Entering: The Virginia Quarter

Salutations, friends and lovers.

Today finds us at a public library computer in Damascus, Virginia.
Vital stats: 463 miles hiked, 2 more days of snow (but only dustings :)), 3 deer, 3 bears, many friends, and one amazing discovery that Pop Tarts makes a Hot Fudge Sundae variety. I can identify 4 different bird calls thanks to my friend Gangsta (former UGA wildlife major with an M.S. from the Forestry school), and I am currently winning the Worst (Best?) Trekking Pole Strap Tan Line contest. Boo ya. Stats on my mind: off the charts. As I have said, the internal ups & downs mirror the external ones.

Pat (trail name: Saint) and I are still traveling in our pack of 5 (Wags, Gangsta, Hermes), plus we picked up Rusticus. I heard a rumor that we're being called The Brady Bunch, due to our well-balanced gender mix and numbers. This news led to 4 days of my having the Brady Bunch theme song stuck in my head. I really miss real music. I did play guitar for about half an hour, at an amazing Hostel in Hot Springs that featured a music room. Did I write about that already? Meh. I was extraordinarily rusty though, and couldn't remember some of the chords to the songs I wanted to play. It was depressing. But also glorious.

On clear nights where we camp away from shelters, we build a fire and sit around it well into the hiker night (i.e. until 10pm). We have taken to a question-answer session that circles around the fire as each person responds. The depth and honesty with which everyone speaks has made these some of my favorite times on the trail. We have bonded so quickly out here.

I have spent entire days walking with one member of our party, talking. I have also spent entire days by myself, in thought. I find that the balance between the two takes my mind out to wander, and then back to converse. I spent days talking to Gangsta about religion and love, talking to Wags about futures, talking to Hermes about philosophy and religion and their intersection. And then, there are the other times when we're all together and we revert to a pre-adolescent humor because so much of our time is spent concerning ourself with our own bodies. The trail is funny like that.

It's gorgeous today, and I'm glad for the rest.

I hope you are all well.

Lots of love!
<3 Bee/WindUp

Music room at Elmer's, Hot Springs, NC: