My Trails

6/8/12 – 779 miles
I was out early again. I think all the years of getting up at 5:00 am for work has conditioned me to a morning routine. I climbed Apple Orchard Mountain to splendid views and great weather and passed by another FAA navigation tower. Then it was mostly downhill for several miles to the town of Glasgow, VA. I hadn’t planned to go into town but after reevaluating my food supply I was having second thoughts. There was enough food in my bag but I would be eating things like mashed potatoes for breakfast. I decided to leave it to chance – if I could get a ride into town easily, I would go in. Not ten minutes after I sat down in the parking lot, a couple offered a ride to town.

Glasgow is a hiker friendly town. The town provides a shelter and shower facility for AT hikers, Dollar General for resupply, and family restaurant for the hungry hiker.

After stocking up on goodies at the Dollar General, I walked to the shelter to discover my friend Kleenex who had hitched to town for a mail drop. I told her that she probably thought I was stalking her. It was good to have someone to talk with though. The only other people at the shelter were a young couple that stayed to themselves and a very intoxicated man masquerading as a thruhikers. I slept in my tent in back of the shelter while Kleenex was entertained in the night by a visit from a skunk. She will have to tell that story.

6/5/12 – 722 miles
Blue Sky, Comma-Kaze, Kleenex, Gandelf, Spam, Firefox, Benobo, Groove, Sicilian Gypsy, Mona, Slim Timber, Nuga, Bandana, Whiffle Chicken, and Sixty Five, just some of the hiker I met in town today. After days of walking alone a couple of weeks ago, now there are people I know everywhere.

Comma-Kaze, Blue Sky, Kleenex, and I shared a room at the Howard Johnson in Daleville, VA. With the coupon another hiker told me about, we only had to pay $11 apiece for the room. There was even a pool and Blue Sky and I took advantage of a swim as soon as we arrived while the girls took showers.

I rather splurged in town. Besides spending money on a lot of eating, I also dropped quite a bit of change at the outfitters. I ended up getting a Marmot Plasma 40 degree 900 fill down sleeping bag. The bag is amazing, weighs in at just over a pound and I think it is warmer than my old 20 degree bag. The sleeping bag was expensive, but two less pounds of weight for the next 1000 miles….priceless!

On my way into town I thought I was all alone. I started talking out loud, “Scotty, you’ve got to give me more power, the town tractor beam has got us and is pulling us in!”
“I’m givin’ er’ all she’s got Captain, if I give her any more she’s going to blow!” Just then I turned around and there was a trail runner behind me with a big smile on his face. I told him that we all start talking to ourselves after 700 miles on the trail.