So Much For An Easy Day

Day 81

Monday June 12, 2017

Miles: 842.8 - 856.9    Completed: 14.1

Weather: Miserably Hot

Tented at Paul Wolfe Shelter 

Waynesboro, Virginia was a mere 19 miles away when we woke up. Our daily goal is 14.5 but I was secretly hoping to push on to town. The elevation profile in the book looked gentle. I have hiked over 3000 miles using the same book and digital app and I continue to believe it. The day was another uphill marathon. At one point the gps said we were at the peak yet we continued to climb for another 30 minutes.

We saw a very strange insect today. It was half bee and half house fly. 

My hopes of reaching town for a shower and real food foiled early afternoon. There was no way our bodies wanted to push that hard. All the younger hikers were passing us and pushing. At one point we said we could do it but, why? Sleeping one more night in the woods was okay with us.

We arrived at the shelter with a very wide shallow stream cascading gentle around rocks as it made its way to lower elevations. It was just what we needed after a hot day.

We ate dinner in the shelter with other hikers. I was just going to sit on the ground by the tents and listen to the stream but while I was setting up camp a tick joined me and I wasn't impressed. My biggest fear out here.

I filled my tummy from my boring food bag and said good night to all. I was so hot I just wanted to zip up in the tent in my birthday suit, dust the humidity off with layers of Goldbond and journal. A few minutes later Shortcake came a knocking and I warned her the view upon entry. But she stuck her head in anyways. While she was still at the shelter she was informed by another hiker who arrived after I left that we were tenting next to a crazy person. Oh great. There goes our restful night. 

We tried to digest the information given to us and we decided just to be on guard and went to bed. We thought about night hiking out the last 5 miles but again, couldn't convince our minds or bodies to do so. We would just have to sleep with one eye open. 

Happy Hiking.