Pearisburg

Hey Guys! Im in Pearisburg now. Antspants and I got in this morning and ate some breakfast at Hardee's. It's raining pretty hard right now, and it isn't supposed to stop until Tuesday! The area really needed some rain though, so I'm not complaining. At least it will be easier to get some water. The last few days have been great! Before leaving Daleville, we went to the outfitter and the P.O. I've managed to slim down my pack weight some more by sending home various things that I just haven't used in a while, as well as some of my warmer clothing. Also, I've switched my cook system to a Vargo Denatured Alcohol stove. It is made out of titanium, and weighs 1 oz! I carry 8 oz of fuel, which is cheap and you can buy anywhere (much more frequently than canisters), and use about 1.5 oz every night to cook dinner. My pack feels SO good now. I'm pretty much bouncing and skipping down the trail everyday!

Thursday was really good. Started at Lambert's Meadow Shelter, and hiked to Pickle Branch Shelter. After 12m we went into town to the general store. Guac and Queso were there, and the store was also being sold, so everything was half price. Ate a delicious sandwich, and had some ice cream and cold drinks. It is super hot out. McAfee Knob was cool! We have some great pics. I shot Ants doing back flips! Pretty Gutsy! Also, the girl that gave us a hitch into Catawba had just finished a northbound thru hike a week ago! Wow, what a cool thing! Hitching out of town, these three guys in a pickup gave us a ride. We sat in the back of their pickup truck next to all the beer cans and coolers. When they dropped us off, the guy in the passengers seat poked his head out of the window and asked "Do yall want some squirrels?" Well, we said yeah really quick because we thought is was slang for beer. So he hops out of the truck and goes around to the side saying "There fresh, just shot em' this morning!" Ants and I looked down next to the cooler at these three dead squirrels just lying in the bed of the truck! "Aw, haha no thanks man. We changed our minds." "You sure!? Them's great for protein." What a hitch! Some true hill folk right there.

Another 6m down trail and we stopped at another store for some cold drinks. I had an amazing orange slushy! SO GOOD in the heat of the day. Guac and Queso caught up, and we hiked Dragons Tooth. Amazing views and good company. It was a little high and dangerous, but we climbed to the tallest point and chilled for a while, watching the sun go down. Ended up having to night hike to Pickle Branch Shelter because we stayed too long. I'm battling a flair-up of Athletes foot. So, I was happy to stop hiking. Ants took a couple spiders to the face night hiking (I knew what I was doing letting him lead); that was pretty funny. We all walked down to the creek and chugged water because we had all run out. It was the best water ever, and the perfect end to the day. A nice cold stream to soak the feet in and get rehydrated. The new stove worked perfect!

Friday we hiked 23m. It was a tough day! The sun was super hot, which just kills me, and there were some rougher than anticipated elevation changes. Ants and were shooting for 30m, but were happy with what we got. We hiked on the "Eastern Continental Divide" if there is such a thing (there was a sign for it). The elevation profile in the guidebook made it look flat and easy, but it was overgrown, sideways slanted rock trail with no water sources for 10 or so miles at a time. Rough day! The hike to the shelter from the stream where we cooled off at was amazing! We hiked through gorgeous pastures; very scenic. I again replenished the fluids at the end of the day after being slightly dehydrated for most of it. Supposedly the body holds 3.5L of water and can use it all in less than an hour. Wow!

Yesterday was one of the best days on the trail yet! I had trail magic galore! We hiked 31m from Laurel Creek Shelter to Rice Field Shelter. The trail magic was such a blessing because I actually didn't have enough food to scrap by until Pearisburg. Friday night Antspants convinced me to take Tylenol PM. "Dude, you'll sleep so much better." So, I took it, but it didn't wear off until mid morning the next day! I felt super groggy hiking. The first 5 miles was a struggle, but it all got better when my first trail magic of the day happened at Wind Rock. I had been hiking with earplugs in for the flies buzzing around my ears, and came up to a couple of VT students at a campsite. I didn't hear what they were saying at first, but I could see they were talking to me. So, I took the earplugs out and they said "Want some pancakes?" Woohoo!!! Of course I want some pancakes! I sat there and talked to them for a while. They fed me 4 pancakes, 1 egg, an orange and 2 cups of cider! What a blessing.

The next stop was 'The Captians' at Dismal Branch. We stopped there because he has a zip line across the creek to his house, and gives sodas to hikers. Well, Ants and I hit it just right. We walked up and he invited us in for lunch! He, his wife and another couple fed us roast, veggies and chips and dip while we watched football! Sweet! I must have ate half the roast! THEN, we hiked up the ridge and 12m to Rice Field Shelter, eating apples along the way, and received more trail magic! At the shelter there were two space engineering PhD students from VT there that gave us homemade bread, apples, marshmallows and cheese. What a day! This morning I woke up, and it didn't at all feel like I'd hiked that much the previous day. Stretching is doing wonders for me! Then, to top it all off, I had a voicemail on my phone. A Chairman for the Board of Equalization in Wyoming wants a phone interview for the principal statistician job! Could this day get any better?!

So, it's still raining. I'm not sure if I want to hike more today or not. I really need to do some laundry and take a shower. Ants and I were planning on going 11m down to this hostel, but the locals are saying it is closed for the year...humm. What to do. Anyways, hope everyone is doing great! We are making really good time here, and I am expecting to be in Damascus, VA in 7 days! Damascus is on the Tennessee border, home sweet home! Thanks for following, and talk to some of yall soon :)

The Kid