Last evening I met Jim at Lewis Mountain Campground on the Skyline Drive. He’s a throughhiker just starting out on a 400 mile trek over the next 40 days on the Appalachian Trail. He recently retired from a long career at Electrolux and some other manufacturing firms. Like the many throughhikers I’ve seen so far, he travels light – every ounce counts when you’ve got to carry it on your back. Pleasant fellow – we chatted while he set up his small, but efficient tent.
On one side of my own campsite were three folks in their 70’s – a woman with her husband and sister. Nice folks, too. Their accommodations were a good-sized tow-behind trailer which opened out into a large tent. It looked pretty comfortable.
On the opposite side was the RV from hell. Part of the Shenandoah National Park, Lewis Mountain Campground is fairly small – only 32 sites – plus a number of small cabins, which looked like they would be a fun place to stay, particularly for a family. My options were limited. Although there were other more isolated sites available, I chose that particular one because it had a bear box, an important adjunct here in the woods.
The day was unusually warm for early May. In fact, it was hot – or, as the Ranger described it, “hurtin’ hot.” I swapped my jeans for shorts, but was dripping wet and exhausted by the time I finished setting up camp. I pulled my air mattress from the car, set it out in the tent and lay down for a nap. Before long I was startled awake by the industrial roar of a steel fabrication plant.
There hadn’t been one nearby when I went to sleep and indeed, there still wasn’t one. The source was my next-door neighbor’s turdmobile. Turns out that RV’s have really big batteries that need charging, not only for lights and TV’s, but for refrigerators, because really, how could one enjoy the wilderness without all the comforts of home, which require industrial-sized generators.
“Does this go on all night?” I asked the Ranger. “Oh no,” he explained, “they’re only allowed to run them from 4 to 7 o’clock.” Okay, I suppose that’s a relief. “And in the morning, but not until 8 o’clock.” Great. I determined to be on the road real early.
Although it was steamy, I went for a walk in the woods. I suspect that the folks who passed me were wary of the sweaty dude stomping along, muttering to himself and swearing under his breath. 