On the trail again...sort of...

Heading out, Take 2. And dressed for safety.
"I'm not a turkey--please don't shoot me!"

Once again, we’re availing ourselves of the free WiFi at Mickey D’s—this time in Pearisburg, VA. It’s been a bit of a slow start, since we headed out almost 2 weeks ago. The 2½ weeks of downtime definitely took a toll. It really is amazing how much fitness you lose in such a short time.

When we reached our starting point at Thunder Ridge, it was eerily similar to our first day back in May: zero visibility, zero sun, and heavy mist. And much like that first day, we didn’t go all that far. It definitely took some time to get the legs moving again. After three slow, painful days, we decided it was time to go to town and busted out an 18-mile day into Daleville. We took a day off, then slackpacked 19 miles, to help get our groove back. A very cold 19 miles, with seriously high winds. Unfortunately, our plan to avoid the incoming cold front by slacking another day was thwarted by the Hokies. Apparently, Daleville fills up on VA Tech home games, so we had to head back into the woods. The Hokies could have at least won, since we had to freeze our asses off.

Under The Guillotine. Yikes!

Admittedly, I was NOT prepared for the unexpected cold front, having sent most of my warm gear on to Pearisburg. So we found ourselves back in Daleville, making a trip to Gander Mountain to score some more winter gear, and taking another zero to avoid the cold rainy weather. There was actually snow and sleet in Pearisburg. It’s only the beginning of October! It’s way too early for this! Of course, now, it’s back up around 70. Oy.

McAfee Knob

Tomorrow we leave Pearisburg, heading to the hostel at Woods Hole, supposedly one of the best places to stay on the entire trail. And I’ll be getting a desperately needed massage there. Yay! I hate to cheat on Selina, but it has to be done.