June 4-5 in central VA

June 4, 2005 | Day 69 | Miles: 0 | Total Miles: 848.2
End: Tree Streets Inn, Waynesboro, VA
Danielle:
Partly sunny and warm
The smell that 10 hikers create in a large enclosed space, especially after 2 days of rain, is incredible. We didn't notice it while we were in the room last night, but when I left it to go to the bathroom or into the lounge this morning, boy was it like a wall of stink as you walked back into the room. Truly amazing and horrible.
But aside from the smell.... We packed ourselves up this morning and headed to get a big breakfast and do laundry. Then the PO and to check into the Tree Streets Inn. A really nice old home where we have a room on the third floor--perfect for us stinky hikers :-) Our hosts, Bill and Nickie, are very nice, and we're currently lounging in the shade in the backyard, reading and looking at the maps, after eating a nice lunch out here. Very quiet and comfortable. Plus so nice to sit for a change!
I am happy to have this day and the next to rest my feet--they got a bit beat up after two solid days of walking in the rain--and heal my bruises. I forgot to mention yesterday that after all my fast and nimble manueverings of the slippery rocks I took a hard fall on the stairs coming out of the last shelter before town. I have a wonderful bruise on my back thigh. Ow! I mean, really, am I that out of practice with civilization? Oh well. It's funny now but boy did it hurt! Still, we're holding up well all in all, but are definitely happy to be getting a bit of R&R for two days, along with getting all our chores done. On to the hiker BBQ that the town is holding tonight and then a free shuttle to the movies to see Star Wars! :-)

Ryan:
mix of sun and clouds, warm
our original plan called for us to arrive this morning, but with the long day yesterday we arrived early and with reservations already made...well, we're here for two days. waynesboro is your typical struggling community that you find all over the united states. most of the manufacturing jobs are being shipped overseas, and the plants are crumbling along with the downtown. meanwhile, we could walk a couple miles to walmart and a bevy of fast food options. the story is the same, only the accent changes. we've made the shift to the b&b for the night. not the best on the pocketbook, but great for the body and soul. don't get me wrong, the free linoleum floor at the free church hostel was free and great for being free, and since it was free...well, you see where i'm going. either way, if you ever have a reason to come to waynesboro (why?) stay at the tree streets inn...great place with great people. waynesboro is holding a hikerfest this weekend, so we'll be hitting the barbecue and free shuttle to the movies, but for the afternoon, i think relaxing and possibly napping on the patio is in order.
today's song - jack & diane, john cougar mellencamp...waynesboro has a tastee freeze, so maybe we'll be suckin' on chili dogs later.

June 5, 2005 | Day 70 | Miles: 0 | Total Miles: 848.2
End: Tree Streets Inn, Waynesboro, VA
Danielle:
Sunny and hot
A second zero day. Unusual for us but since we had planned to come in on Saturday and got here a night early, we figured we would just stick to our original schedule and take today off too. With us taking this extra day off, a bunch of our friends have caught up to us, including Patch, who has been trailing us since Damascus and trying to catch us. Imagine catching us! We haven't been doing super big miles but we've been pretty consistent and not taking too many days off, which is different than some. In any event, it's good to catch up with people. Sounds like there will be a big group of us headed into the Shenandoahs tomorrow.
Today has consisted of eating, grocery shopping, going to the outfitter, making phone calls and trying to stay in the shade. It is hot out!
A note about Waynesboro: they are very hiker-friendly. They put on a hiker BBQ (limited food options... I even had a bit of BBQ pork out of desperation, but not again. Ugh) last night for a small price and were giving away little prizes. We both ended up getting free movie tickets donated by some nice people in town, so along with the free shuttle they provided to the movie theatre after dinner, we saw the movie for nothing! What a great idea. Much appreciated too :-) We really liked Star Wars, although it was a sad story. Glad we had the chance to catch it not too long after it had come out.
Back to our reality tomorrow, although throughout the Shenandoahs there are places along Skyline Drive where we can hit the concession stands and even restaurants not far from the trail. Yum :-) A bit of a change from being way out in the woods but we'll definitely be taking advantage of it and will enjoy the burgers and shakes as we hike through the park!

Ryan:
sunny, hot
after i wrote my journal yesterday two amazing things happened. 1. we finally saw star wars, and 2. danielle ate pork. really, i have no words for either. thanks to the waynesboro hikerfest and their limited dinner options and free movie shuttles. two days off, and feeling rested...back at it tomorrow, and into shenandoah national park.