Miles: 18.1 to Trimpi Shelter
Today started out being a long day with not much in particular to look forward to. Then I put on my tunes for the first time on this hike and my mood improved dramatically. I started off listening to Ray LaMontagne's new album "Supernova." I really like it! It's much more peppy than his other stuff and have a 60s vibe.
The terrain today was really beautiful. It was open grazing land interspersed with wooded trails and fields of flowers. We could see ponies off in the distance. I stopped for a break on some rocks by the trail with Bluebird and showed her what edible trout lillies look like. We snacked on those for a while. Then we hiked on to Old Orchard Shelter to have first lunch. There, we met two thru-hikers named Swiss Miss and Matterhorn. I think Swiss' legs are skinnier than mine! We also met a former thru-hiker Dog Man and his husky. He's hiking south with his dad this year to get to Trail Days. They told us trail magic was ahead! A trail angel named John was grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. He even had chili for the hotdogs and sliced veggies for the burgers. He also had beer, soda, chips, chocolate, fruit, and so many amazing things! It was the best trail magic we've received yet! Even Bluebird found things she could eat. She put chips and burger toppings and some corn tortillas she had in her pack.
It was HOT this afternoon. No fun to hike in, but the jams helped. We tried to find a campsite by some water but Wing It and I miss the blue blaze indicating the side trail and overshot it. We didn't want to hike back so we stopped and waited for Bluebird when we figured out what had happened. By some miracle, I happened to have my phone on (not in airplane mode like it normally is) and Wing It happened to suggest that we backtrack a bit on the trail. I happened to be in just the right spot to receive service when Bluebird called me to try to figure out why we weren't at the campsite. That truly was a miracle. We told her where we were and she met up with us. We have just enough water to make it to the next water source in the morning. I don't have enough water to cook dinner tonight, but I have other things I can eat. My legs refuse to walk any further today. Tomorrow we are hiking about 13 miles to Marion, VA to get a hotel with Wiki. I can't wait for Arby's and some new sleeping clothes from Walmart! Only a day away!
My name is Stacey and in 2014 I completed a 2,185.3 mile northbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I made daily updates to this blog for the first 1,000 miles or so. Now my focus has shifted to reflecting on my time in the woods and sharing my knowledge with aspiring hikers. If there is anything in particular you'd like me to write about, please let me know! I'm always happy to share my experiences out on the trail.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Day #53 - Growing a New Toe
Miles: 16.0 to a trailside camp spot.
May 13
I'm so sticky and my hair is so greasy! I need a shower and some laundry, stat! It was another hot and humid one. We hiked into Bland and hitched a ride with a utility worker of some sort. He had on fluorescent clothing. We rode in the bed of his truck until he dropped us off at the post office a few miles away. What would have taken us about an hour to walk was accomplished in about 3 or 4 minutes in a vehicle.
After Bluebird picked up her mail drop, we hiked to the "diner." It received rave reviews from the woman that worked in the post office. She said it was the "best place to eat food in town." That's so sad. It was a tiny little "diner" in the back room of a Citgo gas station. Fail. Oh well. They still had hot food. I got the double dog combo, which was two chili dogs with slaw, a drink, and fries. We had to walk back into the gas station part to get our drinks. The food wasn't bad, but one of my hot dogs was grey on one end. Meh. I ate it anyway. The lady working at the diner was cleaning up the baked potato bar and asked me if we wanted the uneaten potatoes so she wouldn't have to throw them away. I accepted her offer thinking she would give us two or three. She filled a Ziploc with six baked potatoes! What were we going to do with six potatoes?! Bluebird kept two and we gave the others away to some hikers named Johnny Utah and Aviator later when we resupplied at the Dollar General.
We filled up on water in the gas station's bathroom because we were halfway through an 18 mile stretch with no water. Not cool. Water is heavy and carrying three liters sucks! I was glad to have it though. We could use some rain and a trail that crosses more streams instead of just ridge walking. Not that I'm complaining! The flattish terrain in Virginia has been lovely!
At one of the overlooks today we caught up with Hog Driver. He comforted us with stories about plane engine failures. He said he has bad luck with that sort of stuff. Remind me never to fly with him! Just kidding. It sounds like he's handled them all well. I can't say the same for his passengers. He said one woman came up to him after he had to turn back to the airport for an emergency landing shortly after takeoff due to engine problems. She was miffed that she was going to miss her connecting flight. What an idiot. This guy probably just saved your life!
As we walked today, I could tell my socks were rubbing between my toes and giving me a blister. I didn't stop to adjust my sock because I knew the blister was in a place that wouldn't cause me problems. When I pulled off my sock at camp, it looked like I was sprouting a new toe! It was such a weird, cool-looking blister. I showed it off to Wing It and Bluebird. I'm posting a pic here, so I apologize if nasty feet gross you out. They definitely aren't looking pretty right now, but I'm proud of how far they have carried me! I give them permission to look a bit gnarly. Here's the blister pic:
I popped it and all is well now. We are camping with a new girl named Spice tonight. We kind of took over her little campsite on the side of the trail because it was the only spot we had seen for miles that was big enough for our three tents. Hope she didn't mind too much! Heather and Joshua Face Timed me right as I was going to bed. As I mentioned, I desperately need a shower. It's been almost a week since I've had one. I hope she wasn't too shocked at the view!
Best Thing: Flat terrain! For real this time!
Looking Forward To: Passing the 600 mile mark tomorrow. They are flying by now!
Day #52 - A Thirsty Day
Miles: 19.1 to Jenkins Shelter
It's May 12. I am going to try to start putting the dates in my blog since I'm so far behind and I know people are getting confused. My goal is to get this thing up to date before I leave town this time. Wish me luck!
It was a long, steamy, hot day today. Luckily, there were a bunch of water sources early on in the day. Have I mentioned how much I love drinking fresh spring water? It's so cold and clear! I always treat it with Aqua Mira drops just in case, but it blows town water, well, out of the water! I'm going to miss it when I get back to Austin. Maybe I'll have to hang on to some of my hobo ways and continue to drink out of streams.
We stopped for lunch at a pond near the top of a hill. There wasn't much shade so we just sat in the baking sun while we ate. I did rinse my shirt and bandana at the pipe that led to the pond though. Helped cool me down a little. While we ate I just kept thinking about how horrifying the American diet is. I'm grateful to have easy access to such high calorie processed foods, but to think anyone that DOESN'T hike eight hours a day is eating this stuff is horrifying. No wonder America has such an obesity problem. I'm living it up while I can though and indulging my inner fat kid.
After lunch, I left Wing It and Bluebird to hike on my own for a bit. I hiked up to Chestnut Knob Shelter and took a few photos of the view, but didn't stop there.
It's May 12. I am going to try to start putting the dates in my blog since I'm so far behind and I know people are getting confused. My goal is to get this thing up to date before I leave town this time. Wish me luck!
It was a long, steamy, hot day today. Luckily, there were a bunch of water sources early on in the day. Have I mentioned how much I love drinking fresh spring water? It's so cold and clear! I always treat it with Aqua Mira drops just in case, but it blows town water, well, out of the water! I'm going to miss it when I get back to Austin. Maybe I'll have to hang on to some of my hobo ways and continue to drink out of streams.
We stopped for lunch at a pond near the top of a hill. There wasn't much shade so we just sat in the baking sun while we ate. I did rinse my shirt and bandana at the pipe that led to the pond though. Helped cool me down a little. While we ate I just kept thinking about how horrifying the American diet is. I'm grateful to have easy access to such high calorie processed foods, but to think anyone that DOESN'T hike eight hours a day is eating this stuff is horrifying. No wonder America has such an obesity problem. I'm living it up while I can though and indulging my inner fat kid.
After lunch, I left Wing It and Bluebird to hike on my own for a bit. I hiked up to Chestnut Knob Shelter and took a few photos of the view, but didn't stop there.
The "flat" part of the day that I was looking forward to was NOT flat! Boo! The hot, sunny weather didn't help much and I missed the only water source for an 8.1 mile stretch. I rationed the liter I had left and only allowed myself to drink 1/8 of the bottle every half hour. I was never in any danger of course, but it was annoying and unpleasant. I had to remind myself that it wasn't a life-threatening situation and that I'd only get thirsty until I could refill at the shelter. A lot of people ran low on water today. I passed two German guys at a road crossing that were even worse off than me. Poor guys. The good news is that we all lived! Victory!
While I was hiking today, I spooked two birds out of a stump and they almost flew straight into my head! Oh, the hazards of the woods. I also saw a beautiful Luna moth dying on the trail.
I spend so much time looking down at the ground that sometimes I see things in the moss and leaves much like people see things in the clouds. Today, I saw some moss on a rock that looked like a shark head. I should have taken a photo. I see smiley faces in dead leaves all the time from where people's trekking poles have pierced holes in them. Gotta keep myself entertained somehow!
The last few miles to the shelter took forever, as they always do. On the way, some nice hikers showed me an awesome water source and I filled up. It was so nice to have plenty of water again. I arrived at the shelter at 6:00 and had set up my tent and gotten ready for dinner by the time Wing It and Bluebird showed up at 6:30. When I sat down for dinner, I noticed a weird purple-red stain on my thumb and forefinger. I showed it to Hog Driver and he said a hiker named Ginger had the same stain on her hand! So odd. I never did figure out what it was.
The privy at this shelter is just a toilet on a platform. No walls. No roof. Awesome. I didn't use it. If I'm going to poop out in the open, I certainly don't want to be up on a raised platform for all to see.
Tomorrow we are hitching a ride into Bland to resupply and then hitching back out to camp for the evening. I'm looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad on Friday for Trail Days! Woohoo!
Best Thing: Getting water at the end of the day!
Looking Forward To: A town meal in Bland tomorrow!
While I was hiking today, I spooked two birds out of a stump and they almost flew straight into my head! Oh, the hazards of the woods. I also saw a beautiful Luna moth dying on the trail.
I spend so much time looking down at the ground that sometimes I see things in the moss and leaves much like people see things in the clouds. Today, I saw some moss on a rock that looked like a shark head. I should have taken a photo. I see smiley faces in dead leaves all the time from where people's trekking poles have pierced holes in them. Gotta keep myself entertained somehow!
The last few miles to the shelter took forever, as they always do. On the way, some nice hikers showed me an awesome water source and I filled up. It was so nice to have plenty of water again. I arrived at the shelter at 6:00 and had set up my tent and gotten ready for dinner by the time Wing It and Bluebird showed up at 6:30. When I sat down for dinner, I noticed a weird purple-red stain on my thumb and forefinger. I showed it to Hog Driver and he said a hiker named Ginger had the same stain on her hand! So odd. I never did figure out what it was.
The privy at this shelter is just a toilet on a platform. No walls. No roof. Awesome. I didn't use it. If I'm going to poop out in the open, I certainly don't want to be up on a raised platform for all to see.
Tomorrow we are hitching a ride into Bland to resupply and then hitching back out to camp for the evening. I'm looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad on Friday for Trail Days! Woohoo!
Best Thing: Getting water at the end of the day!
Looking Forward To: A town meal in Bland tomorrow!
Day #47 - 500 Miles Down! And Ponies!
Miles: 17.3 to Wise Shelter in Grayson Highlands State Park
At the end of the day we finally reached the ponies! I've been looking forward to seeing them since I decided to plan this trip! I thought they would be eager to approach us, but instead they kind of wandered away when we got close to them. They definitely weren't scared of us, but they didn't walk up to us like I thought they would. The second herd we came across allowed us to get closer and take pictures. I noticed them back in a clump of trees as we were hiking so we walked over to them and started taking selfies. One of the ponies was a great selfie pony! He (or she) let me get right next to its head. We didn't see any baby ponies, but we did see some really fat ones. I think they are pregnant. Baby ponies would be awesome to see!
We also hit the 500 mile mark today and played "I Would Walk 500 Miles" in honor of the occasion. Only 1,685.3 to go! Right after the 500 mile mark there was a smiley face scratched in to one of the white blazes that marks the trail. Seemed appropriate given our milestone.
Tonight we are camping behind the shelter in Grayson Highlands State Park. Technically, camping isn't allowed in the park, but we are hidden from view behind some trees and will move our tents if asked. We just didn't want to hike on out of the park and we aren't particularly fond of staying in the shelters. Such rebels!
Best Thing: Ponies! And hitting the 500 mile mark.
Looking Forward To: An "easy" hike tomorrow.
It was a long day of hiking but the end was full of excitement. It's dark out (past 9) so I don't have long to write. Today was hot and sticky again. Lots of gradual uphill. Some rock scrambles, which I don't like. We met a 2012 flip-flopper (someone that hiked the whole trail but not in one continuous direction) named Oboe Hobo and his 14-year-old dog Gerti. We talked to him for about fifteen minutes, which is long for a trail conversation. He was super nice. Also met guys at two different springs. One is named Hog Driver, a working Delta pilot, and the other is a retired military guy that goes by Red Turtle. As I'm writing this on June 4 (this post is about May 7), Red Turtle is now off the trail due to a shin injury. He hopes to return when he can and possibly hike southbound to beat Katahdin's closing date at the end of October.
I was bored early in the day, but soon found some entertainment watching a fly on Wing It's pack. I timed how long it stayed there. Wing It tripped and the fly bounced off but landed on his pack again once he stabilized. That fly stayed on his pack as he walked for 9 minutes! Impressive!
Today we went through Fat Man's Squeeze. The trail routes you through a small gap between some rocks just for the heck of it. There's an easy bypass trail that goes around it. The trail takes some weird routes sometimes.
I was bored early in the day, but soon found some entertainment watching a fly on Wing It's pack. I timed how long it stayed there. Wing It tripped and the fly bounced off but landed on his pack again once he stabilized. That fly stayed on his pack as he walked for 9 minutes! Impressive!
Today we went through Fat Man's Squeeze. The trail routes you through a small gap between some rocks just for the heck of it. There's an easy bypass trail that goes around it. The trail takes some weird routes sometimes.
At the end of the day we finally reached the ponies! I've been looking forward to seeing them since I decided to plan this trip! I thought they would be eager to approach us, but instead they kind of wandered away when we got close to them. They definitely weren't scared of us, but they didn't walk up to us like I thought they would. The second herd we came across allowed us to get closer and take pictures. I noticed them back in a clump of trees as we were hiking so we walked over to them and started taking selfies. One of the ponies was a great selfie pony! He (or she) let me get right next to its head. We didn't see any baby ponies, but we did see some really fat ones. I think they are pregnant. Baby ponies would be awesome to see!
We also hit the 500 mile mark today and played "I Would Walk 500 Miles" in honor of the occasion. Only 1,685.3 to go! Right after the 500 mile mark there was a smiley face scratched in to one of the white blazes that marks the trail. Seemed appropriate given our milestone.
Tonight we are camping behind the shelter in Grayson Highlands State Park. Technically, camping isn't allowed in the park, but we are hidden from view behind some trees and will move our tents if asked. We just didn't want to hike on out of the park and we aren't particularly fond of staying in the shelters. Such rebels!
Best Thing: Ponies! And hitting the 500 mile mark.
Looking Forward To: An "easy" hike tomorrow.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Day #51 - Crazy Powerlines
Miles: 18.4 to Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Another hot one today! I listened to the entire Tina Fey audiobook, "Bossy Pants," today. Thanks, Cristy Salinas! It helped pass the eight hours of hiking. We stopped by the gas station in Atkins for snacks and I was able to call my mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day. I snacked on a Snickers icecream bar, donuts, and other yummies while we talked. I love being able to eat whatever I want and still be in the best shape of my life!
At some point early in the day I heard what I thought was someone mowing their lawn off in the distance. When I rounded the bend I realized that loud buzzing sound was coming from massive power lines right over the trail! I refused to get any closer until Wing It and Bluebird caught up and we could pow wow about whether or not we were about to die. I knew another hiker had left camp before us this morning, and I didn't see him dead under the lines, so I figured I'd probably be okay. I still hurried to pass those lines as soon as I could. We've passed quite a few powerlines and I've never heard anything like that. Something definitely wasn't right!
We lunched at what appeared to be an old shelter at the Davis Path Campsite that had been smashed by a giant tree. The steps up to the shelter were still there, as were the remants of the tree and the untouched privy. I'd love to know the story behind that!
While we hiked today a deer came crashing through the woods and ran across the path in front of Wing It. I love seeing wildlife! We also passed a poor black cow hiding from the sun under a tree very close to the trail. I talked to it as we passed so it wouldn't trample me. It didn't move a muscle though. It was just as hot and tired as we were.
We had to cross a lot of tall ladder-like stiles to get over barbed wire fences today. I'm not a fan of those. There was also a lot of poison ivy by the stiles complicating things.
The water flow at the shelter tonight was pretty awful so I put a rhododendron leave in the spring to act like a funnel. It worked pretty well and we were able to fill out bottles and water bladders. You learn to be creative out here.
Best Thing: Gas station food!
Looking Forward To: 6 miles of "flat" terrain tomorrow!
Another hot one today! I listened to the entire Tina Fey audiobook, "Bossy Pants," today. Thanks, Cristy Salinas! It helped pass the eight hours of hiking. We stopped by the gas station in Atkins for snacks and I was able to call my mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day. I snacked on a Snickers icecream bar, donuts, and other yummies while we talked. I love being able to eat whatever I want and still be in the best shape of my life!
At some point early in the day I heard what I thought was someone mowing their lawn off in the distance. When I rounded the bend I realized that loud buzzing sound was coming from massive power lines right over the trail! I refused to get any closer until Wing It and Bluebird caught up and we could pow wow about whether or not we were about to die. I knew another hiker had left camp before us this morning, and I didn't see him dead under the lines, so I figured I'd probably be okay. I still hurried to pass those lines as soon as I could. We've passed quite a few powerlines and I've never heard anything like that. Something definitely wasn't right!
We lunched at what appeared to be an old shelter at the Davis Path Campsite that had been smashed by a giant tree. The steps up to the shelter were still there, as were the remants of the tree and the untouched privy. I'd love to know the story behind that!
While we hiked today a deer came crashing through the woods and ran across the path in front of Wing It. I love seeing wildlife! We also passed a poor black cow hiding from the sun under a tree very close to the trail. I talked to it as we passed so it wouldn't trample me. It didn't move a muscle though. It was just as hot and tired as we were.
We had to cross a lot of tall ladder-like stiles to get over barbed wire fences today. I'm not a fan of those. There was also a lot of poison ivy by the stiles complicating things.
The water flow at the shelter tonight was pretty awful so I put a rhododendron leave in the spring to act like a funnel. It worked pretty well and we were able to fill out bottles and water bladders. You learn to be creative out here.
Best Thing: Gas station food!
Looking Forward To: 6 miles of "flat" terrain tomorrow!
Day #50 - Hooray for Short Days!
Miles: 7.0 to Chatfield Shelter
Remember that brunch I was looking forward to? It didn't happen. We tried to walked across the street from our hotel to the diner in the inn across the street but it's permanently closed. AWOL fail! The Mexican place was also closed for breakfast, so we ended up going to McDonald's. I haven't been to a McDonald's in years! It was the most hip McDonald's I've ever seen! It must have been new or recently renovated. Surprising for Marion, VA.
It started raining as we walked back to the hotel. We called a taxi just before check-out time to take us back to Mt. Roger's Visitor Center. It was very small-town Virginia. The driver looked like a good old country boy and the ashtray in the backseat was full of cigarette butts. He was a nice guy though and got us back to the trail safely.
It rained on and off but the temperature is nice. We met about half a dozen new folks today including Ygrette, Indy, Aviator, Soleil, and Snailman. My baby toe on my left foot has a very painful, annoying blister but I'll live. We got to camp very early (by 3:00!) and set up tents in some of the only spots available. It's a bummer when shelters don't have good, flat tenting spots, but my tent is tiny and my sleeping bad in thick so I'm pretty flexible. I can fit into small spots and sleep on roots if I need to. I'd rather sleep in my tent than a shelter almost any day!
Best Thing: Short miles!
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 25% mark tomorrow.
Remember that brunch I was looking forward to? It didn't happen. We tried to walked across the street from our hotel to the diner in the inn across the street but it's permanently closed. AWOL fail! The Mexican place was also closed for breakfast, so we ended up going to McDonald's. I haven't been to a McDonald's in years! It was the most hip McDonald's I've ever seen! It must have been new or recently renovated. Surprising for Marion, VA.
It started raining as we walked back to the hotel. We called a taxi just before check-out time to take us back to Mt. Roger's Visitor Center. It was very small-town Virginia. The driver looked like a good old country boy and the ashtray in the backseat was full of cigarette butts. He was a nice guy though and got us back to the trail safely.
It rained on and off but the temperature is nice. We met about half a dozen new folks today including Ygrette, Indy, Aviator, Soleil, and Snailman. My baby toe on my left foot has a very painful, annoying blister but I'll live. We got to camp very early (by 3:00!) and set up tents in some of the only spots available. It's a bummer when shelters don't have good, flat tenting spots, but my tent is tiny and my sleeping bad in thick so I'm pretty flexible. I can fit into small spots and sleep on roots if I need to. I'd rather sleep in my tent than a shelter almost any day!
Best Thing: Short miles!
Looking Forward To: Hitting the 25% mark tomorrow.
Day #49 - Arby's and Other Good Things
Miles: 12.6 to Marion, VA
When I woke up this morning I discovered my hiking shirt was encrusted in white salt. Sexy! Last night I thought both Wing It and Bluebird got up to pee. I told them I heard them both crashing through the leaves and Bluebird said she never got up last night. They heard the noises too though. It was either a large animal or someone walking near our tents (unlikely given where we were camping).
We had no water, so we headed straight to the shelter about an hour away to fill up. Today's walk was pretty flat again but it was HOT! Hiking in the heat is so draining.
Wing It thought he saw a rattlesnake on the trail but it was a ratsnake trying to fool him. It was rattling its tail in the leaves. It was a pretty nice size too at about four feet long. I know they can get much bigger than that out here but that's the biggest snake we've seen so far.
We hiked with Hog Driver, a working Delta pilot, for part of the day today. Then we met up with some folks at Partnership Shelter. It's right by the Mt. Roger's Visitor Center so it's really nice. It has a nice latrine, a clothes line, is close to a dumpster, and apparently has running water and a hot shower. WAY nicer than other shelters, but it's also just steps away from a parking lot so it must be easy to maintain.
We hung out at the visitor center while we waited for a shuttle into town. Once we got to our hotel, Wiki and I walked over to Arby's. I've been craving Arby's this whole trip. I ordered the biggest sandwich they had. Meat and sauce were everywhere. I felt like a pig but it was amazing! Definitely hit the spot! Wiki and I were trying to remember what town we were in before we realized it didn't really matter. As far as we were concerned, we were in Arby's, VA.
After lunch we resupplied at Walmart and I bought a new tank top and shorts. Now I can wear something besides long johns when we get to camp at the end of a long, hot day. Our tub doesn't drain so by the time we were all done showering the scum ring was pretty disgusting. Oh well. At least it was hot, running water. Can't complain too much.
For dinner, we made the short walk to a Mexican restaurant called Mi Puerto. Apparently, Hog Driver always buys first round for hikers so we all had margaritas. They were actually pretty good! We went around the table asking random questions like, "If you could be any dinosaur, which would you be?" I chose triceratops because it just seemed like a good choice at the time.
While doing laundry we watched our fourth Tom Hanks movie of the trip, Angels and Demons. I'm kind of lost because we missed the beginning. It seems pretty unrealistic but that's probably beside the point. I fell asleep before the ending, but it was 10:45, way past hiker midnight! I was pooped!
Best Thing: Seeing a ratsnake and Arby's.
Looking Forward To: A short day tomorrow and brunch in town.
When I woke up this morning I discovered my hiking shirt was encrusted in white salt. Sexy! Last night I thought both Wing It and Bluebird got up to pee. I told them I heard them both crashing through the leaves and Bluebird said she never got up last night. They heard the noises too though. It was either a large animal or someone walking near our tents (unlikely given where we were camping).
We had no water, so we headed straight to the shelter about an hour away to fill up. Today's walk was pretty flat again but it was HOT! Hiking in the heat is so draining.
Wing It thought he saw a rattlesnake on the trail but it was a ratsnake trying to fool him. It was rattling its tail in the leaves. It was a pretty nice size too at about four feet long. I know they can get much bigger than that out here but that's the biggest snake we've seen so far.
We hiked with Hog Driver, a working Delta pilot, for part of the day today. Then we met up with some folks at Partnership Shelter. It's right by the Mt. Roger's Visitor Center so it's really nice. It has a nice latrine, a clothes line, is close to a dumpster, and apparently has running water and a hot shower. WAY nicer than other shelters, but it's also just steps away from a parking lot so it must be easy to maintain.
We hung out at the visitor center while we waited for a shuttle into town. Once we got to our hotel, Wiki and I walked over to Arby's. I've been craving Arby's this whole trip. I ordered the biggest sandwich they had. Meat and sauce were everywhere. I felt like a pig but it was amazing! Definitely hit the spot! Wiki and I were trying to remember what town we were in before we realized it didn't really matter. As far as we were concerned, we were in Arby's, VA.
After lunch we resupplied at Walmart and I bought a new tank top and shorts. Now I can wear something besides long johns when we get to camp at the end of a long, hot day. Our tub doesn't drain so by the time we were all done showering the scum ring was pretty disgusting. Oh well. At least it was hot, running water. Can't complain too much.
For dinner, we made the short walk to a Mexican restaurant called Mi Puerto. Apparently, Hog Driver always buys first round for hikers so we all had margaritas. They were actually pretty good! We went around the table asking random questions like, "If you could be any dinosaur, which would you be?" I chose triceratops because it just seemed like a good choice at the time.
While doing laundry we watched our fourth Tom Hanks movie of the trip, Angels and Demons. I'm kind of lost because we missed the beginning. It seems pretty unrealistic but that's probably beside the point. I fell asleep before the ending, but it was 10:45, way past hiker midnight! I was pooped!
Best Thing: Seeing a ratsnake and Arby's.
Looking Forward To: A short day tomorrow and brunch in town.
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