Orion's Trail Journal

11 states down, 3 to go. Roughly 600 miles remain. It’s honestly been a while since I’ve been so excited about a stretch of trail. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are often thought of as the most scenic states of the AT. They are also undoubtedly the most challenging. Since being on my own, I’ve been able to do 20-26 miles a day. I haven’t felt this good in my entire life, but I know it’s unrealistic to keep this up. I have to slow it down in the white mountains as well as the first part of Maine. Otherwise, chances are it will be unenjoyable or I could hurt myself.  
New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts have all been great. They really all do belong in the same group. Somewhat different but also all having similar characteristics. Towns were closer meaning I didn’t have to carry as much food. Swimming holes are becoming more frequent. I’ve also seen a lot more wildlife, especially bears. I still don’t have any good bear photos though. Luckily they’ve all been pretty good about running away. 

One thing that I have started doing more is camping alone. I used to always camp around the shelters. They usually have a good water source and a privy, both kind of nice things. However, I’ve recently been doing dinner around 6 and then hiking another 1-2 hours, so water isn’t a necessity, and frankly digging a cat hole doesn’t bother me a bit. It smells better than a privy and it’s probably much more hygienic. Camping where ever I want also means I can get some awesome views. For instance, the night before the 4th of July I got to watch fireworks from above on a ridge line. That was pretty neat. 

Right now is the end to my second zero since Harper’s Ferry. I’m in the town of Willows, technically still in MA, but there’s only several miles left to do in the morning before Vermont. That’s why I consider myself through it. Tomorrow morning I’m going to try and get as early a start as I can. That’s really been the secret to bigger miles. Hopefully this storm coming in won’t be all that bad. 

Wish me luck,

-Orion

Lately I feel like I’ve let the blog down. Due to higher mileage days, my time is either taken up by hiking or sleeping. Doing a blog, reading my book, and washing clothes has all taken a toll. This post won’t make up for it either, but at least it’ll be something. 

Since my last post I’ve completed Pennsylvania, walked through both New Jersey and New York, and now I’m in Connecticut. By the time I do another post I’ll be in Massachusetts for sure. It would be impossible to tell all the details, but here I’ll try and give some highlights.

Upon crossing New Jersey I saw four bears in one day, I haven’t seen any since. New Jersey was not what I expected, the views were very nice and it felt good to get away from all the farmland of Pennsylvania. I guess it’s not all just jersey shore. New York had some character to it. The rocks seemed to get a bit better, but you’d come across random steep up hills. This made for tiresome miles and prompted a zero, my first since Harper’s Ferry. So far Connecticut is awesome. Well groomed trails and good elevation profiles. I also noticed some nice swimming holes in my guide book. Sounds like a good place for a mid day siesta. These have become important due to increasing temperatures and higher humidity than I’m used to. 

Through the second half of Pennsylvania and all of NJ and NY I was with Deadwood and Echo. Now though I’m on my own. Hiking in a group changes a lot of things. It’s really nice to end the day with friends, but sometimes I felt like I could have gone further. I’ll see them again for a while on and off. 

Currently I’m in Cornwall Bridge CN, dodging some bad weather. Soon I’ll be in Massachusetts though. Man have these last states gone by fast!

As in, I hate everything about it because my feet hurt so bad.


I’m now in Wind Gap, and tomorrow should be my last full day of Pennsylvania. As of Duncannon I’ve been hiking with Deadwood and Echo. Echo started in early April so has been doing significantly larger miles than both Deadwood and I, but this is good as I’d like to hike faster the second half. For instance, my new record day is now 30.4 miles. We’ve toyed at breaking 40, but that’d be insane (probably start hiking at 4 am). 

It’s quite late and I need my sleep, so I’m going to put some photos up with small captions, sorry for such a short post.

So I don’t have a lot of time or a computer to do this on, but I knew I had to give a quick update. Spending six days in DC completely remove me from the trail. When I got back on, I didn’t know anyone. This was all right, but different than in the beginning. Back then, no one knew anyone. We were all in the same boat. Now I’m the only one not in the loop.

This was only an issue immediately past Harpers Ferry. It didn’t take long before I started knowing some people. And just last night, I found Deadwood. We’ve been hiking on and off together for a while now. He was slowed down when his wife joined him in the Shenandoahs. 

My plan is to continue pushing larger miles so I can catch up to some other people. Portuguese for instance is only two days ahead. At the same time, I need to make sure I don’t hurt myself. The rocks here in Pennsylvania are starting to get bad, and I’m not even in the part that people say is really terrible.

Currently I’m in the Doyle. It’s an old, rundown hotel, and the only reason I’m staying is because it’s famous in thru hiker culture. The first floor has a bar and a small kitchen. There’s also a pool table. Above that you climb up three rickety stairways to get to your room. There’s no frills, and I was a bit unsure if the sheets were washed. I didn’t see signs of bed bugs, and that’s the really important thing. I also wore my crocs in the shower. The views from my window this morning were awesome though. Overall, it’s the best dive I’ve stayed in. 

The next few days are a bit of a mystery. The elevation changes aren’t bad, but the terrain could prevent me from doing the larger miles. I also won’t be staying in many towns as there aren’t many great places to stop. In warmer weather this isn’t much of an issue, as laundry can just air dry. I have no idea when or where the next post will be, so sit tight.

-Orion

So I’m back in Harpers Ferry right now. I couldn’t find any trains that stopped here and left before 3, so I just gave up on getting any miles done today. Instead I’m staying at the Harpers Ferry Hostel, about 2 miles down the trail from the train station. I expected complete chaos and not knowing anyone else here, I even made sure to reserve a bunk for tonight. Upon arrival I was surprised to see that I’d be sharing the entire hostel with just 4 others. It’s not that I don’t like meeting tons of new people, but peace and quiet is appreciated as well.

When I first got to my Aunt and Uncles house I was asked if I would care to join my Uncle and Cousin in a weekly meetup of Pathfinder (think D&D if you don’t know what that is). I very excitedly joined them and it was a little odd. Not because of the role-playing or being a geek, I love that stuff. But rather that I hadn’t thought about it since I left home. It made me actually miss being at home with my friends, playing magic, going to drafts, talking about table top games. Being on the trail has completely removed me from all of that. I guess it was the first time I really felt homesick. After staying up well past hiker midnight (9 pm), I was ready for some sleep.

The next day I wanted to take care of all the chores I had. Get my laundry done and ready for a treatment of permethrine. Permethrine is just an insecticide that when applied to clothes keeps bugs off you. It works really well, and it’s just about to be bug season. In fact I did find a tick on me here, luckily it hadn’t latched on yet so I wasn’t too concerned. Still, I mailed it to the free tick testing place, they like to get the data and I like to know if it had any tickborne diseases. I recommend checking them out: http://www.bayarealyme.org/lyme-disease-prevention/tick-testing/.

After this we all went to my other Aunt and Uncle’s house in Fairfax VA. There we had a delicious meal of salmon, roasted potatoes, and coleslaw. The salmon was perfectly cooked, and they also opened a really good bottle of stout, one of my favorite types of beer. Afterwards we watched two episodes of the original “Get Smart”. I like my family.

The next day Rick and I went to the National Gallery. There was so much to see, that I felt I should go back the next day. Gazing at such important works of art was definitely not what I expected while on the AT. Another thing I didn’t expect was going out to see the symphony. That night my Aunt and Uncle took me to see the National Philharmonic. They performed two pieces by Brahms as well as Tchaikovsky’s Symphony Pathetique. It was an awesome performance and made me really miss playing trombone.

Like I said, I felt like one day at the gallery just wasn’t enough. I had to go back the next day to see more. I was by myself this time and took one of the self guided audio tours. Learning about some of the more historic pieces was a lot of fun. At times I saw pieces that reminded me of works done by my great grandfather, Theodore Johnson. That was a really cool experience. Afterwards I took the metro back to Greenbelt and was picked up to go to a rib dinner. A half rack later I was extremely content. I surprised myself how easily it all went down, the hiker hunger is real!

Like I mentioned earlier, today I just did the 2 miles or so from the station to the hostel. Tomorrow I’ll be doing a bigger day to make up for the loss, and before I know it I’ll be done with Maryland. It only makes up about 40 miles of the AT, but I’ve been told it’s an extremely historic section. Monuments and plaques that signify major battles of the civil war line the trail. Honestly, it’s an area of U.S. history I’m a little rusty on, so hopefully I’ll learn something new.

Well it’s time I get to bed. I didn’t think I’d be doing this post but having such a nice computer at the hostel just made it so easy. Until next time,

-Orion

So here I am, relaxing at my Aunt and Uncles house in Greenbelt MD. It’s really nice having all the comforts of home. A ride to the REI let me resupply and I got some smaller pants. Tomorrow we’ll be driving to another Aunt and Uncle who live in Virginia, sounds like we’re having ribs! Spending several zeros here will give me a break like no other I’ve had. Sure, I have zeroed in the past, but there’s still lots that needs to be done, and I haven’t had wifi like this since home.

It’s been a while since I last posted. Since then I’ve done the Shenandoah’s, stayed at my favorite hostel, and reached the psychological half way point (still numerically not quite there). I also said goodbye to a great friend Soccrosse. He was picked up in Harpers Ferry, the northern end to Virginia. It was his plan to only do the Virginia section, but we joked about him going all the way. I’m sure he is happy to get back on his sleep number bed.

After my zero in Waynesboro, Soccrosse and I left in a drizzle. The self-registration was no issue, and we made a quick plan of how long it would take us to get through the Shenandoah’s. Six days was our estimate, which ended up being what it took. Being in the Shenandoah’s was a bit like the Smokies. I expected this, as it is another national park. Day hikers and section hikers make up the majority of the trail through here. Another difference is the amount of wildlife. Deer are often seen near camp in the evenings, and I saw a total of three bears. It’s clear why this land was designated as a National Park.

It is true what people say about the Shenandoah’s. Overall, the trail is easier than other sections of the AT. This meant that larger days were less of a burden and it also gave us more time at waysides. Waysides are basically just small restaurants of varying quality. One had draft beer and another was more like a snack shack at a High School football game. As long as they had blackberry milkshakes I was happy. Except for the day I felt very sick after hiking again after lunch, that wasn’t too great.

After the beginning drizzle and some rain that night, the weather did clear up. It actually go hot, at least by my standards. I’m used to Santa Cruz, so anything above 80 and I complain. Add humidity and I’m useless. Unfortunately, that’s what I get to look forward to this summer. Hot and humid, the worst combination of weather.

Getting out of the Shenandoah’s I stayed at the Front Royal Terrapin Hostel. It’s not actually in Front Royal proper, rather down a .5 mile side trail to some guys basement. It wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t great. The price was right however, and he does include a shuttle to an awesome grocery store.

After Front Royal, Soccrosse suggested we stay at the Bear’s Den Hostel. It would make two 20 mile days and leave another 20 or two awkward short days before Harpers Ferry. For these reasons I didn’t think it would be a good stop, but as he pointed out, they do have Ben and Jerry’s. I was easily talked into it and I am so glad I went. Bear’s Den was built in the 1930’s as a retreat home for wealthy Washingtonians. It’s also a literal castle. Yes, 12″ thick stone walls and everything. It was also clean, had a good hiker special, and a piano! So I serenaded everyone as best I could, and it was graciously received. This is definitely my favorite hostel thus far, surpassing Top of Georgia which was all the way back in Hiawassee.

The next day, rather than leave the hostel Soccrosse and I decided to slackpack. Slackpacking is where you borrow a day pack and only take food and water and then get a shuttle back to where you started that morning. What we did was take a shuttle to Harpers Ferry in the morning and then just walk back to the Hostel. This was really fun and a good last day of Virginia. I was very surprised how easy the 20 miles were, having no pack makes an enormous difference.

After slackpacking we just needed a second shuttle to Harpers Ferry. That day we spent looking at all of the historic plaques, and I stopped by the ATC headquarters. There I got my photo placed in a binder which will be on record. So if you’re ever in Harpers Ferry, you can find me in the 2016 one.

From Harpers Ferry I took an Amtrak to D.C.. It was very hectic getting off in union station. There were so many people, everyone was rushing, it was chaos. Finally I got my bearings and figured out the Metro, then I met my Uncle Rick in Greenbelt. And that’s that. I’ll be here for the next few days and then it’s back to the trail for me. I’m curious to see if I become antsy taking this time off. Regardless, I’ve been looking forward to it.

 

It’s been a while since I last posted, so there’s too much to do a day to day type post. Instead it’s going to be a general overview and a story involving a bear (don’t worry I’m fine).

I may have mentioned this before, but both March and April I was very fortunate with the weather. Unfortunately, May hasn’t been that way. Most days it’s quite dreary, and rain is always a concern. It definitely makes me appreciate the infrequent sunny days. On the bright side, fog is nice hiking weather. The cool air keeps my core temp down and I don’t overheat much. This makes the long uphills nicer, until I get to the top and find that there isn’t any view due to fog. It’s fine though, there are many views along the AT.

Foul weather also means I keep my phone in a Ziplock somewhere in my pack. I’ve thought about upgrading my phone case to a waterproof one, that way you all can see that I do indeed get bad weather. I hope you don’t think it’s just sunshine and rainbows. It’s not. In fact, I’ve realized that in my blogs I neglect to mention the bad times. Memory has a funny way of drowning out the bad parts and amplifying the good. Like the day I had a migraine weeks ago. Or when I was constipated from too much cheese. It wouldn’t make terribly good blog material anyways.

So, story time. My first incident with a bear! First a little background. It was about three in the afternoon and I decided to stop for lunch at a shelter. What ended up being just a break after 10 miles ended up being my final destination that night. It wasn’t because I couldn’t keep going, but rain started up and the shelter was just so nice and dry. Lord of the Rings seemed much nicer to read than to live. Fast forwards to maybe 6ish and two women section hiking show up to the shelter. They together made the shelter full. Four thru-hikers and them. I could tell they were a tad less experienced for they wanted me to show them how to hang a bear bag. I was happy to help demonstrate and showed them what’s known as the PCT method. This bear hang is infallible if done correctly, so it’s what I use. The one problem is you need to use a branch that is at least 20′ high, for the bag drops down about a third the way when finished. They opted for a shorter branch close to the shelter and used a method where you just tie the loose end to a tree. This method is the most common on the AT and bears can cut the line (at least in California where bears may be more intelligent?). In my mind, I didn’t think the bag was high enough. Rather than being that guy who is a stickler for everything, I held my tongue.

So we go to bed and all is good in the world. I should have mentioned that there was a campsite five miles further than this shelter where they saw a bear earlier in the day (they were southbound). We thought we would be ok and the bear would stay in that area, turns out if followed them towards our shelter. I woke up at about 3 a.m. to Deadwood yelling at something “Hey! Hey! Get out of here!”. I bolted up in my sleeping bag to see what was happening. To late, the bear had scurried off with bag in mouth. Apparently a few people had heard someone eating. They thought it was just someone having a midnight snack. It was, but it wasn’t until they heard a ripping noise they thought it was a bear. Deadwood was the first to get his headlamp out. This is all second hand for I was fast asleep.

Unfortunately the bear got away with a food bag. This really sucks because bears should be afraid of people. Once they get food from hikers, that association is only strengthened, and eventually they need to be relocated or eventually put down.

That morning we found all other food bags to be safe and intact. I had to help the other section hiker put her food bag on my bear hang that night, but there were some punctures in her food. Luckily it was my last day to get into Glasgow, so Deadwood, Spongebob, and I were able to give away our food. The section hikers were so kind about the whole thing and thanked us much. Tenderfoot even mailed food to us, so I think I should really be thanking her! She left a note in the mail drop which I will keep with all my other AT memorabilia. Surely something I won’t ever forget!

Right now I’m on the doorstep of the Shenandoah National Park, land of many cheeseburgers and milkshakes (and daywalkers). I would normally be leaving tomorrow for my body doesn’t need a zero day yet, but heavy rain is expected. It sucks to get soaked the first day, so a zero may be in order. I’m sharing a room with a new friend, Soccrosse. He’s doing all of Virginia, what is known as a LASH (long ass section hike). He’s a bit older than me and has many valuable tales to tell. His friend and former coworker Paul was on the trail for a bit of this last stretch and it was great to get to hang out with them both. I’ve really enjoyed the company of more experienced folk, many life lessons to be learned!

I have often heard Virginia be talked about like it’s un-scenic, boring, and lacks views. Honestly, I completely disagree. Yes, there are times when all I see is the green on trees and plants and a brown trail. But every so often amazing views come by. Even without the views Virginia is scenic. There are insects, snakes, and you can always hear the birds singing. For these reasons, I find Virginia to be an amazing part of the Appalachian Trail.

The weather after the Captain’s definitely improved. I still got hail, and intermittent rain wasn’t uncommon. But there was never anything quite like the first day out of Pearisburg. Even the thunder storm on the last day wasn’t that bad. A sustained rain is the worst possible weather. I think I’d rather have snow. Yes, it is extremely cold. But you just put on a few more layers, and you’ll stay dry. It’s getting wet that’s dangerous. Also when it’s dry you can have your camera out to take amazing photos. I hate giving up on good photos just because my phone is buried deep down in my backpack.

The first day leaving the Captain’s, I didn’t quite make it back to my intended schedule out of Pearisburg. I got a very late start because I was trying to dry my tent. That morning it was sunny which it hadn’t been for a while before. This meant that I got to camp rather late. I prefer not doing this, it’s never fun throwing up bear bags in the dark.

The next morning I felt good. I had planned a 22.5 mile day, definitely on my bigger side. In fact it was only half a mile below my record at the time. Everything was going just fine, it looked like I would’ve made it. What happened was there was trail magic. And I’m so glad that I got magic. It wasn’t a church, or any other organization with some other agenda. Just a bunch of friends, some of them triple crowners, that just love giving back. It also happens to be Mother’s Day. I had no cell reception, and they offered to give a message to my mom. I don’t know what they said, but my mom said she liked the message. It was also definitely the best trail magic so far. They had coffee from Starbucks, a tank of hot water for washing my face, Dutch oven’s with delicious casseroles and nachos. It was overwhelming how much food they had. I happily lingered for several hours and settled on only doing one more mile that day rather than nine. I did not cook dinner later that night.

After that trail magic, I gave up on catching up to my original plan. Again, not an issue since I always pack a little extra food. I would just be out of tortillas, no biggie. That there was a lot of Ridge walking. Not too many long ups and downs, but still quite strenuous. I found myself scrambling over rocks and walking across slanted trails. This really wore in my shoes. More holes were starting to form near my toes and I was very glad to be getting a new pair in Daleville. That’s the night I stopped at Four Pines Hostel. It’s just the a three bay garage with a bunch of couches and cots in the middle. There’s no price but donations or gladly excepted. They had this game, I can’t remember the name,  but essentially you’re throwing beanbags into plywood boards with holes in them. I wasn’t very good at it but I definitely want to bring it back to Coho. Overall, it was a really nice place. The people were friendly and they had a relaxed atmosphere.

The morning I set off to McAfee knob. This is the most photographed section of the entire Appalachian Trail, or so they say. I can believe it, I definitely took a lot of photos. About 15 minutes before I pulled into the shelter that night, a large thunderstorm rolled in. When I started looking at the register, many people were talking about bear encounters there. Several people got their food bag stolen, and the bear definitely did not seem to be bothered by their presence. There was even a small bit of a torn up Term-a-rest. The bear and the thunderstorm were my reasons for pushing on that night. I didn’t want to deal with my stuff getting wet, and the bear really didn’t sound like fun. It was about a 9 mile push and made my day 26 miles. Luckily I left early enough such that I didn’t have to walk in the dark. I also walked that section with another hiker who wanted to push, so if the shit really hit the fan there would be someone else for help. The thunderstorm passed pretty quickly, so we weren’t really in any danger. Still, it was on exposed Ridgeline and I wouldn’t want to be there if another one rolled in.

I got to Daleville at about 8 PM, got my hotel room, and went to the closest restaurant, Pizza Hut. It wasn’t great, but calories are calories. Today I ended up zeroing, so I’ll be nice and rested after such a long day. Daleville is a nice town. I’d say it had the best grocery store on the AT. A large selection and many things they cooked in house. They also have a good beer selection, a huge plus.

My next major resupply is going to be in Waynesboro. I may not have a good connection before then, so it could be a while before you hear from me again. It’s roughly 140 miles from here, also right before Shenandoah National Park. I’ll be doing a resupply before then, but probably not staying in any towns.

Until then,

-Orion

So this post is going to be a little bit different than usual. Because of the rain lately, I don’t have many photos to share with you all. There also isn’t much to talk about, considering I was just in town two days ago. However, I am camped next to a house with Wi-Fi, so I thought I would take advantage of it and do a little post.

The day coming out of Pearisburg was very wet and cold. Polar bear and Justice both decided not to go out that day. In fact, very few people left Pearisburg that day. Luckily, getting a hitch back to the trailhead didn’t end up taking that long. I figured that a hiker standing in the pouring rain would either be a benefit, or keep people away from picking me up. Seems like it helped. Once back on the trail, I followed some highways over a wide river. It wasn’t until passing a large factory that I got back into the forest. The trail climbed for a while out of the valley where Pearisburg lay. Once on the ridgeline the trail hit the first shelter. I only planned on having lunch here, but after I was cold and wet I decided it would be safer just to stay. This ended up being a good decision for the rain kept on all during the night.

This morning the rain wasn’t quite as bad, but the wind was still strong. This led to my morning hike still being cold. For the first hour I couldn’t feel my hands. My torso and legs were still warm, so I wasn’t worried. After my morning coffee and oatmeal break, the trail followed another ridgeline. This continued for roughly 10 miles until I started to drop down into the next valley. Rather than push on and make it to my projected campsite, I decided to stop short and stay at the Captains.

So, what exactly is the captains? About 30 yards off the Appalachian Trail, and across a river, there’s a man who opens his backyard to through hikers. He has a large lawn where you can put your tent, and if it’s raining you can go on his back porch. Getting across the river was also quite interesting. There is a strange zip line pulley contraption thing that you clip your pack to and sit on. Unfortunately, due to the recent rains the river is about two feet higher than I believe it normally is. This meant my feet dragged through the water. Thankfully, Deadwood, the only other hiker here was able to document it for me.

Due to my slower start out of Pearisburg, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to Daleville in five total nights. This is fine though because I always carry an extra days worth of food than planed. Hopefully these next few days I’ll be able to keep my phone out of my Ziploc bag. That way I can have more photos from the trail.

So far Virginia has been pretty great. The leaves are beginning to grow on the trees, especially at the lower elevations. The views have been a little less frequent, but they are still breathtaking.

Coming out of Marion was a pretty easy 14.8 miles. The weather was hot and rather humid, but was still bearable. The thing that really sticks in my mind was how amazing it smelled. You would be walking along meadows and you could smell all of the wet grass and flowers blooming. I honestly can’t say I’ve ever had this kind of experience. That night Tetris, Ptarmigan, and I decided to go to the campsite with the privy. There were concrete blocks so I assume that it used to be a shelter. There were definitely a lack of good tent sites. This just meant we all had to pitch our tents close together. Not a problem unless you were next to the Tetris Chainsaw Massacre (he snores).

After the privy campsite we took a good 20 miler up to Chestnut Knob Shelter. The views from here were spectacular. It was definitely one of the more scenic campsites that I’ve had. There was also a good amount of climbing that day, so I slept pretty great.

The next day we got some good rain. I was pretty lucky though and managed to time it perfectly. By the time I got to the shelter for lunch it had been dry. Then the rain started but when I decided to push on the rain had passed mostly. That night we camped near Laurel Creek (I doubt the same one that made Laurel falls). It rained a good amount that night, but only until after I had my diner made and food bag hung.

The next morning Ptarmigan and I left in the rain. Tetris decided to stay in the shelter 4.4 miles back. Probably not a bad decision considering my tent was so wet. This added about 3 pounds to my pack but I was able to dry it pretty well. That day I had to get some food in Bland (what a name). It was and easy hitch to town and back out. The town was quiet and nice, but I did notice a Trump yard sign. We didn’t stay in Bland, we only hiked 2 miles out to the next shelter.

That night at Helvey’s Mill Shelter we received a good size thunderstorm. I managed to stay relatively dry. What was nice was that I had reception so I could check the radar and see that most the storm was passing quickly. A luxury for sure.

That day we went to Dismal Falls. It was a nice waterfall and swimming hole, unfortunately the weather didn’t favor swimming. It was quite cold and gray. Most of the day was nice and easy going. A lot of Virginia has been on ridge line it seems, so not a lot of large ups and downs but many little ones.

After the falls I had a 15.7 mile day into Docs Knob Shelter, where I opted to sleep in the shelter. There wasn’t a lot of good camping and I wanted to have an early start the next day. Ptarmigan opted for Woods Hole Hostel about 2 miles before and I didn’t know where Tetris was, he stopped before Dismal Falls the night before.

Today I got the early start I wanted heading into Pearisburg. It wasn’t quite a nero at 9ish miles but it didn’t feel like much. Tonight I’m at the Holiday Motor Lodge with Polar Bear. We’ve been running into each other the last few days and I didn’t want my own hotel room. The place is definitely past its prime and feels quite run down, but at least the price was right. After I got into town I just had to get my food figured out for the next 5 maybe 6 days. This will be enough to get me all the way to Daleville where I’m getting my new shoes sent.

A few people have decided to zero tomorrow in Pearisburg, but I don’t think I need the break yet. My legs feel good and my feet are happy, so I don’t see too much of a reason to stop. I like it more on the trail anyways.