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June 30, 1983 Thursday (1329.8 mtg) From Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal Judging
by the standards set during the last few days on the trail, the
section today was a piece of cake. There were no long up or downhill
sections. The only real problem was tall grass. The problem with
tall grass is interesting. After a rain, and particularly after
a heavy morning dew, tall grass will get your feet more wet than
if you had just been hiking in the rain. Even if it is raining
and you walk through the grass you don't seem to get as wet as the
next morning. Whatever the mechanism, my feet got SOAKED this morning
as I passed through the tall grass covering parts of the trail.
I, and possibly Jody, were the only ones to actually hike the trail
today. The rest chose to follow the parkway to Rockfish Gap. I debated
whether I should take the parkway, but luckily I decided against
it and remained a "purist." Some sections of the trail
provided very slippery rocks that were difficult to navigate due
to the rain, but before I knew it I was at Rockfish Gap wondering
which road to take to find the town of Afton, where my next mail
drop was. I had picked Afton over Waynesboro thinking that Waynesboro
would be too big and spread out to find anything. Afton looked like
a small town, and was just off the trail. I got groceries at Kroger, called and talked with my mother, and put the snakeskin I was carrying into some alcohol for preservation. During the call, which lasted 25 minutes (cost $8.11), arrangements for our rendezvous were "pinned down" the best they could. I told them to meet me at Swift Run Overlook. I hoped I could make it there. The best we could do was to have them enter the park, then drive down the road until somewhere around Swift Run Gap where they would find me waiting. Although I bought supplies for the week, I packed up all that I would need for two days and asked the Fire Warden if I could leave the rest at the station for a couple of days and pick it up on Sunday. I only needed to carry two days until I was to rendezvous with my parents. At 8.00 pm, just as he promised, Rusty showed up and picked me up. He stopped at Kroger's grocery store to pick up some hot dogs, buns, fresh peaches, and charcoal before driving along the parkway to pick up Tom. He left me at the ranger's station at the entrance to the Shenandoah National Park to get my permit so I would not have to do that the next morning while he went to find Tom. I stayed at the entry hut with the ranger, whose name was also Alan (Sager) and talked until Rusty finally returned with Tom in the truck. By that time the fog had begun to thicken as we made our way to his home. It was so thick we could barely see the road. We drove for what seemed many miles before exiting from the good road onto a rough gravel drive that led to his place in the hollow. He named the place "Hard Time Hollow." Rusty was a welder who had developed a passion for hikers and was trying to establish a haven for hikers to stay. I had read about the place, but very little had been written about Rusty's place since it was so new. I think Tom and I were two of the first hikers to stay at the new hostle. He had no electricity or running water. Refrigeration was provided by a cool spring near the cabin. We roasted the dogs, and talked into the night. The meal was topped off with A&W RootBeer, and fresh peaches. Later, we pulled in a couple of mattresses and went to sleep full and happy. Saw a wild turkey today.
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