Waynesboro, VA (In town avoiding the heat wave!)

Hi all,

We're in Waynesboro VA (854 miles from Georgia).  We now only have 1,327 miles to go.  Wow that seems like a lot on this computer screen!

In the middle of our 8 day trek from Daleville to Waynesboro Becky decided that she couldn't stay on the AT any longer (she was feeling trapped by the white blazes, lol).  So we took a side trail to see Crabtree falls.  Every once in a while we take side trails as proof that we're not just on a steady trudge to Maine.  One would think that hiking the AT is about wandering in the woods; but sometimes its too easy to only think about the goal of Maine, and loose sight of the adventure along the way.

We're now intently reading the guide book looking for any reference of a swimming hole and planning accordingly, even if it means hiking a 24 mile day.  Its getting hot!  However we can't think of a cooler spot than the Appalachian ridges.  However crossing the brutally hot cow pastures can be a challenge on multiple levels.  One its hot and two Amanda's constantly afraid Becky will loose her head and try to pet a cow, but so far the flies have kept her away. As we were watching the cows wallowing in a muddy stream, a hiker passed us and said "Don't you just want to jump in there with them." We looked at each other and cringed.  The water was so gross, no heat wave would have possessed me to jump in that water.  Amanda wanted to call the VA water board and report the farm, but we think it might be legal in VA to have cows in rivers depending on the size of the stream.  This is why we filter water!

We're camping for free at the YMCA in Waynesboro, VA.  We saw more wildlife camping outside the YMCA then on the trail (an otter, a family of geese, and a family of ducks).  The town is really hiker friendly; everyone is willing to help out the AT hikers.  Essentially we are just a group of wandering vagrants, but as long as you're a vagrant with a lofty goal (such as walking from GA to MA), everyone is excited to help you out!

Happy trails,
Amanda and Becky
"Maple and Oak" (The Twins or as one hiker said "just a couple of hardwoods")

Also if you're looking for a short hike in VA Dragons Tooth, McAfee's knob and Tinker Cliffs were all gorgeous.