I was up at 5:15, left after wishing Lucky happy trails at 6:15, and was at the parking lot across the wide James River footbridge by 7:20. There I met a woman who had been locked out of her van since the night before. Some hikers in the evening had told her they would send a locksmith but the locksmith never arrived. I told her a shuttle was pucking me up at 8. Then I thought, why don’t I try hitchhiking and if I get a ride before, say, 7:45 that could mean getting someone out to her 15 minutes early. So I crossed the highway and walked a ways up to the parking lot to the other side of the road, since it would be an easier spot for a car to pull into. On my way there I noticed a Sheriff’s car pull into that parking lot. I told him about her situation and he promised to handle it. After about 25 cars passed me by, a guy named Nate in a pickup truck picked me up. He is in HR at a local college and was super friendly. He picks hikers up fairly often partly because it’s not safe to stand by the highway hitching. On our way past the other parking lot I noticed the van’s reverse light was on so I guess the cop was able to get the door open himself.
I got a bit of a talking to when I arrived at the hostel (a fair bit later because I asked Nate to drop me off by the town hall) because the driver said she’d waited for me at the parking lot. I had never committed to the 8am pickup, so I’m not sure why she waited, but this brings up two observations about Stanimals. One, the staff don’t seem like the happiest people, although they are friendly and helpful. Two, there seem to be communication failures between them, as another hiker pointed out to me.
I showered and did my trop planning so I’d know how much food I needed to buy. Then the head honcho offered to drive me to DG Market (DG stands for Dollar General of course). Other than the tortillas not being whole wheat, and the most flavorful cheese being “sharp cheddar”, the resupply went great. Except now I have way too many clementines!
I went to the local pizzeria and ordered a large salad and a large veggie pizza. I could only eat half the pizza so took the rest home and nibbled on it all afternoon. In the evening I went back there with the two Capps (turns out their last name is the source of their trail names) and Centipede whom I’d met way back at Woods Hollow. I ordered manicoti and couldn’t eat even half of them but I am nibbling on the leftovers now. I also discovered that a drink of 2/3 Dr Pepper and 1/3 soda water is very refreshing. I even got a free refill.
We had been watching Mrs Doubtfire on the living room TV before dinner so we picked up where we left off. Now it’s 10pm. Way past hiker bedtime. A good leisurely day with little walking.
Mile 785.9 to mile 787.9 = 2.0 miles.
James River footbridge
James River
A mansion in Glasgow. Picture Stanimals as on the opposite end of the squalor-luxury spectrum.