Waynesboro
This B&B is gorgeous. My mom Virginia would have loved this place. Tree Streets Inn. Highly recommended.
Confession time: In my pack I had some Pepto Bismol tablets from back with my bout of pre-plague in Hot Springs. Last week, when I was pushing the food envelope, twice I ate two of them just to taste the cinnamon. On the other hand, given my current diet, maybe you can’t ever get enough Pepto. 😉
Waynesboro is a lovely, historical town. Lots of southern history here, along with stately homes and beautiful gardens and friendly folk. You have to call them that. They don’t seem like people; they seem like folk.
The sky is blue and the breeze feels wonderful on clean skin, here in a secret garden of wind chimes and honeysuckle. And scabs, because that’s what my bug bites have healed to! Yay!
I’m sitting out here spraying my clothes with permethrin, thanks to the magnificent Blackbird from this journal, who picked me up with his crew of Mini-me’s and shuttled me to Walmart and the outfitter! Thanks, Blackbird! If you ever do Rocksylvania again, call me!
That’s some fine trail magic, there.
Hey, I’m picking up a southern accent in my writing!
I hit the CVS and got a variety of insoles to play with. Then I had an ice cream cone. You know, it struck me that I’d forgotten that kid skill of really working an ice cream cone. And that made me wonder if maybe the point of this whole fool’s errand is to learn how to be a kid again. Less fear. More silliness. Maybe it’s time to shed some of that weighty adulthood like a snake, molting.
Hey, Blackhawk was in the outfitter! He’s two days ahead of me now. I’m glad he’s still in my bubble, more or less. Pathfinder’s back on the trail after a week at home.
Hopefully next week I’ll be able to see my friend Janet, who’s graciously offered to drive down for a visit. Can’t wait!
This crazy, crazy trail.
I’ve now received warnings from two separate nonalarmist sources that severe weather makes Thursday an extremely bad choice for setting out again. I hate wasting the day, but I’m thinking about laying over until Friday. I don’t want to start the next leg with another hurricane. But the day! A whole day!
But that story… ‘I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter. What did you want?’ Have I received my car and my boat? Hrm.
This is where I need a partner. Hey, be my partner! On the one hand, I’m so late that every day is critical. And staying in town costs money. On the other hand, hiking in this extreme stuff is unpleasant and dangerous, and carrying the wet gear makes it torture. Setting up wet, sleeping wet, packing wet… you know. You’ve seen it. And the winds in the woods are really frightening. Plus, I kind of have these giant bruises on my hip that make the pack hurt like hell. And the foot injuries, etc. Another day of healing couldn’t hurt (although that much deconditioning is usually a bad idea and brings on the day 2 blues). On the other other hand… an extra day of town food would increase the reserves.
I’ll stick the weather report below. What would you do? Stay in town one more day and lose the time? Or stuff the fear and get out there, and hope and gamble for the best? (And please stay safe, my family and friends back home in Philly!)
“Thursday, the threat shifts to the East as the cold front and attendant upper-level dip in the jet stream sweep in. Damaging straight-line winds, large hail and a few tornadoes are possible in the Mid-Atlantic States, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Damaging straight-line winds and heavy rainfall are the main threats farther south Thursday from the southern Appalachians and Tennessee Valley to southern Virginia and the Carolinas.”
Karma on the Trail 