Day 57 - Slack Packing the Priest (June 4)

I woke to thunderstorms. There were tornado warnings listed until 10:00 AM. I decided to slack pack 21 miles with V8 and Auntie Mame. I really enjoyed their company. They are twins who just turned 57. They said their dad died suddenly of a heart attack at that age. One of their husbands did a thru hike last year. They said the thru hike sounded fun so they gave it a try. One is a psychologist who does a lot of work with drug addictions. We had plenty of good conversations in the morning.

It was a very hot and humid day. There was not rain or tornadoes, just lots of heat.

The Priest Wilderness was one of the areas that we went through. It was a very well graded climb of over 3,000 feet. I did the climb super fast. It was nice being able to climb with so little effort. I felt absolutely no strain in my legs. However, one of my ankles is hurting now. I hope it is a muscle strain rather than a tendon problem.

I will be in Waynesboro tomorrow. That will be 850 miles. I wish I could think of that distance as a lot, but I don't. I might start feeling like I've gone a long way when I reach 1,000 miles.

I called Rockfish Gap Outfitter today to try to find out information on aqua blazing. They said the guy that did it no longer does it. However, I met several people on the trail who said someone was at Trail Days advertising for aqua blazing. Paul, I would appreciate your insight on this. What can you find?