“The Witch of Waynesboro”

AT Day 49

Miles: 8.48

Total Miles: 901.78

(Calf Mountain Shelter [tent])

I’ve had “cat skull” on my shopping list for more than 500 miles now. You might be asking yourself, “Why would someone want to add a cat skull to their gear weight on a thru hike?” And the answer to that, my cheerful friend, is that I’m weird, I take a lot of mushrooms, I have an affinity for skulls in general, and it just seemed like a good idea at the time when I added it to my shopping list.

Where did I think I was going to find a cat skull? I don’t know.

Did I find a cat skull? No.

But I did find an Appalachain Tea Witch who sold me a coyote skull from a “magick” shop. And I think that’s pretty close to the original goal. So I’ve removed “cat skull” from my shopping list.

—

Let me just say before I get too far ahead of myself that the city of Waynesboro was perhaps my favorite trail town yet! From the guy who picked me up (trail angel Kevin), to the fly shop that held my mail for me, the YMCA where I got showers and a workout in, the bar that had a selection of NA beers, the lady at the laundromat who told me about her family in Charleston and what it’s like living in Waynesboro, the cute-little coffee shop where I got a half-caf americano, the witch at the magic shop, the lady who (somewhat sloppily) trimmed my hair, and the combo U-Haul Rental/Smoke Shop where I bought my first “Delta 8” weed.

What a wild ride.

Oh. Did I mention that I also went back to Cook-Out again? My buddy Leo who introduced me to the restaurant pointed out that this is 4 visits in like… 3 days or something. But this will be my last one moving north I think. So soak it up while I can.

On my way out of town I stopped at this little place called “Pyramid Appalachian Magick” shop. On the way into town I got the feeling like my ride and the other two hikers were making fun of it, and it spawned a conversation about astrology being bullshit–way too easy for a group of 4 guys. And although I have some strong opinions on the subject, having been engaged to and nearly killed by an astrologer, I kept myself quiet through the banter. I did want to stop in though, and managed to make it in as my last stop (other than Cook-Out) before coming back to trail.

The gal working there introduced herself as Rachael, “The Tea Witch.” I expected to be sort of in-and-out of the place; maybe find a cute trinket gift for Boots next weekend. But ended up talking to the Tea Witch for around a half an hour. They had a bunch of herbs there, including Wormwood and White Sage–both of which Rachael gifted me on my way out.

But what caught my attention most was the collection of bones the shop had, including quite a few skulls. I asked about them and after thinking about it for a bit, decided I want to carry a coyote skull with me–at least for a bit. If I don’t like it then I’ll send it home to Arizona or back with Boots. But for now it’s a nice addition to my pack.

Call me crazy.

Call me what you will.

Tomorrow’s Day 50. And after that I’m planning to take a tolerance break to let my brain, my soul, my heart, and my mind all recover for a bit.

—

The fog on trail this afternoon was so thick that I almost couldn’t see the trail sometimes. It was so heavy that at one point at the top of a mountain, I got turned around, and ended up following the same trail back down for a half mile as I’d followed up. It took that long before I realized that I was accidentally back tracking. So up the hill, back down, then back up, then onto the RIGHT trail, and back down again. That one was frustrating.

Later on I nearly ran into a deer, the fog was so thick. I was hiking with my headlamp, which was almost useless in the dark and the fog. I could only see a few feet in front of me, and was trying to watch my footing so that I din’t fall on the slick rocks when a deer darted off trail and into the brush. It couldn’t have been more than 6 feet away from me.

—

I’m in Shanendoah National Park now, and I’ll be here for about 150 miles. Someone suggested that it’d probably be around 12 days, but how they came to that number is beyond me. I think they must have been drunk or slow. I’m trying to take my time between here and Harper’s Ferry, so that I get there on Thursday of next week, not any sooner or later. That puts me at around 20 miles a day between here and there. Those are short days for me, but I’m totally okay with that. I’ll just spend more time sitting by streams (if I can find them; there aren’t many up here on the ridge line.), dancing, and listening to the breeze.

There is something strange out in these woods.

It doesn’t feel like the other trails that I’ve been on. This one is different.

I keep saying it.

But there’s a different kind of Magick out here. I’ve been calling it “god” or “magic” or sometimes even “God.” But I haven’t had a word that’s felt right.

I’m going to try Magick for awhile and see how it feels.

So far the fit seems right.

Wormwood.