I woke up at 4:30 this morning sore and anxious about being too tired to plan last night and not finding much information online about the small towns up ahead. I have hit a mental and physical wall. I want to go home. This section from Dalesville to Waynesboro was difficult last time, and it appears to have gotten worse over the years. I'm not having fun, I don't want to be camping out in the expected days of rain forecasted. I need time to plan and make arrangements! I can't resupply without knowing how much to buy. And the local outfitter clerk is a moron: "Do you have a copy of AWOL's rail guide?" Am I walking the Trail you idiot!? Screw this, I'm going home. I quit.
4:00pmu same day.
Tucson said earlier he would not be hiking tomorrow, he needs another zero day. He feels he has spent the day running around doing trail chores instead of resting. Co-Ed reluctantly admitted his knee is bothering him but insists that he has to be in a town on the 3rd to rent a car. I found a hostel up by Buena Vista that looks good but only accepts six people per day as they are still finishing infrastructure and permitting for their bunkhouse. After spending a couple hours brainstorming and crunching numbers (not easy to do on a phone, I'd've been faster with a laptop), I found a workable plan that allows us to do the segment in 8 days but resupply every 3 days. And the weather forecast is improved slightly. Tucson and Co-Ed bought into my plan, and the hostel can accommodate us. The local outfitter says he can shuttle us for a slackpack day.
So, I have a plan, I have a real day of rest, Tucson will get his rest day, Co-Ed will be on a blacktop road on the 3rd (and probably well before 4pm), and we are only 295 miles from Harpers Ferry, and less than a mile and a half from finishing ⅓ of the trail. I will stay on my hike.
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