Stealing Home

Hi, all! Rob didn’t make recordings for any of his days at home, so I’ll try to fill in the blanks a bit on how it all played out. He got to the airport at 8:30 a.m. on the 6th, but the rental car counter didn’t open till 9, so he had to wait around a bit. He texted me, “I'm glad I'm not hiking. My leg is super sore and it's 90% humidity.”

Once he got a car, he hit Dunkin’ for some breakfast and then headed to the REI in DC to look at backpacks and shorts. He found a Hyperlite backpack he wanted, but they only had it in large (he needed medium). I checked online and saw that our local Public Lands store had two mediums in stock, so he could (we hoped) get one here.

He made it to the Charlottesville airport by about 4:30, and I drove out there to pick him up so we wouldn’t have to make a separate trip the next day. He was definitely banged up and sore from his falls, but thankfully, nothing too serious. He took a shower and a nap, and since he’d spent the night in a hotel the night before, he wasn’t too wiped out, so we jumped on the opportunity to grab some cocktails at the Alley Light. (My birthday was coming up, and he wouldn’t be around for it, so that was our “excuse” for the indulgence.)

The next day, we went to Public Lands together so he could check out the Hyperlite Windrider 55. He tried on the floor model and compared it to some other options they had, none of which were nearly as good. One concern he had was that he’d be switching from a 65 liter to a 55 liter, which would obviously mean he’d have to cut back on what he could carry. He and the salesperson, Mike, talked a lot about “the sponge” and suspension and such, and Rob ultimately said he’d go with the Hyperlite but that he’d like to get the one in the back, if possible, rather than the floor model (again, the PL site claimed that they had two in stock). Mike couldn’t find it, though, and said, “Let’s go up to the checkout together and see if I can’t negotiate you a bit of a discount.”

So we go up, and the young man at the register wasn’t having it at first. He commented, “Well, anyone who comes in here looking for a Hyperlite probably doesn’t need a discount!” So I immediately started telling him about how Rob/Patch is in the middle of a thru-hike and how his pack holds water and weighs him down and so on, and the guy’s face totally changed. Once he realized that Rob/Patch wasn’t just some well-off weekend backpacker out to impress his buddies with his top-of-the-line pack — he was the real thing and actually needed a lighter pack to help him finish his hike — he gladly gave us 10% off on the price and was super encouraging, which was awesome. Big thanks to him and Mike and Public Lands!

For comparison, Rob’s Osprey Atmos AG 65, medium, when dry and empty, has a base weight of 4 pounds, 10 ounces. His new Hyperlite pack has a base weight of just 31.8 ounces, or just under 2 pounds. That’s a huge difference when every ounce counts! And it’s totally waterproof, so it won’t take on any additional weight from sweat or rain or dew.

While he was home, he rested, fixed a hole in the netting of his tent, had lunch with his dad, took care of a bunch of “honey-do” projects for me, cut more weight from his pack by discarding and switching out a couple things, and did some research on the trail, including figuring out how to get back to it in time to meet up with a college buddy of his who would be flying out from Idaho to hike with him for a while.

He also went with me to take Thistle to a potential boarding place for a meet and greet, in hopes that she could maybe go there so I could pop up and visit Rob on the trail one more time before I join him in Maine to summit Katahdin (if he ultimately finishes). But she was stressed out and wouldn’t relax, so they said they’d “pass,” which means we’re out of luck on that particular front.

In case anyone is wondering, part of the challenge with Thistle is that she has an issue with her mouth that requires that she be fed in a very specific way so she doesn’t choke or aspirate. She also needs medication twice a day, and you have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she’s not chewing on or eating something that could hurt her. Plus, she’s afraid of anyone/anything new, so when we’ve tried to have people walk her before, she refused to come downstairs (she’s heavy, super strong, and stubborn!). One time, she didn’t come down for 48 hours! We have special waterproof blankets down to protect the floors up there, but that’s not a situation we want for anyone.

Btw, she was SO HAPPY to have him home. I woke up one morning and looked over to see this…

I think she’s trying to tell me she wants Rob to stay home and me to go hike the trail instead.

One evening, we made a quick visit to Selvedge Brewing, and another time, we popped over to Decipher, because... duh, it’s Decipher. It’s like our second home at this point.

And on the morning of the 11th, I packed him some snacks and drove him to the Amtrak station in town so he could head back to the trail. But I’ll let him tell you about that in the next post...