Monday, June 13, 2011

Journal Entry # 74

Friday, June 10 - Day 78 - Mile 865.4 - Skyline Drive - Turk Gap (Tenting just off trail)

Week 12 begins.

After a very special NERO with Jack & Jackie Purcell we were sent off with one more good meal this morning. Jack drove us back to the trail head where we met Guardian and his wife Lee.  The trio is together again!  Great to have Guardian back on the trail with us.

Guardian had a blank pass for travel in the Shenandoah's so we were off and hiking. Finally, easy Virginia hiking? No.  Once again the ups outnumbered level or down runs. The heat index was very high and we struggled with the humidity. We did experience some trail magic along the way. We were consuming water very quickly with the heat and needed to take a 1 mile detour into a shelter to get water. Before the shelter and just off the Skyline drive a trail angel left a case of bottled spring water. What a pleasant and refreshing surprise...and it saved us a mile.

We stopped tonight about 5:00PM after about 11 miles.  With the heat & humidity combined with the "gentle" VA ups that's all we had in us today. A thunderstorm is rolling in so this is a good time to stop anyway.  Maybe the rain will cool things off a bit.

Tomorrow we're targeting tenting at a campground where we can get a shower and I believe they have a camp store. We have 9 miles before our next water source so we have to be careful with our water. Hopefully tomorrow's trail will be a little kinder to us.

Here comes the rain.
Peace, Love, Joy & Hope,
Trolley Stop

The Reunion!

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