Wrong Way, Please Turn Back
The P.A.T.C warns, 'Wrong Way Please Turn Back'
Calf Mtn Shelter, M=7; C=839.4
Made the first shelter beyond Rockfish Gap into the Shenandoah National Park (SNP). Not really in the park, just outside the southern border - but close enough. I'm in tonight with Wrongway, Shirt, Toonman, Curljob and Packrat. Four boy scouts and their troop leader joined us. Nice kids from the Watauga Lake area - small world.
We spent the evening playing with the bear pole and playing hearts. I think we've primed Packrat, Curljob, Toonman and the scout (Red Elvis) for future hearts games.
The hike was tough. Mainly from all the town food I had, two days with Drew and Beryl. Friday night, it had rained ALL night long. Rain on a tin roof -- love that sound. Saturday a.m., we left early to make Rockfish Gap. Cloudy and fogged in up on 250 and the I. Made the gas station with Wrongway and Sweet Mags/Bud around 11:30 in thick fog. Called Drew - got the machine, so started on working a ride to W-boro. Succeeded just as Shannon and Getoverit drove up in the jeep.
We rode down the hill, out of the fog and into the sunshine. Shannon/Getoverit dropped us off at the firehouse. Showered there and did laundry. Hurray! Clean cloths rock. Clean skin, too. What little hair has grown back gets greasy quick. Bandana baths do a lot to wipe away spots of grime, and those parts that seem to get sweaty skanky, but only a shower makes you just smile inside. Watching that foul grey water circling the drain is like seeing miles gone by finally get out of your system.
When I returned to the firestation to pick out my tent spot in the patch of grass next to the door (and catch a 2 pm Flintstone showing!), Drew walked in! He kidnapped me off to Harrisonburg. Spent the day eating and visiting their friends as a laid-back day. [Drew was a high school friend - part of our close circle growing up. He and his wife had settled in Harrisonburg after a stent in the Army.]
Next day was more of the same - laid back, took a nap. Met a veterinarian friend of theirs who had a unique boulder in her drive. Odd protrusions and color looked like huge fossils. Dino? Whale? Quite something.
Had a great meal for dinner, then a relaxed evening. Most of their friends are in companion animal work - breeding and raising dogs, obedience training. We caught an obedience show -- really cool. Could Sierra do that? She might be beyond that. Thought of Chao's pup, Ruby (Order) and her loss in April.
So after two fantastic days with friends (and town treats), Drew dropped me at 250. Got back on trail -- so hard to hike. Too much town food, moving slow in the routine. Sure does feel right to be back out here. From the shelter chatter, sounds like a lot of folks stayed at Rusty's (Hardtime Hollow).
A karma story register entry: Scrapiron went into Tyro for a mail drop. Got a hitch in and out immediately. What luck - really excited he didn't have to walk. Only then did he discover he had left his water bottle at CC Grocery - so had to walk in and back out for retrival. Some days are like that.
Still lightening the pack. In Harrisonburg, swapped out the hokie towel for a synthetic packtowel. Picked up some gators for the boots to keep the trail duff out of 'em. With a full foodsack, tent, weathergear, mess kit and all, pack is about 40 pounds. Far cry from Amicalola.