Troutville Virginia

Last Wednesday (Jul 9) i rolled into Troutville and was staying here with my Dad's cousin Wanda. I had done 18 miles into town that day and wasn't feeling great the entire time that I was hiking. The morning started out with me, Frat Dog, Horsefly and Turok. We had all made it to the same shelter that night but Frat Dog and Horsefly made the detour into town and were drinking beer when I showed up around 7:00pm. Frat Dog and Turok left early and I haven't seen them since, but Fly and I stopped in at Mcafee's knob and checked out the views. Supposed to be the best views in Virginia. A mile later we found Slim at a shelter and boy was Fly happy to see him. They had been hiking together for a while and were separated at Damascus. Weather was fair the entire day, and it always is, until you're almost to where you want or need to be. Then a storm comes up behind you and BAM, there it is, you're drenched. Without fail, a couple of miles from town and BAM! The sky falls out with nasty wind and lightning. Lucklily the worst of the storm passed us by and we just got rain for a few minutes. When we reached the interstate exchange at Troutville, we agreed on Mexican. They sat us in the back of the building in hopes that we would be out of there before they had to sit any of the cleaner customers near us. When I realized what they had done, I, Fly and Slim were thoroughly amused. We were also amused when we passed our i.d.'s out so that we all could look at them. Slim's looked like a mug shot and Fly was looking a little grunge with a dark plaid shirt on and long hair. We all derived good chuckles from our i.d. event.

I parted with Slim and Fly and proceeded to walk on down the trail to Wanda's house. I was tired of walking but you gotta do what you gotta do. It was only around 6:30 at this point and the sky was no longer threatening and that always makes it easier.

In my time here, I have been getting over a stomach ailment and having a good time getting to know the family and see what they're all about. As much as I asked her if I could help out with anything, she just wouldn't let me help out around the house. I did get to pick green beans out of the garden, drag a fallen limb out of the front yard, pick apples, carry some heavy stuff for her, and learn a little bit about canning. I watched Wanda make applesauce with a ricer and put it away in jars. Yesterday we sliced cucumbers and made bread and butter pickles out of them.

Spence showed me around and showed me what fun was around here. We went out with the flashlight and looked for deer or rabbits, walked through the garden to check up on the vegetables or just sat around and talked for a while at night watching the bugs get zapped in the bug zapper. All this wasn't what I sought out for fun at home, but it was a relaxing sort of fun that I haven't had in a long while.

Sunday, Spence and I drove down to Greensboro and went to the REI there to swap out a backpack. The aluminum stay broke away from the hipbelt and wasn't transferring any of the weight to my hips anymore, so it was painful to carry something had to be done. I also picked up some new trekking poles because the ones that I had were cheap and the tips had become dull plus one was bent in a polevault over a rattlesnake. They were thirty bucks and came 700 miles so I guess they went as far as they were designed to. While in Greensboro, I got to see Brittany again and the three of us walked downtown and ate lunch at Natty Greene's, a little microbrewery right down the street. Brittany told me to go hike some because she was seeing me too much and she didn't miss me anymore. I didn't see where not missing me was a bad thing. We did some 'urban foraging' on blackberries on the way back... true story... they happen every day.

So I guess I leave here today and I may make it 3 or I may make it 11 miles but I hope the terrain eases up. Weaving inbetween knee high rocks isn't my idea of fun. Thanks Wanda and Spence for everything that you have done for me. Look for post cards!