don't try to find it.

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Special Request

People have asked me if I have any special requests for care packages and I thought I should make a post so everyone can see what I am longing for. Below is a short list.

Small bottle or packet of something spicy to add to sometimes bland food.
Dehydrated veggies
Tomato powder (can be found as tomato soup powder)
Any Fantasic foods dry mix that can be made with oil and powdered milk
Dehydrated refried and blackbean flakes
Organic Bar brand energy bars
Bear Valley Pemican/Meal Pak Bars
Any other yummy energy bar. With energy bars watch out for yogurt and chocolate coatings as those melt into a mess in the heat.
Homemade cookies

This is an imcomplete list so feel free to send anything you think I may enjoy. Please remeber to keep it light. Max 5 day supplies is what I am looking to carry. Also pack things well as they will get banged around badly during shipping. Thank you everyone for the care packages!
--Grasshopper

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