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

Pamola's Quest - Push 11 - The Push to Pearisburg - Part 1

The Push to Pearisburg, VA (Push 11) - Part 1 

I continued on alone as my hiking partners headed home.  I would have the freedom to hike as only I wanted to, but I would miss the companionship that I had enjoyed for the last week.  This Push would cover 90.3 miles and take 6.2 days to complete.  

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

Alone Within the Crowd

After an OK nights sleep with my shoulder waking me up from time to time, we arose, showered, ate a good breakfast and Dilly Dilly took me back to the trail.  He dropped me off and turned around as I started down the road which passes under Rt 81.  I felt a bit of emotion as I started out.  I was excited to be alone, but I knew that before too long, the solitude of being alone, would ripen into a loneliness that would be crushing from time to time.  

I took a deep breath, waved to DD as he entered the highway and started walking.  Before too long, I was walking through some grassy meadow and I was extra careful on any muddy parts I encountered.  I didn't want to fall again, (but knew I probably would), so I slowed down when I saw mud and became more deliberate in my foot placement.  

I passed some cows who gathered together across a small creek and watched me as I walked along the trail.  The day was becoming beautiful.

Curious cows

My shoulder and its pain would be a constant mention in my trail journal.  I knew that another bad fall could force me off trail, but I could move along just fine, using my trekking poles and not feeling too much pain as I walked the trail.  I would have to adjust my reaction to slipping down the road and my left trekking pole became a little less effective, but I was comfortable using two and would continue to do so.

The morning went pretty fast, with decent trail and a few other hikers along the way that I would leapfrog during the day's walk.  One group, a foursome, two male, two female, were moving along around me throughout the day.  At lunch I arrived at a bridged stream crossing where the water was almost to the top of the bridge.  I had seen videos of this crossing before and sometimes the water flows over the bridge.  

The water was at the perfect height for a foot soak, so that is exactly what I did.  As I sat there, one of the girls of the foursome came up from behind me.  She asked me if I had lost an iPod and I checked and sure enough my nano had fell out of my pocket as I took my phone out to take a photo.  It would have been a bummer to not have music for the rest of the Phase, but the trail had provided.  As I walked along later, I decided that I would reward the girl the next time I saw her with a nice cosmic brownie.  

Natures foot massage

I got to the shelter fairly early, just before 1600 and found a spot to set up.  Water was a steep climb down to a nice spring.  I hung out at the shelter for a while as other hikers came in.  Some moved on, some stayed.  My hammock was through the Rhody, out of sight from the shelter, so I brought my food bag with me when I was hanging out at the shelter. I may sleep with my food, but I know better than to leave it unattended and out of sight.

But before too long, it was time to retire to the floating bed and rest my bones, write some notes, plan the next day and sleep like the dead.  

Camping with Myself  

I was up and ready to go early after a decent night's sleep.  There was an old guy there, Turtle 77 I think, (I have lost my list of hiker trail names), who was bouncing all around the trail, going north and south, moving a vehicle up and down.  He was out nice and early heading south and would approach from the north later on.  

The morning's climb was to a popular shelter, Chestnut Knob.  It was a steady climb, but not too steep.  I didn't take a break until 1000 or so and then another just before the shelter at a water source.  The bullfrogs were croaking at a small pond that the spring fed.

The shelter is at the top of the knob in a meadow.  It is stone and has four walls and a doorway.  There were other hikers hanging out and I found the girl who had found my Ipod and gave her her reward of the cosmic brownie that I had promised myself to give her.  She seemed thankful as every hiker is out there when food is offered.  Her name was Bandito. 

Chestnut Knob Shelter

I rested for a while in the sunshine and just enjoyed the day.  My feet were hurting a bit, so I decided that I would check out a campsite that was only a mile and a half down from the knob.  

Relaxing after lunch on the knob

When I got to the bottom of the hill, I saw a car parked in a small lot with an old man inside.  As I passed I recognized trail legend, Warren Doyle.  I had met him a couple years ago when he did a presentation at the Museum.  I said hello and we talked for a while until I moved on to the campsite that was only a few hundred meters away.

The clearing was nice, an old homestead area that was being reclaimed by the forest.  It still had a good open meadow and I could see lots of old bricks and such where the house had stood.  My first choice of trees along the perimeter didn't work, but I found another that did.  The only problem was a large dead tree standing next to one of my hammock trees.  I got my bear bag line out, threw it up about 15 times until I snagged a knot high up and pulled on the line until the top rotting 15 feet or so tumbled down to the ground.  The rest felt firm enough to last the night and I continued setting up camp.  I made a nice fire in a fire ring and cleaned up with some fresh water from the spring down the old road a ways.  I had the area to myself.  It was peaceful.

Campsite all to myself

Small fire to lighten my spirits

Of course, when you are alone in the woods, you think about the things that go bump in the night, but I had a decent night's sleep, with the exception of my shoulder aching, which is becoming the new normal and was ready to go in the morning.  

A Hammock With a View

I rolled out early in the morning, ready to go.  I had no privy to take advantage of, so I found a nice spot over the hillside and did my morning business.  This was my first cathole of the Phase.  I try to avoid the extra work that they require, but it's all good out here.  You do what you have to, when you need to.

Today's plan was a little loose. I would play it by feel as I went along.  I wanted to get close to the Brushy Mountain Outpost which I had heard has some good food and maybe do some resupply, so the closer, the better.  Even though I had stopped when I needed too yesterday, I still felt that I had wasted a bit of daylight by stopping so early.  Today I would try to make up for that. 

The morning trail was pretty empty except for a couple of maintainers. At lunch I met Great Dane, a young man from Denmark who was out hiking as much trail as he could before having to return to start University.  He reminded me of Firefly, the german guy I had hiked with last year up in New England.  Great Dane was doing insane daily mileage.  I figured I would not see him again, but of course I did, down the trail a ways.

I stopped at Laurel Creek to soak my feet.  The rushing water looked so inviting.  While I was there, another hiker came in to fill his bottles and discovered he had dropped his filter.  He left his pack and headed back to find it.  I sat for awhile relaxing and he didn't return.  When I was ready to leave, I filtered some water into his bottles and left him a note.  

Feels so good

Laurel Creek

The last climb of the day was made easy with switchbacks and as I was approaching a possible campsite, two hikers passed me.  They were taking a break at the campsite, which had a nice view of the valley and mountains and we talked a bit.  They were continuing on, hoping to get to the store before it closed.  I knew I would never make it in time, so I was planning on staying there, hoping to see a nice sunset.  I found two trees and set up.

A couple hikers came by later in the day, one being the guy who had lost his filter.  He had found it and he thanked me for leaving the water.  His name was Freight Train. The other was looking for a campsite.  I told him there was room for him here, but he moved on.

I made dinner and layed in my hammock, enjoying the setting sun and realizing that this was my longest day so far this Phase.  

The view from my hammock

As darkness fell around me, I fell off to sleep, with visions of cooked food dancing in my head.  

Hot Meals and Full Batteries

After another night of enduring my shoulder pain (yes, I realize mentioning this is getting old), I was up early and on the trail. I had a pep in my step as I thought about what I wanted to eat.  

I arrived at the store and dropped my pack outside.  I ordered some breakfast and started pulling things off the shelf for resupply.  I went into the restroom for my morning routine and washed out my shirt and underwear.  I noticed that there were a lot of "do not" signs in the restroom.  "put trash in can", "don't splash water on the floor", "no refilling of water bottles", etc.  I asked the owner and he had some stories to tell.  He has only been open for less than a year and already had had to deal with lazy, sloppy, entitled hikers, hence all the signs.  It's a shame that he has to deal with unthinking hikers.

I made sure I left a clean restroom and asked if I could charge my phone and battery pack. It was all good.  I ate my breakfast and ordered another sandwich to go for lunch.

I looked at the weather and it looked like a storm was headed our way.  I relaxed a while hoping to have it pass by, but nothing really developed.  There were a few sprinkles, but nothing heavy.

I met a couple other hikers, who were trying to get into town and eventually headed out myself.  After some road walking I was back into the woods.  Of course after a while, the rain came and soon I was soaked.  I headed to a nearby shelter, to wring out and eat lunch and when I entered, there were two hikers there.  A couple.

I introduced myself and they asked if I was Coast Guard.  I said I was and the guy was retired CG and his wife was the sister of a guy I had worked with in DC. Someone had mentioned that there was another Coastie in the woods.  We talked about the things we had in common and I asked them about their hike.  Snoboat, the guy, had a tooth problem that he feared was going to pull them off the trail. Grey Goose was his wife.  They had started in GA, but were not sure how much further they were going to go with their problem.  

When the rain slowed, I headed out to finish the day.  I met another guy from Denmark and we walked along a bit until he pulled ahead.  

600 miles for most of the hikers around me, 1,330 for me.

I got to the shelter and set up.  During dinner at the table, I met someone else who knew I was from Pittsburgh.  Seems someone is talking about me out here.  They too were from Pittsburgh and were out for a section I think.  

After dinner it was off to bed, hoping that the next day would bring rain, but prepared to endure it if I had to.  You have no other choice out here.  I'm not one to hole up when the weather turns challenging.  I just try to prepare for it the best I can.

More Fun to Come

I was more than halfway through the Push and doing fine.  I still had some miles to walk and weird things to encounter, but those will be found in the next installment.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of Push 11, coming soon.

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

Pamola's Quest - Push 10 - The Push to Atkins

On Trail Once Again

It was May 17th.  After a decent night in the Relax Inn, we all prepared to head out.  We waited for Miss Janet to arrive, talking to some other hikers who were also going to catch a ride down to Damascus for the festivities.  For us, our stay at Trail Days would be short.  We were heading out on purpose.  We wanted to get out on the trail while most others would be hanging out in town to celebrate the multi day festival.  

The ride down to Damascus was fun.  Miss Janet arrived around 10 or so and we stowed everyone's packs up on the roof. After picking up a few more at the nearby Walmart we were full.  We stopped at another Walmart and we all went in to get some last minute stuff. 

Loading all the packs on the famous Miss Janet's Bounce Box

20 minutes later we were at the edge of tent city.  We hefted our packs, said bye to Miss J and started walking towards the trail that runs through the small town of Damascus, VA.  Phase III had begun.

Starting point of Push 10, Damascus, VA

The Push to Atkins, VA (Push 10)

Push 9 was where I had left off last year in early June as I finished Phase I.  Push 10 would pick up from there.  This Push would be 75.8 miles and would take us six days to hike.  

Day 387 - 10.3 miles - Saunders Shelter
Day 388 - 12.3 miles - Whitetop Mountain Camp
Day 389 - 11.7 miles - Wise Shelter
Day 390 - 14.0 miles - Hurricane Creek Campground
Day 391 - 15.9 miles - Partnership Shelter
Day 392 - 11.6 miles - Atkins, VA

We made our way through town to the famous sign that north bounders see as they enter town.  We took a few photos and started walking.  The area was abuzz with people setting up their booths for the weekend.  I stopped at the ALDHA booth for a bit and talked to some friends, then moved on to catch up to LoGear and KJ.  There were already people everywhere.  

There was rain in the forecast, but we only experienced a couple short showers that hardly made their way through the leaf cover as we made our way out of Damascus and onto the ridge.  The Creeper Trail heads in the same direction for several miles and we paralleled it for a while.  Crossing it here and there and walking on it for a short way.

The Rhody was in full bloom

This was a rather short day and that was good, since we didn't get going until around 1300 or so.  The biggest challenge of the day was the series of switchbacks that took us up to where our shelter for the night was.  We counted 19 switchbacks over a two mile climb.

We got into camp and set up.  There were some nice trees behind the shelter and a few other hikers there.  They were all heading down into Damascus as we were heading away from it.  

We had our dinners and retired to our sleeping nests.  Our adventure had begun.

White Top Cloud Camping  

We were all up pretty early and had a leisurely breakfast and packed up. Today would be more rain.  Even though we didn't have rain the day before, the trail had a lot of running water on it, which kept our feet wet.  Today, we would have rain and our feet would spend their second day in a very wet state.  

KJ was out first, but after he left, we noticed two bags that were no ones still there.  They had some clothes in them and we figured out they were KJs.  I attached them to my pack and headed out.  I think they were some expensive base layers, that he would need that night. 

We walked through the morning rain and went into the next shelter for lunch. There were four hikers heading south who were just starting their day.  I guess they had been hoping for the rain to end, but no joy there.  They had a nice dog that became our friend as soon as we shared our lunch.

We hung out for about an hour and the rain finally let up and the sun came out.  We continued on to finish the day.  

The last part of the day had a 3000 foot climb and as we got to the top, the wind had become rather strong.  Visibility went to about 20 feet and the bite of the wind was cold.  Buzzard Rock was something we just had to work our way through.  You couldn't even hear each other talk unless you shouted.

We got to our campsite and found some sites.  The rain had picked up again, so we had to put up our hammocks first and we cooked dinner under there.  KJ stepped on one of my tent stakes and cut his foot.  This would bother him for the rest of the week. 

The rainy day had sapped all of our energy, so after getting some warm clothes on and some warm food into our bellies, we each headed to our hammock/tent and relaxed for the night.  

Sleeping in a cloud is a wet affair. In the morning, just about everything I had was wet or damp.  Even inside my hammock, stuff was wet from the condensation of the cloud.  

Ponies in the Rain

On the third day of the Phase, more rain was in the forecast, but there were also ponies in the forecast.  Both would deliver.   

It was a wet, drippy morning and I got packed up fast as I wanted to visit a rest room that was a few miles ahead at a parking lot.  I headed out first as the others finished up their morning routine and came along. 

I moved fast to the parking lot and used the facilities, what I call brown blazing. Since I figured I has some time to wait, I put a lot of my gear out in the strong breeze and sunshine to dry until LoGear and KJ showed up.  

Drying gear in the wind

Leaving the parking lot, we crossed some fields.  We were entering the Grayson Highlands, where the "wild" ponies lived.  Our plan for the day was to take a side quest to a general store where the owner comes and picks you up and will bring you back.  KJ decided at the break that he would continue to the shelter as he had enough food.

LoGear heading up the meadow

Beautiful yellow flowers all over the meadow

LoGear and I went ahead and soon came over a rise and saw ponies in the distance just as the rain started.  We still got to visit and pet a few, but the rain was constantly getting stronger.  As we climbed over the highest point of the day, it started to downpour with lots of lightning and thunder.  We were soaked through.

Ponies in the rain

Eventually the rain stopped and before long we were taking the blue blaze down to the parking lot.  We had no cell signal, but a ranger helped us out by calling for us.  We had an hour wait, so I asked two women who were heading out if they could give us a ride to the store.  15 min later we were ordering burgers and doing a small resupply.

We ate and hung out a while while our clothes dried and got a ride back to the trail by the owner.  We made our way to the shelter, which was full and found two spots.  When we were setting up, KJ found us.  

We helped a group hang their food bags, ate our dinners and hit the hay.  

In the morning, one of the hikers from the shelter, Fungi, was having trouble getting his full food bags down.  We gave him some advice and offered the use of my knife, but he was still struggling when we headed out.  He had actually tried to tie his lit camp stove to a stick and attempted to burn the snagged string.  We watched in anticipation of success or an explosion, not knowing which it would be.  It turned out to be neither.

Campground Campfire

The day was dry with a warm breeze and some sun, but the trail was still pretty wet from the previous day's rain.  Our feet would remain soggy for the fourth straight day.  As we hiked along, the day became beautiful.

More ponies on the trail

KJ getting close to the wildlife

We stopped for lunch at the first shelter and while we were there, Fungi came in. He had finally gotten his food bags down.  He told us the reason he had so much food was that a group of short-termers had abandoned their plans of a three day hike after getting soaked in the rain and has also abandoned their food which was a large assortment of Packit Gourmet meals.  He offered us a bunch of the meals to lighten his load and we readily agreed to take some.  

Today's plan was to do 14 miles and hike down to a campground where we hoped to get showers and have a nice spot by the creek.  We headed down and walked into the campground.  We talked to the hosts for a bit, found a nice spot next to the creek and set up.  We all took showers and did some cowboy laundry.  KJ was the only one with shampoo and he let us all us it.  The site also had a supply of wood, so we made a nice fire to enjoy as dusk settled.  

Packit Gourmet - Free dinner

We did get some sprinkles in the evening, but this had been our driest day so far.  It was very pleasant to have the soothing sounds of the babbling brook next to us as we settled into our hammocks and tent and rested for the night.  

We all made one of our Gourmet meals for dinner and they didn't disappoint, expecially since they were free.  

The Longest Day of the Push

After a good night's sleep, we were all packing up and getting ready to head out.  I was ready first and headed out as planned around 0800.  I would walk slow until the others caught up.  KJ grumbled a bit about my keeping to such a strict schedule as he dilly dallied about getting ready.  This earned him a new trail name of Dilly Dilly.  

I walked up the feeder trail and was on the AT for about five minutes when I heard a commotion to my right.  It was a yearling bear heading up the hillside.  Apparently, he was using the trial too and I had disturbed his morning walk.  He went about 40 yards up the hillside and watched me, waiting for me to move on.  Of course, I had to take a few photos and LoGear came up and got to see him too.  

Bear

Our mid day goal was to get to the next shelter for lunch and as we were on its approach trail, the light drizzle that had started turned into a downpour.  We got into the shelter wet, but not soaked, but Dilly Dilly was a little behind and was completely drenched.  

Our feet had now been wed for five days and some blisters slowed us down in the afternoon, but eventually, we finished our longest day of the Push and arrived at a busy shelter.  

Partnership Shelter is right next to the road and gets a lot of business.  Today was no exception as the shelter was full, but we found a nice spot back down the trail a ways that had some good trees and set up there.  There was a lady there with an unfriendly dog and a couple others, but we were far enough away from the shelter (almost) to not have to deal with the noise, although a guy named Rockin Rick, who thought he could sing, was there "entertaining" the shelter sleepers.  I'm not sure if he was a hiker or a yellow blazer that liked to hang out with the hikers.

Partnership Shelter

We ate dinner at the shelter table, washed up at sink behind the shelter and retired to our site away from the action.

99 Times out of A Hundred

I was awake during the night thinking about the next Push, but had a restful sleep otherwise.  The morning dawned calm and clear and we were in for a nice day to finish the push.

Fern gully

We were out early and on our way.  There was only one climb in the day and it wasn't too bad.  After lunch at a shelter, it was mostly downhill back to the vehicles.

We came to the one room schoolhouse that is a nice place to check out and full of trail magic.  We talked to the volunteers while enjoying a nice cold soda and some snacks.  I was able to replenish my wet wipes and a few other things. We gave a decent donation and continued on.

Although the trail was mostly dry today, there were still a few spots that were muddy. During a slanting downhill I would find one of those patches.  LoGear was doing some liberty turns (going fast) as she was ready to finish her hike.  Visions of daily showers and talking to her daughters were swimming in her head as she moved ahead of me.  I quickened my pace as much as I could, but she was out of sight.

Ninety nine times out of a hundred, my trekking poles have saved me from a turned ankle or a fall, today would be that one time when it wouldn't help, but would actually contribute to my injury.

As I moved down a slanted, grassy downhill, I slipped on the mud underneath.  I kicked out my right pole as I slid sideways and planted my left to try and stop the fall.  All of my weight went onto that left pole and I continued down until I flopped on my belly.  

I moaned and cursed as a hot white pain screamed from my shoulder.  I cursed a few more times as the thoughts of a finished hike went through my head.  I knew this wasn't just a simple strain.

At first, I couldn't move my arm at all.  After a few minutes, the pain subsided enough so that I could move, but I still couldn't lift my left arm.  Hefting any kind of weight was out of the question.  After a while I continued on, finding that I could still hold and use the trekking pole, but my left arm wouldn't be digging in to stop any falls any time soon.

As I finished the day and the Push, I still had thoughts that this might be the end of the hike.  I was about 99% sure I had torn something and from what I had heard, tears need surgery to become whole again.  

I got back to the cars and told LoGear of my adventure.  I tested whether or not I could heft my pack and I could even though it was a bit painful.

Dilly Dilly came along and we called the Push complete.  Those two were done.  I was continuing on.  Yep, torn shoulder or not. I was continuing on.  I had a state to finish.  

Farewells, Resupplies and Clean (sorta) Clothes

We put our gear in the vehicles and headed to Marion, just down the road and checked into the Econo Lodge. LoGear took me over to Walmart so I could get a few things including a new shirt.  My new plan is to just replace the smelly things after a while.  The one I had been wearing had a good deal of miles on it and it was time for something fresh.

LoGear wanted to get home that night, so she head out and DD an I went to the pizza place and did some laundry.

I relaxed in my bed, nursing my shoulder as DD caught up on things going on at home.  I was fully resupplied, mostly from stuff I had brought and I had also gone through LoGear food bag to top off a few things.  I would be ready to go in the morning.

Push 11 would start in the morning.  I had lost my crew.  My shoulder would be hurting, but I had miles to go before I was done.  90.3 for the next push.  317.9 more in Phase III.

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

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

I'm Back

A Break From All Things Trail

When I finished Phase III of the Quest, I didn't know I would take an almost three month hiatus from writing here.  I knew when I finished Phase III at Rockfish Gap, that I had some things to take care of before I would embark on the final Phase of Pamola's Quest.  Namely, the problem with my shoulder.

I had a strong idea that I would need surgery and that I didn't want to take on the White Mountains of New Hampshire and southern Maine with torn tendons that wouldn't heal on their own.  I was right about needing surgery and I am now six weeks in on a long rehab.  

For now, Phase IV is tentatively scheduled for next summer.  I have a new pack and freshly sewn together tendons in my left shoulder and am doing the long rehab that will be needed to get me back into hiking shape.

When I finished up the final Push of Phase III back in June, I was happy to be done for awhile.  I was once again ready to do other things and enjoy the easy life of the Other World for a time.  I needed a break from all things Trail.

Autumn Arrives 

So, I sit here in my living room, looking out at the steady rain falling on this first day of fall.  Also a day that marks my 56th trip around the sun. I'm enjoying the rain and coolness of the morning.  As Ginger and I took our morning walk in the woods, I reveled in the rain and smell of the forest.  I'm starting to miss being out there again.  

I must admit that for some time after getting off trail, I didn't immediately have that craving I usually have to be out living in the woods, walking miles each day and eating trail food.  I was happy with a daily shower if I wanted one.  Being able to eat food that isn't dehydrated, but is fresh and refrigerated.  I liked to not have to find a privy or dig a hole to take a shit.  I was OK with having more than two changes of clothes, that were actually clean when I put them on in the morning.  

But today, I once again had that little itch in my mind, of being back on trail, as we walked through the dripping woods.

Surgery and Rehab

I fell coming down a muddy slanted trail back on May 22nd, just as we were finishing the first Push (Push 10) of Phase III of Pamola's Quest.  I continued to hike another three weeks and three more Pushes to successfully finish the Phase.  I knew it was something more than a strain, but found I could still hike and use my trekking poles.  Every once and awhile I would slip or stumble, reigniting the pain in my shoulder and each night was a challenge to fall asleep with the constant ache in the joint.  

I couple days after LoGear picked my up in Rockfish Gap, I was at the doctors.  An X-Ray, MRI and a couple more doctor visits and I had the confirmation of what I already knew and a surgery date scheduled.  

On August 16th, I went under the knife and am now about six weeks into recovery.  I was told that rehab will take several months and even though I see some progress each day, I still have some pain and am still not hike worthy as far as arm strength goes.  But I will get there.

New Packs

When we started the Phase down in Damascus at the beginning of Trail Days, I stopped by the Osprey booth to ask about our hip belt problem.  The Velcro wasn't holding in the belts and it would slip when you tightened the belt. I had done some field repair to keep it from moving and showed the guy at the booth.  He said we could get new packs if we send them in under the All Mighty Guarantee.  We sent them in on July 17th and they sent us two brand new Osprey Atmos 65s.  I'm once again questioning each of my gear choices and although I have no upgrades or change outs planned, I'm always looking to cut weight when I can.  Yesterday I put all my gear in the new pack and struggled it on my back.  It was a little painful getting it on, but once it was in place, it felt good.

Phase III Story

So now it is time to tell the story of Phase III.  Pushes 10 through 13.  393.7 miles, 29 days.  I hope to have that here in a few days.  I do feel like writing again and I have a story to tell.  It's good to be back.  

See ya soon,

EarthTone