We have had phenomenal weather in the eight days since leaving Daleville: we have not been rained on once while hiking. That string comes to a screeching halt after we take a break at the Paul Wolfe Shelter and begin the last 5.2 miles into Rockfish Gap. At first it’s just a mist. Then enough of a shower to bring out the pack covers. Finally, it’s a full blown “flood the trail” downpour. Thankfully this end of the Blue Ridge Parkway does not have the rocks we lost time on back at Reeds Gap. We stop under a tree just below the Parkway guardrail to call the Tree Streets Inn B&B for a pick-up.

As we climb over the guard rail, visibility has gone to zero, and we are lost in a disorienting fog. Even though N is familiar with the intersection, simple directions on where to meet are confusing when no landmarks can be seen. We finally find the derelict old Howard Johnston’s, and huddle out of the wind for the brief wait. We marvel at our continued good fortune: if we’d stayed on our original slack pack plan, we’d still have seven more miles of walking in the rain today. We’re glad to be in town instead.

At the Inn, we pick the Bird’s Nest room on the third floor. It’s a tad smaller than the second floor rooms, but next to the attic where we can spread out all our gear to air and of course the view is better (by now you must have figured out how happy we are at high elevation…)!

This was, by far, our longest stretch without a shower/shampoo. It takes three tries for the shampoo to break through all the accumulated grime, but there is nothing like gallons of hot water over the head to make one feel like a new person!

We next realize how hungry we are and head to Ming’s AYCE buffet (that would be “all you can eat” for any non-thru hiker types). The morning’s rain has stopped for a while, and it’s pleasant to walk without having to watch your footing. We still snag lunch time prices but are too late to catch the lunchtime hiker crowd. Feeling very full and satisfied, we walk two blocks to the recommended barber shop (with three female barbers, no less!). We both have 700 miles of hair removed. In hopes that getting laundry done today will make tomorrow’s zero a true day of rest, we make that our next task. While there, the laundromat becomes THE hiker gathering place. We find many have hitched into town from Reeds Gap (BRP 9.6) in anticipation of the coming rainy weather. Our friend One (last seen in Pearisburg waiting for the post office to open after Memorial Day) is one of these, and when he walks in, it’s hugs all around. He’s lost weight since we saw him last, and looks really good. We compare adventures while we watch our clothes spin. Other hikers joining in the “town reunion” are: Tex, Trekking Pole, Claudia, Daffy the Slacker (with new shoes), Apollo, and Knoxville. From them we hear that Greenhorn & Retread are on their way in!

To our delight, we learn Waynesboro has its own homemade frozen custard stand. We cannot pass up that and so we walk to Kline’s where N enjoys a hot fudge sundae and X has a double scoop of raspberry and chocolate. By the way, X’s two new complete sets of clothes arrived at the Inn via electronic order from the trail, and she’s a svelte size 8, something she’s never been before! She’s made Kline’s a must-do-again priority for tomorrow…

We make it back to the Inn before the predicted evening rain sets in for good. The room is quiet, the bed is soft, and we are asleep by 8:15 pm. Oh, how we love Town Days…