Pamola's Quest - Phase III - VA - (Pushes 10 Thru 13)

Once again, the Quest continues

It was a new year and spring had been around for a couple months.  Phase III was about to begin where Phase I had ended last year.  I wasn't alone on this first push of the Phase.  LoGear and Kangaroo Joe (KJ) would be hiking with me for the first Push from Damascus to the Relax Inn outside Atkins, VA.  LoGear and I drove down together and we met KJ at the Relax Inn on Thursday, May 16th.  There was an excitement in the air as Trail Days was about to begin just 75 miles south of here.  We would be getting a shuttle down to Damascus by the most famous Miss Janet.

We arrived at the hotel before KJ and checked in.  Before too long, he arrived and we went over to the Mexican place for dinner, then did a final check on our gear for the morning.  

Relax Inn

It would be nice to have a team to start out with again. After that, they had to return home and I would continue alone.  It was a good way to ease myself back into the trail life.  I was excited and ready to get back to it.  

In the morning we would get a ride down to Damascus by Miss Janet and we would hike back to our vehicles that we were leaving at the Motel for the week.  The plan was to get back in about six days.

The Pushes of Phase III

As with Phase I, these Pushes would mostly be defined by major resupply points.  They would start out not too long, at 75.8 miles and each consecutive one would be longer than the last, with the final Push being 133.8 miles.  

The end of each Push would be at a town, where I could recharge and resupply as I prepared for the next Push.  After the third Push, I was ready for a zero, so I spent an extra day in Daleville, VA.  Just resting and preparing.  

From the beginning, we were hiking longer miles each day than the whole of Phase I.  During Phase I, our average MPD slowly increased to 11.4 after 41 days.  In this Phase, we achieved that average in three days and would finish with an average MPD of 13.6 after 29 days.  

I also noticed that I fell into the Hiker routine rather quickly and had some decent trail legs in about two weeks.  I'm never fast, but as I adjusted to the trail life, I could go farther, longer.  

Here are the Pushes of Phase III as they worked out:

Push 10 - Damascus, VA to Adkins, VA - 75.8 Miles - 6 Days.  Hiked with LoGear and KJ (Dilly-Dilly). Fell and injured shoulder on the last day.

Push 11 - Adkins, VA to Pearisburg, VA - 90.3 Miles - 7 Days.  I headed out alone, with a sore shoulder, but made good time, surviving the dreaded inch worm invasion on the ridge before town.

Push 12 - Pearisburg, VA to Daleville, VA 93.8 Miles - 7 Days.   After this Push, I was ready for a zero, so the seventh day was spent watching TV, eating and relaxing.

Push 13 - Daleville, VA to Rockfish Gap, VA - 133.8 Miles - 9 Days. This Push was a challenge.  I tried to carry all my food for this long Push, but built a large calorie deficit that I had to relieve by hitching into town and eating a lot of food. 

The Push (and the Phase) ended with an awesome surprise on the last night.  

In my next post, I will tell the story that each Push became as I walked my way north to finish the state of Virginia, completing another 393.7 miles of trail in Pamola's Quest.

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear
#pamolasquest