Into the Wild

Trail Days 2006 was great. I'd estimate there were probably around 5000 people there, but the news will say something like 15,000 people were there. During the parade I especially enjoyed being pelted by waterballons and standing helpless as a barage of water pistols wielded by 13 year olds assualted me.

Leah came and picked me up at the hostel in Troutdale, VA and we went on a short hike (it was originally planned to be longer) for 14 miles up to the Mount Rogers National Recreational Area headquarters. She got blisters so we went to Damascus and set up camp in "tent city". It poured that night (friday) and unfortunately Leah's tent leaked so she was rather unhappy in the morning. On top of this, Leah's starter on her '97 Grand Am decide to quit collagulating as well. It had been doing this for a while, and before I had slid under the car each time and beat on the the starter with a hard object to get it to start. Well, this time it barely worked- but we managed to make it to Abington where we found an Advance Auto Parts store which carried a reconstructed starter for a decent price. We went back to trail days and parked in a dirt parking lot in front of Tent City. I spent the majority of Friday going around town looking for wrenches and ratchets, and asking advice from people who knew something about cars on how to replace it. I finally aquired the tools and returned to the car and jacked the left side of the vehicle up and stuck flat rocks under the tire to prevent the car from falling on me if the cheap jack decided to slip. An hour passes...and the old starter is out. I was greasy and my hands were black and I was pretty proud of my accomplishment. It took me 30 more minutes before I got the new one in. I told Leah to get in the car and try it. It started beautifully, taking only seconds to revv to life. So, if you ever need a starter changed, I'm your man.

I also got another instant camera developed, this one was a 27 exposure underwater camera I had bought the year before. I used it on the trail for wet shots during the rain. Unfortunately, only 10 came out exposed. Instant cameras on the trail are a bad idea. At any rate, here a few that turned out:


Fontana Dam from the mountains

The bear

In the storm on Max Patch

In other news, my hip is killing me and I absolutely love Virginia. This is my favorite section on the trail so far: rolling hills, cows, horses, switchbacks (as opposed to rock climbing), and green foilage. It is so green I cant believe it. Last night I camped in the middle of a green field of long grass and in the middle of the night left the tent to pee. The grass was swaying in the wind and I could see purple flowers in the moonlight. The log entries will be updated to about 4/15 today, and in a week when I visit Columbia again I will update it up to now. I've alot of writing to transcribe.

Also, Travis Plympton is coming to hike with me in New England. He's coming mid-June for over a month. I can't wait, Travis is my cousin and close friend and it will be awesome to have a partner for the last leg of my hike.

Thank you for reading.