Pamola's Quest - Push 11 - The Push to Pearisburg - Part 2

The Push to Pearisburg, VA (Push 11) - Part 2

The last three days of the Push had some interesting happenings. Falling, inch worms and more good cooked food. Ending the Push early in the day with the promise of a dry, soft bed and the relaxation of a town stop made everything worth it.

Day 393 - 14.7 miles - Knot Maul Shelter
Day 394 - 10.8 miles - Walker Gap camp
Day 395 - 17.6 miles - View to West
Day 396 - 14.8 miles - Jenny Knob Shelter
Day 397 - 14.6 miles - Wapiti Shelter
Day 398 - 15.4 miles - Spring campsite
Day 399 - 2.4 miles - Pearisburg, VA

Pizza and Waterfalls

Shoulder hurts, blah, blah, blah. Just put this at every morning's sentence. I was getting tired of mentioning it, but also starting to get used to the constant pain. At least I could hike. As long as I didn't fall again, I would be ok. Oh well,

The shelter area was pretty crowded overnight. I counted eight tents around the full shelter. I packed up, ate breakfast, waited in line to use the privy and headed out.

I came upon Snoboat and Grey Goose a short ways up the trail. They were camped at the same place as the foursome, who seem to always move on from the shelter to the next campsite. I guess they don't like staying in the shelter area. Snoboat was still hurting. A toothache is the worst thing I think to have out here.

The mornings terrain was easy and before too long I crossed a bridge over Kimberling Creek and headed down the road with Fungi to Trent's Grocery. Originally my plan was to resupply here and maybe stay the night where they allow free camping, but the pickings were slim in the store and I didn't see any good trees in their "yard" to hang from.

Bridge over Kimberling Creek

They had hot food though and I ordered a pizza and a bought a few other snack and drink items and hung out in front while I dried some of my clothes. There was a dog hanging out who must get fed a lot by hikers. She had an impressive begging routine. Of course, I gave here a bit of my pizza.

Beggar

I saved some of my pizza to pack out for dinner and headed back down the road. After walking a couple miles there was a side trail to Dismal Falls. I headed down that way for another refreshing foot soak and to enjoy the rushing water. I also had to change my socks. My toe socks, which seemed to work great for preventing blisters on other hikes, seemed to now aggravate them. I think they just don't work as well when wet. Double Darn Toughs would be my new go to.

Dismal Falls

I saw Chill, one of the foursome, meditating at the falls. I also talked to Feathers, a woman I had been seeing the last couple days.

Chill chillin'

A few more miles and I was rolling into the shelter area. I set up and hung out at the shelter, eating my pizza. There were sprinkles falling every once and a while, but nothing too heavy. Before too long, it was time to retire to the hammock and end the day.  I had good signal, so I called one of the motels in Pearisburg and took the last room available.
  

Young buck checking out our camp

Inchworms Everywhere

I had a surprise visitor overnight. After tossing and turning for a while and getting out to pee, I was having trouble getting back to sleep. I opened my eyes and saw a mouse climbing on the outside of my bug net. I think he was trying to get to my food, which rests on my shelf, right by my head. I gave him a whop and he fell to the bottom of the net, one more hit and he was gone. I guess I was closer to the shelter than I thought.

The trail can get rocky here in VA too

A thunder storm had rolled through overnight, but the morning was just drippy. I noticed a few inchworms crawling around my tarp as I packed up. I thought it was no big deal.

As I walked along, I would encounter an inch worm hanging on its silk thread from time to time. They were becoming more abundant. I rolled into Docs Knob Shelter for lunch. There were three maintainers there and they had brought magic in the form of apples and cold sodas. I enjoyed one of each and talked to the three for awhile. Calves and Goldilocks (another Dane) came in later and also mentioned the inchworms. We had to actually pick a few off of each other that had gathered in our hair and on our hats.

After thanking the angels at least three times, I continued on. My goal was a campsite near a spring that would be pretty close to town, making tomorrow's hike really short. As I moved along the trail, the inchworms became more and more numerous. They were up above, they were hanging down, they were in the bushes near the trail, they were everywhere.  From time to time, I had to stop and pull dozens of them off my pants where they had hitched a ride from the bushes.  

Shelter maintainers/Angels

The day was coming to an end.  I was walking along the top of the ridge and the wind had picked up.  It seemed that a storm was approaching.  I wanted to get into camp and set up before the rain so I was going as fast as I could.  Of course, I ended up slipping and falling, sending some nice fresh pain through my shoulder, but I continued on and arrived at the inchworm infested campsite just ahead of the rain.  

I set up, debugged and retreated into my hammock to get away from the critters.  I had a cold, but good dinner of mayo, bacon bits and cheese on a tortilla.  A couple others came in and had to set up in the rain, but it was all good.

A Well Earned Rest in Town

My pack usually stays outside my hammock, on the ground under my tarp.  It sits on my plastic ground cloth and is usually just fine being out there.  In the morning I could see hundreds of inchworms attached to my pack, doing their little dance.

I spent at least 30 minutes in the morning picking inchworms off my gear.  Another bonus was my tarp was covered in inchworm shit. I tried to clean it off as best as I could with my bandanna, rinsing off downstream of the spring.  I didn't linger to make coffee or eat breakfast.  Town was only 2.4 miles away.  

I headed out of the infested area.  As I got lower, the inchworms stopped being everywhere.  I stopped to move off trail and do my second cat hole of the Phase and saw Calves and Goldilocks passing.  We all walked into town together, down the road.

View from the road into Pearisburg

Our first stop was Hardees for some breakfast, then we moved to DQ for a blizzard.  I went my own way to walk through town and do a few chores as it was still too early to check into the motel.  I stopped at the post office and picked up a box.  I had a few things to send home. 

There was a small outfitter and I bought a 2018 AWOL Guide.  The 2017 I had was working, but the small differences in mileage markers was annoying at times, so I upgraded.  I cut the book up, keeping the small section I needed and sent the rest home along with my pack cover, pant legs and toe socks.

I went into the Rite-Aid and bought LoGear a birthday card.  I was alone and on the trial during her last Bday and would repeat that again this year.  My mistress (The AT) is a demanding girl.  

I went to the motel, still a little early and asked if I could check in and just dump my pack in the room.  They were cool with that and I just sat outside, drying my shoes and talking to a couple other hikers until the maid finished her cleaning and I could dirty it up again.

I took my tarp into the shower and cleaned the rest of the shit off of it and got myself clean too.  I gathered my clothes and took them to the lady at the desk and she washed them for me.  A brave woman.

I did some planning for the next Push and called LoGear as my clothes got cleaned and then headed out again to drop off my box at the post office and then resupply at the local Food Lion, which was right across the street.  

When those chores were done, I headed down to Angels Rest Hostel to see if they had a book I could "borrow".  On the way down, I saw Odie's bus and stopped to chat a bit, then continued on.  

At the Hostel, I talked to a nice woman named Commando and she let me have a book and also showed me their hiker box, which I looked through.  All I had to do to earn the book was tell her my favorite quote from the trail.  I picked one I have made up myself. "Even your worst day on the trail will be a story you will tell later."  

The next stop was an AYCE Chinese restaurant for some dinner.  After filling myself, I headed back to the room and had a nice night in a real bed.  

Push 12

A new Push would start in the morning. I would leave town recharged and ready to do another 93.8 miles to Daleville.  This Push would include the Virginia Triple Crown of Devil's Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs.  


Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear