Mooove along...

4/23/08 - Hiked up over 2 different "Brushy Mtns" - they must be running out of clever names to call them-thar big elevation spots - lots of "Brushys."

• Spring has sprung in the valleys! Dropping out of the mountains was like walking in 'fast-forward' through time... warm weather & blooming trees are always a nice change in pace from barren mountaintops.
• Spooked a cow or it spooked him... depending on who you ask - it's debatable. It was hiding in the bushes & once they caught a glimpse of one another the cow split - quick.
• Hiked 16 mi to Trent's Grocery Store & gobbled down a sub, fries, and a pint of chocolate ice cream on the porch while watching a group of loggers "work" across the street. (Amos said they actually looked like they were playing with toy logs & Tonka trucks.)
• Remaining 8 miles wound along Dismal Creek - kept checking to see if it was 'kayakable'.
• Passed the 600 mile mark! Stayed at Wapiti Shelter - nice relaxing evening with a fire.

4/24/08 - Woke-up & hiked to a series of high-tension wires that "smelled like death" - like the power lines fried something furry & its rotting carcass was simmering somewhere nearby... but terrific views!! Green valleys against the bare ridge lines were a gorgeous visual contrast.

• 16.5 mi.
• Stopped for lunch & tried to eat everything he had because he knew he'd be getting into town tonight. Peanut butter & applesauce pitas were delectable!
• Down 2,000 ft in 1.5 mi into Pearisburg to the Holiday Motor Lodge (with pastel walls... looked like something you'd see on a roadside in the middle of the desert in Arizona). Free spot on the floor of Half-brew, Snoopy, & Shutterbug's room!
• Italian place for dinner - pizza & a fried platter (mozzarella, mushrooms, onion rings, crazy waitress... no wait - she wasn't fried. Or was she?! She did show up at their hotel room later talking about dealing, dropping out of school in 10th grade, getting hitched at the tender age of 16 (!), being an alcoholic mother of 3, chasing her abusive [and also alcoholic] husband around their motel room [home] with a gun AND having a warrant out for her arrest - something about being wanted for 'Conspiracy Against the State of West Virginia'!!!? - like walking onto the set of a really bad talk show... I told Amos I wish I could scoop her up - set her up with a nice set of verniers & save her... from herself. He assured me it was too late.)

4/25/08 - Torn between hiking like crazy to Katahdin or enjoying the scenery (& the experience) along the way...

• Chose the latter. A day of zip... zero... zilch.
• Or... Internet cafe, coffee, laundry, groceries, & post office.
• Time to savor the adventure.