"Like a den mother" - May 26

Woke up in a hotel. Didn't sleep well. I was going to sleep in but got moving. Redivided this resupplying shuffle and ran across the street to food lion to resupply. I'm going to try and forward one unopened box I sent to myself here in pearisburgh and Mail some surplus off to another drop point up the trail. Added some stuff from the food lion trip to round out the box and hoofed it over to the post office. It's starting to rain. The post office doesn't open until 9. Who ever heard of such a thing? I'm going to send surplus gear home too. I decide to schlep my bundles down Main Street to the only diner in town. “Hiker Friendly”. On the way past the court house the requisite statue of a confederate soldier list of names and quote from Jefferson Davis. The story they told was how a union general was defeated by a confederate general in this county. All sort of ties together with the Bill Oreilly book I reading about lincolns assasination. It's raining harder. Im hanging out on the street. This sure is Virginia Tech country. Every time you turn around something else has VT on it. Vermont? Restaurant doesn't open until nine either. While standing I the dry postoffice waiting for it to open started talking with a motherly through hiker who is complaining about always ending up in a family of 22 something hikers. Like a den mother. I explained that boys become lost boys if they don't have a Wendy to hike the AT with them. She also said that she was going to “ water blaze” the section of the AT that parallels the blue ridge parkway. Lots of people still calling themselves through hikers are now doing that section in canoes. Too many campgrounds and tourists and snack are otherwise. I dunno that's not the AT I think of. She is also hiking with a dog bi asked her what she did for the no dogs allowed Smokie mountains. She said hers was a service dog. Oh, sure. I can see her pulling that crap to bring a dog in Baxter. Judging from the characters I've seen during this circus I'm thinking thru hikers need to be tuned up before they can get into Baxter. Really some keno the legislature should put a bill in that removes the AT from Baxter all together. It won't pass but it would be a good eye opener for what's expected of people in Baxter. I stewed about his all day. I finally got hiking by 11. Mostly up hill all the way and I'm feeling wicked logey. It started raining by 1 I got to a shelter by 230 and sat there with 6 other wet hikers waiting for it to let up. I started getting chilled so figures I'd stay the night. By 430 it had stopped and all the others pushed on. I e resupplies for 5 days and I'm not sure I want to carry wet stuff the whole time. The weather report is rain for 9 days. Anyway a half hour after everyone leaves the sun comes out. I hang my wet clothes out and everything is dry in the sun and wind. I looked at my book and I'll be hard pressed to gain anytime between here and the next resupply. Technically I'm stillin my two week conditioning period, I didn't sleep well last night, and the view out front is gorgeous down into the valley. The sun is shining, my clothes are drying, I 'm warm in my longies and the view goes on for miles. Also because of that mid afternoon rain I don't think anyone left town to be up here I the shelter. I have earplugs just in case.
62° Mostly Cloudy
100–198 N Main St, Pearisburg, VA, United States