Friday April 15, 2011: From Richmond to Roanoke; Meeting Janet

Friday, April 15, 2011 

Starting Point:  Richmond, Virginia

Destination:  Roanoke, Virginia

It is 5:30 p.m.  I have taken a half day off and I am already packed and ready to go.  I’m watching The Chamomile Lawn on a Netflix dvd while I wait.  I rented this movie because Toby Stephens is in it.  He is wickedly handsome and a wonderful actor to boot.  I loved him as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre.  In The Chamomile Lawn, however, he plays a bit of a fool.  He is madly in love with Jennifer Ehle, but she tells him she wants to marry a rich man.  She promises to give him “comfort” if the war comes (the movie starts in 1939, right before World War II). Toby is trying to take her up on the offer, but an air raid siren goes off just as she starts to undress.  The landlady comes in to make sure he has closed the blackout curtains.  Jennifer hides in a wardrobe just as my dogs begin to bark.  AK is here.   Jenni arrives just a few minutes later.

We quickly pack the car.  We have to drive to Roanoke to pick up Janet, the fourth member of our hiking party.  We are off to hike the AT through the Smoky Mountains.

We are all members of the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains a 19 mile section of the Appalachian Trail here in Virginia.  I met Jenni and AK last year when I first joined the club.  We are all obsessed with hiking.  I find it to be the perfect antidote to working in an office all day, surrounded by corporate politics.  Life is simple on the trail.  I just walk. I carry everything I need to survive on my back.  There is a sense of independence and accomplishment in this endeavor that is not replicated in any other aspect of my life.  Plus, I don’t have to wear makeup.  There is no phone or e-mail.   At work I feel like a dolphin in a shark tank.   I’m more afraid of the sharks at work than the bears on the trail.   I’ve only seen the hind legs of a bear on the trail, but at work I’ve seen sharks up close.   

Jenni, AK and I have similar hiking styles and speed (i.e., slow).  We are all in our 50’s.  Jennie works for a county planning department, AK is a teacher, and I am a lawyer.  We have done a number of hikes together, including the Maryland section last summer.  I think we make a good team. 

I have only met Janet once.   She’s a member of our club but she recently moved from Richmond back to her home town of Roanoke.  She’s a legal assistant and at 45, she’s younger than the rest of us.  

AK is a petite woman with a big personality.  She is never afraid to voice her opinions.  I admire this about her as I am the same way.  She teaches fifth grade in Petersburg, Virginia.   Since her students tend to be bigger than her, every year she brings her fully loaded backpack into class to let them know that she is no pushover.  We all know this already. 

Jenni is a true GRIT—girl raised in the south.  She was a St. Catherine’s girl, and a boarder, no less.  She grew up in Fluvanna County, where her father taught at Fork Union Military Academy.  Jenni is quiet, but not shy.  She, like AK, has a wonderful sense of humor.   Neither woman takes herself too seriously, either.   These are just two reasons why I like them so much. 

We are section hikers, meaning we hike the AT in sections, as opposed to thru hiking the entire 2180 mile trail in one season. AK has already hiked all of Virginia and has started on Tennessee.  Hence, she wanted to hike the Smokies.  The trail runs 75 miles through the Smokies, so it is a challenging distance for me.  The longest section I’ve done so far is 52 miles. I have no idea of the challenge in terms of terrain, but I will soon find out.     

We take the southern route to Roanoke in order to avoid the trucks on I-81.  This is the same route my family takes to drive to our house at Smith Mountain Lake.  More than once during this trip, I will question my decision to hike instead of lounge at the lake.  

We arrive in Roanoke around 10 p.m.  Janet has just gotten back from the grocery store and is starting to pack her food for the trip.   AK teases her about her food choices.  Janet is an experienced backpacker, however and knows what she is doing. 

After Janet finishes getting critiqued on her food, we go through the same routine as she packs her clothes.  Should she bring an extra pair of pants?  No, AK tells her, you don’t need them.  Just bring your shorts and some long underwear.   And you don’t need that extra shirt either, she says.  Janet keeps the pants but ditches the shirt.  (Later, Janet will end up buying a shirt on last day of the trip so she will have something clean to wear while she waits for us to show up at the hostel). 

It’s now after 11:00 and I’m tired.  We want to get an early start in the morning.  I know AK and Jenni are tired, but Janet shows no signs of slowing down.   She has amazing energy.  I announce that I am ready for bed and AK and Jenni follow suit.   



AK



Jenni 

 

Janet