May 26
We did it! We're 1/3 of the way through the trail! I made a 1/3 mark out of sticks but it's hard to see. I'm kind of sad this will be over soon, but there's so much left to experience. I don't feel like 1/3 is behind me. It's been so much easier lately. I guess I'm stronger and the terrain has eased up.
We stopped by the outfitter this morning and resupplied at Kroger. I couldn't find a new Rite in the Rain journal, so this one will have to last until Waynesboro. I only have a few pages left! When we got to the outfitter, a kid named Swashbuckler told us that a girl named Lopsang is MIA. Apparently, her phone called 911 this morning from somewhere near Tinker Cliffs. When 911 tried to call her back, she didn't pick up. Somehow, they notified her parents and word made it back to other thru-hikers. I'm sure she's fine, but we got her photo and her dad's number in case we hear anything. (Turns out that her new phone is hard to use and she accidentally dialed 911. When they called her back, she hung up on them. Odd, but she's perfectly okay).
We ate lunch at Pizza Hut as a last resort because the other restaurants nearby were closed and we were ready to hit the trail. It was really disappointing, but Bluebird tried sweet tea for the first time. After she had a sip of Muffin Man's, the waiter brought her her own glass for free! Not too shabby! She has been ordering it when we go out to eat ever since.
We didn't end up leaving town until 2:30 in the heat of the day. The hike out of town was very hot with lots of road noise and a steady climb uphill. When we crossed under an overpass Muffin Man found a box full of porn DVDs labeled in someone's handwriting. Each one was labeled for a particular fetish. How the heck did that box end up under the overpass? I'd love to know.
We decided to only hike five miles to the first shelter before calling it a day. Apparently Wing It was very tired because Muffin Man was moving around a lot last night. He laid down in the shelter as soon as we got there. Bluebird and I went behind the shelter to try to figure out how to get water out of the cistern. I rarely read directions, so I just fussed with the pump until I gave up. After reading the directions, we still couldn't get it to work and I thought I had broken it. We had to seek help from the guys. Scout, one of the guys we met at the shelter, came back to show us how it worked. He began digging in the mud under the spigot and I thought we were going to have to use the muddy water! He totally played along and had me almost believing him. That would have sucked! Instead, he just pushed the handle much harder than we had and the water began pouring out. It was MUCH easier than I had tried to make it. Doh! I'm glad he was there. I probably would have gone thirsty.
We made s'mores over the first and lit sparklers ("spah-klers") in celebration of Memorial Day. Muffin Man and I think Scout are both veterans. We also toasted with our rum to completing 1/3 of the trail. We will be in Harpers Ferry before we know it!
Best Thing: 1/3 mark, s'mores and sparklers.
Looking Forward To: Beginning to cross the Blue Ridge Parkway tomorrow.
porn, sparklers and rum.... what a day!
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