Here is the journal of Jim's next four days:
Fri., Mar. 4
- Jim's voice:
Heavy rain overnight had nearly stopped when we left the hotel at 8:30
for a hearty breakfast at a nearby restaurant. Though the rain stopped
it was still a bone-chilling 37⁰
with a strong wind. After breakfast we drove both cars to our next
hotel in Smithfield, conveniently located right on the route that David
and I will walk today. David left his car at the hotel and we took off
in our car to drive to yesterday's pickup spot to start the hike day.
David and I set off at a relatively late 10:45 with too many layers of
clothing to count on our bodies. I was so heavily dressed that I could
have been climbing Mt. Washington - OK, a bit of exaggeration! Somewhat
surprising, we actually stayed warm and over the next 5 miles I was
able to remove my heavy gloves and unzip several of my jackets. In the
first mile we went over a bridge over the wide Pagan River. We then
went through a pretty residential neighborhood and continued another
five miles on a rural road - no shoulder but little traffic. Soon after
leaving that road the local fire department vehicles roared past us,
fire trucks and ambulances, with numerous flashing lights and sirens
blaring. This was just before we walked past the fire station, where
we saw additional firemen responding to the emergency. We later learned
that a vehicle had gone off the road and overturned on the very road we
had just walked, perhaps only minutes after we passed that location.
At this point we were entering the small town of Chuckatuck and we
spotted a little cafe - "Jeff's Sir-Cakes-A-Lot Bakery and Cafe"
(picture attached). When we went in we saw that they offered soups and
sandwiches, perfect for these hungry hikers. On this chilly day their
french onion soup was the ideal midday choice. The staff was sociable
and we enjoyed great conversation while eating lunch. On the way out,
they gave us each a humongous chocolate chip cookie that must have
weighed two pounds! After lunch we continued on the highway which for
much of the way became a divided road with a reasonable shoulder for us
hikers. Most of the time the shoulder was too narrow for us to walk
side by side, but at other times we could, enjoying our conversations on
topics ranging far and wide. How pleasant it was to have a hiking
companion to talk to. We arrived in the vicinity of the hotel where
Jane had earlier checked in. I called her and said we had a few more
miles to do. Forty-five minutes later she drove the 2.5 miles to pick
us up - another successful day, EXCEPT upon getting to the hotel I
discovered my pinkie toe was heavily blistered. I will have to wrap it
well in hopes of finishing the remaining 19 miles to Williamsburg
tomorrow.
Miles Today - 17.5..... Total Cumulative Miles - 89
Sat., Mar. 5 - Jane's voice:
We started the day by driving both cars over 20 miles to leave David's
car at the Scotland-Jamestown Ferry terminal. We then drove back to
yesterday's pickup spot and by 9:15 Jim & David were once again
walking north. Shortly after leaving the bridge over a picturesque
wetlands area, Jim noticed a paved road parallel to the traffic-heavy
VA-10 they were walking on. Seeking a quieter and safer route they
walked through about 100 feet of woods to reach the other road. They
found themselves at the very end of what probably was the old Route 10.
For about 3 miles they walked this quiet road seeing few cars and NO
trucks - YEA! All good things must come to an end and after close to
an hour they were back on the main highway. Although traffic was heavy
and the shoulder virtually non-existent, the views were pleasant -
largely farmland interspersed with residences. A sign bearing the
message "Meat Packing Plants" showed us the direction to where your
Smithfield Ham originates. Both of the hikers enjoyed many plaques
along the historic Colonial Trail. David took pictures of every one and a
couple are attached, as well as a picture of an abandoned building and
vehicle that they thought was interesting.
The weather forecast had told them to expect a high temp of at least 50⁰ but
unfortunately the morning cloud cover persisted as well as an
occasional stiff breeze and the temp never got out of the mid 40's. Jim
took his long pants off - he did have hiking shorts underneath - and
within an hour he had to put them back on again. It was another chilly
day's walk, but Jim finds it far easier to deal with that than with
temps above 75⁰.
At 1pm they were hungry and were fortunate enough to come across a
small convenience store. Entering, they enjoyed the warmth and the
aromas of cheeseburgers and other "delicacies" of the road. They each
wolfed down a cheeseburger and were back on the road in less than 15
minutes, feeling refreshed and energized. One mile later they were able
to leave the busy highway behind to start the last 8 miles of today's
walk on idyllic country roads - narrow but with little traffic. They
passed several cemeteries and actually walked into one to read the
headstones. Along this stretch they were "greeted" by several unleashed
barking dogs but they turned out to be quite friendly. Jim called
around 2:30 to tell me when they expected to arrive at the ferry
terminal in Surry, VA. I left Smithfield and headed there, passing them
on the way with a toot of my horn and a wave. After I parked the car I
walked toward them so I could hike the end of today's route with them.
Jim said he was pleased to finish today's long hike with no further
pain from his blistered toe - apparently he wrapped it well this
morning!
We
drove both cars into the line of traffic for the ferry over to
Williamsburg, just missing the 3:30 ferry but we were the 2nd and 3rd
cars on the 3:55 trip - believe it or not this is a FREE ride! While
waiting in line the seagulls were frantically flying around hoping
someone would get out of their car with food for them. I don't believe I
have ever seen seagulls so crazed! The picture is actually one that
David captured of a gull on the top of our car! After a short ferry
ride, we drove to our friends' house in Williamsburg, where we stayed
last Sunday prior to Day 1 of the hike. Jim and I will be here for
three nights. They are again not home but will return on Monday and we
will still be here, so we'll get to see them. Jim, David and I later
had a great meal in Colonial Williamsburg.
Miles Today - 19.... Total Cumulative Miles - 108
Sun., Mar. 6
- Jim's voice:
We all left the house at 8:45 this morning, Jane and I to go to church
and David to head home to NJ. We enjoyed mass in this HUGE new church
in the round, with hundreds of locals in attendance - very obviously a
thriving parish. After a little grocery shopping we returned to our
home away from home for a few hours, since I had earlier scheduled today
as a potential rest day. We were then thrilled to have a FaceTime call
with Jim, Jr., Jen and one-year-old Addie in Los Angeles - perfect
timing. It is such a joy to see Addie smile and wave when she sees our
faces on the screen.
Even
though today was a rest day, I was anxious to walk off a few more
miles, so we drove back to the ferry in the early afternoon and I headed
toward Richmond on the Virginia Capital Trail. This is a 50 mile paved
path heavily used by cyclists and hikers that follows Route 5. I
enjoyed a delightful walk along this converted rail trail. I
particularly appreciated the fact that the adjacent Route 5, typically
10-20 feet away from the trail, had no truck traffic, so noise was
minimal. I saw many cyclists including a number of families with young
children - how good to see this. The kids were smiling and having a
great time. At the 7th mile the trail crossed over the Chickahominy
River. The bridge included a separated pedestrian walkway - so
civilized! I called Jane when I was on the bridge and requested a 4:50
pickup and she arrived at 4:49 - not bad!
Miles Today - 9.... Total Cumulative Miles - 117
Mon., Mar. 7
- Jane's voice:
This morning we returned to Milepost 9 where Jim finished up yesterday
and he set off at 9:30. It was quite cool and he had four layers of
clothing on, but the forecast called for temps to warm up into the 60's
with lots of sunshine. Again today Jim really enjoyed this well
designed and constructed trail. Wooden bridges with wooden side
railings passed over any major dips in the landscape. Some of these
were actually quite long, over 300 feet and one he paced out as
exceeding 500 feet! Jim expresses gratitude to the Virginia Dept. of
Transportation (VDOT), who he believes is responsible for building and
maintaining this well used regional treasure. The landscape varied as
he walked along today - woods on both sides of the trail initially and
later on in the day huge agricultural fields. 3.5 hours into the hike
Jim had walked 11 miles and was getting hungry. Conveniently enough at
this point he walked into the tiny town of Charles City which had a bar
& grill located adjacent to the trail. Jim had felt an
uncharacteristic lack of energy all morning and hoped that a light lunch
would fix that. He sat at the bar, ordered a beer to go with his fried
oysters and enjoyed 30 minutes off his tired feet. Resuming his hike,
Jim felt immediately better. Apparently all he needed was a few
calories! He covered the last 7 miles at a pretty consistent rate of
18 minutes per mile, stopping only occasionally to put on or take off a
jacket, depending on the breeze and sun. The big event of the afternoon
was seeing a good sized fox sprinting across the field next to him, the
trail just in front of him and then the road, narrowly missing getting
hit by an oncoming vehicle. This fox was unusually colored with reddish
brown fur on his front end and the rest of his body was gray. We had
difficulty communicating today as Jim's cell phone reception was
minimal. Several calls were unintelligible to one or the other of us,
so Jim resorted to texting me where and when to pick him up. And at the
appointed time and place I was there, but almost drove past him before
seeing my tired hiker husband frantically waving to stop for him. Jim
is happy to have done 18 miles today, 3 more than the planned mileage,
which permits him to slice a few miles off the next day or two. He is
now just over halfway from Williamsburg to Richmond and is looking
forward to having hiking companions tomorrow and the day after.
Miles Today - 18..... Total Cumulative Miles - 135
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