An Adventurous Side Track

   In 1980 most of the Appalachian Trail was in the mountains and woods. But there were some short stretches where the trail was forced to follow a road (sometimes dirt road, sometimes paved road). In the far north of Virginia there was a stretch of trail that followed a paved road. Now, hiking on a paved road has its advantages. The surface is smooth, so you don't have to worry about tripping on tree roots or rocks or slipping in mud. The road is usually straight, while the trail often twists and turns with "switchbacks" going up and down mountains. You can make a lot of progress fast on a paved road. You can also miss the turn too. That's what I did...again.
   I was hiking with two or three other people at this point. Maybe it was our conversation, maybe it was the fact that the turnoff was poorly marked. All I know is someone piped up and said, "Hey, has anyone seen a blaze in a while?" Those small white paint marks were our guide to following the trail. We stopped and looked ahead, no blazes. We turned around and looked back, no blazes. No one remembered seeing a blaze for a while. And no one wanted to turn around and backtrack who knows how much distance. Someone had a map and pulled it out to study. He was insistent that although we had missed the trail, we could connect to another road in a short distance and reconnect back up with the trail.
   We were all for adventure, so we headed out. Shortly we came to an old general store. That means ice cream and cold drinks for backpackers! When I say "old" general store, I really mean "old". The merchandise was loaded onto shelves, but there was a counter blocking access to all of the shelves. One man ran the store. You asked for the items you wanted and he picked them off the shelves for you. That was the way stores used to be in some areas a long, long. LONG time ago.
   After getting snacks and cold Gatorade, we discovered that our grand plan for reconnecting with the trail wouldn't work. Fortunately another customer in a pickup truck knew where the trail was. We all loaded up in the back of the truck and he took us to the place where the trail left the road and went back into the woods. It was an adventurous side track. We decided it was worth the extra walking for all the goodies we bought at the store. As I hiked down the trail, my right foot started aching again. It had been a week since I bruised it, dancing barefoot in Waynesboro. I just kept going. The trail stretched ahead of us, something over 1,000 miles left to Maine. I knew I was going to make it.
  2011 update:  This morning I weighed in at 177.2 pounds. I went jogging again, but my right calf muscle got tight (again). It's frustrating to have injury problems when you are trying to exercise (*sigh*). Today I have a lunch with a church planter consultant. I also have a tailgate party & the Braves baseball game tonight. I will try to stay away from all the fat, but I might "have" to eat a hotdog! Go Braves!