No doubt about, I'm down and out---I've got the Virginia blues.
Got water at Jenny Knob Shelter. Slurp, slurp. I'd finished off my last bit of liquid refreshment the previous night and it was a three-mile walk to here from this morning's camp, so I was parched. Could feel the cool water sliding down the inside of my dry throat. AH! Simply great. Again the trail was very level, this time passing over bridges and along streams. Such terrain makes it possible to up the hourly hiking speed from 2.5 m.p.h to a little over three.
Got to Wapiti Shelter and ate a quick lunch due to three loud-mouthed smokers monopolizing the space there. Just the type of people I don't really care for. Smoking is a nasty habit in its own right, but when I'm in the backwoods I prefer not to have cigarette smoke drifting into my face while I'm trying to eat. Actually, I was quite surprised to see how many people out on the trail were toking on cancer sticks. I assumed the numbers would be fewer, but I guess I don't have much experience to base my assumptions on. Going SOBO on the PCT was strictly solo except for the two couples I shared a bit of time with in Washington and Oregon, both of whom fit the bill as healthy outdoor types. Besides, the PCT doesn't have shelters creating places to congregate. I'm not sure these three dudes were thru-hikers either. Wouldn't the amount of thru-hikers who smoke have to be miniscule?
There was a fairly big (1,200 feet) climb out of Wapiti Shelter during which I seemed to lose my sense of direction and judgement for distance, which doesn't often happen. It took a lot longer to get to Sugar Gap than I had figured. Once there I went down the dirt road to Woods Hole Hostel, which is described in the Thru-Hikers' Companion as a "slice of heaven". I guess my expectations were too high because from initial impressions, it didn't live up to its billing. The place had been taken over by a large group of section hikers, though there were still a few empty beds in the bunkhouse. Furthermore, they weren't serving the dinner I'd heard so much about that particular evening---a rarity---and there was a wait for the Internet. It still being fairly early, I got the information I wanted about Pearisburg from one of the attendants and skedaddled.
Again, a very nice tread up to the ridge where I could see the town of Pearisburg off in the valley below. My aim was to camp at the spring off on a blue-blazed trail half a mile from Angel's Rest, but when I arrived the lone tent site was already occupied. After getting all the water I needed to see me through dinner and the next morning, I took a chance on finding a nice place further down the trail. A few hundred meters before the turn off to Angel's Rest, I found a couple of tent sites amidst a group of large rhododendron to the left of the trail. A really fab spot in my estimation, sheltered from the wind and providing some cover overhead. Should keep the dew off. A tad closer to town as well, so I'll get there earlier than I had projected. Feeling good!
Time to Start Hiking
Kimberling Creek Suspension Bridge
The World Opens Up---Break Time!
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