SIDE TRIP TO BUCHANAN, VA

Hi all. I'm in the small town of Buchanan, on a side trip during our "siesta" period. Its been very hot for the past week, and while I was happy staying at the motel enjoying the pool and Euro Cup soccer games for the two 100-degree days, I had to keep moving. The heat has made us alter the hiking schedule, so that we're up with the sun at 5:45, and doing 10 miles or so before taking the early afternoons off. Once it cools off enough to walk again, we'll go until sunset at 9pm. We hammered out a 15 mile day out of town yesterday, stopping once or twice to bathe in creeks. We're on track to do even more today, with help from the Blue Ridge Parkway this morning. The Parkway now runs right along the trail, so a few of us opted to walk the road instead, making 9 miles in three hours. Got a ride from a section hiker down to town for lunch and an air conditioned hideout in the library. Its a nice pickup too, since I accidentally left my candy bars and big block of cheese at the motel. We're having a colorie injection and then will sleep in the shade and swim in the James River today. Probably head back up to the trail sometime after 2 or 3 and try to get another 6 miles in to another creek for camping. Bath-to-bath hiking today. Boy I need it to - you should smell me!