Pinefield Hut, June 15
Little John, DNA, Getoverit, Jack in the Green, Big John
I think I'm having a bad trail day. It's been so abysmally hot and humid - up to 99F in Harrisonburg according to the radio, and I've done very little mileage. Thought I'd come in and nap here at Pinefield through the hot hours. Met up with Getoverit, Little John, Jack-in-the-Green and his two cousins. Then a face I haven't seen since Damascus - Big John rolled in. No one is digging the heat.
Big John told us of his trail magic in Blacksburg with Eric. The guy took him in, the wife fed him dinner, they did his laundry and put him up in a spare room. Then -- as if that wasn't enough, they slackpacked with him around McAfees and Tinker - with a friend carrying his pack! They then took him home for a second night. Wow!
Big John told us about his feet -- he almost got off trail for good a couple of times north of D-town. Too painful to take a step. Oh no - I had flashbacks of Blueberry Patch. Well, he finally got into a town and new boots (or insoles?) and it's Dandelion Wine, the classic Bradbury story where the kid gets the new sneakers for the start of summer. And they aren't like the old sneakers, the ones he has from last year. New ones, well, they transform the feet. Rather than wearing the bricks of yesteryear, he can now run and leap like a deer, fast and fleet and unstoppable. B.J. was giddy with his new shoes - a hiking machine reborn. I was losing another toenail. I think. My feet and I weren't on speaking terms anymore.