June 2-3 in central VA

June 2, 2005 | Day 67 | Miles: 13.6 | Total Miles: 827.1
End: Maupin Field Shelter
Danielle:
Rain, rain, rain
Ugh. We woke up to rain this morning, and it is now 8:30pm and it's still raining. We were the first ones out of the shelter and it wasn't until 10am. The day basically consisted of a 5m downhill, followed by a 2m climb to the first shelter. We stopped there and ate lunch, contemplating what to do. Should we stay or should we go? Going would mean less miles the next day. Staying would mean drying out sooner. Going would mean getting wet. Hmmm. In the end, we kept going and continued the huge climb up the Three Ridges. One of our biggest, most continual climbs yet, and over 4000ft. too, with wet rocks and all. About halfway up, I said, hmmm, maybe we should have stayed... But it was too late so on we went. And it just kept on raining. We banged out the last 6.2m in 3 hours despite it all. Then it was almost immediately into the sleeping bags in an attempt to get warm. Brrrrr. Beantown was camped out in one of the corners of the shelter. He'd been there since 10:30am, after coming from the last shelter, and he just never left. Pretty funny although I don't think he was too pleased with himself in the end. But it's 16m to the next shelter, and really, it's pretty sucky out so might as well stay as dry as you can while you have the chance. The miles can wait until tomorrow :-)
Saw 6 toads and 5 bright orange salamanders today, plus a Scarlet Tananger at the first shelter today. Lots of other birds flitting around and singing and giving us false hope that the rain would stop, but none that I could really see well enough to name, and despite all their singing it still kept raining!

Ryan:
rain, cold hard rain, and wind
um...yuk. everything is wet...because it rained all day. all last night, and all day. still raining right now. i have to pee, but i'm holding it until the last possible moment, so i don't get soaked. that's how much it's raining. with this in mind, we may be deviating from our original plan, and going 21 miles straight into waynesboro tomorrow, instead of splitting it up into a 16 and a 5. if it's sunny tomorrow, we'll stick to the two day plan, because it's easier and cheaper. but, if it's still nasty, we'll probably just suck it up and go. other than that, today was interesting: up 200 feet, down 3000 feet, back up 3000 feet, down 1200 feet, up 200 feet, down 500 feet...or something like that. yup, virginia sure is flat. the good thing about today is that it answered the question, why am i still carrying my rain pants, my winter hat and my gloves? i needed them all today. it's june! in virginia! i've had to wear all my clothes today. i know i'll really be complaining when it's hot, but this is bit much. oh yeah, we're low on food. sooooo....hungry...
today's song - if god will send his angels, u2..."nobody else here, baby. no one here to blame. no one to point the finger. just you and me in the rain."

June 3, 2005 | Day 68 | Miles: 21.1 | Total Miles: 848.2
End: Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Hostel, Waynesboro, VA
Danielle:
Rain, mist and fog
Another day of rain. Yuck. In the "real" world, it's raining and it's not a big deal. You're inside and you might have to run out to the car or to do an errand, but you can go back in and get dry. The rain is a bit of a hassle but not too big of a deal, right? But out here the weather is a huge factor. Everything gets wet and you have to walk all day and then try to get warm and dry once you get into camp. The shelters get full and everyone gets into their bags early to keep as warm as they can. And to go to the bathroom or get water, you have to get out of your bag and go out into the rain. Then it's still raining the next morning and you have to get up and start all over. Makes for a bit of tough going, but there's not much choice so you just keep walking.Well today, after waking up to more rain as described above, we decided we would just hoof it and get into Waynesboro today instead of tomorrow. 21 miles. And we hiked it in 8 hours. Despite the wet rocks. Ugh. But we just kept going and hammered it out. So after the rain and wet rocks and long miles, we're really happy to be at this hostel. It's a rec room where we're all set up on the floor. Plus a shower with towel and a lounge area with TV and snacks. And all for free. Thank you, thank you Lutheran Church! Very nice place to be tonight.
It was a record today for bright orange salamanders. 47 of them were seen along the trail today. I noted each of them for Ryan and counted aloud to keep myself amused :-) Anything to stay happy through the day. Plus we saw 4 deer and an adorable fawn. It was about the size of a large cat and was a great dark brown with white spots. So cute. It was cuddled up by a rock while mom looked at us intently as we hiked by. We didn't want to disturb them too much so we didn't even take a photo, but what a neat experience.
"Real World" News: I am proud to announce that I am going to be an aunt! My sister Kristen is pregnant and due sometime in December. Wow! I can't believe my little sister is going to be a mom. Very exciting! I'm so happy for her and Rob. And can't wait to spoil my little niece or nephew :-)
P.S. Our fortune cookie at the chinese food restaurant tonight said "You love challenge." Seems fitting, and we're up for it! We're tough. Rrrrr :-)

Ryan:
rain, more cold hard rain (ok, not all day, but i'm going for a dramatic effect.)
who wants to suffer? that's pretty much what today was all about. it was raining this morning when we left the shelter, and the trail was really rocky, and all the rocks were wicked slippery. not good times. in any event, we banged out 16 miles today in 6 hours without any real stops. we were moving. a brief lunch stop with 5 miles to go, and then we were home in an hour and a half. basically, we were hammering. danielle is a stud. she was more jacked than usual today. that chick is pretty tough. no surprise, and she impresses me everyday, but i was particularly impressed today. her feet aren't feeling the best right now, but two days off should cure that. this evening, after the all you can eat bonanza of ming garden and a pint of ben & jerry's we're feeling pretty good, and the floor of a church basement never looked so good. hey, it's a free place to stay. many thanks to the generosity of all the folks along the trail. it never ceases to amaze me.
today's song - yeah right...no time for songs...must go faster, must go faster