Leaving Pearisburg VA

I'm walking back up the road from Pearisburg. I stayed in a motel last night for a shower and laundry. Someone told me once that staying in a motel was cheating. I disagree. I mean, I need to maintain some measure of personal hygiene out here. The woman running the motel offered to do my laundry, which was great. Now I smell as clean as a common dayhiker.

When I stepped out of the shower, I happened to catch a glance of myself in the mirror. The weight loss took me back a bit. I look like I'm getting ready to audition for the role of an AIDS patient in some Lifetime movie of the Week. Maybe an exaggeration, but I see ribs, shoulders, and hip bones starting to poke out like Freddy Krueger pushing through the wall in Nightmare on Elm Street.

I got dressed and immediately went across the street to the all you can eat chinese buffet to gorge. The food was terrible, but I ate what I could. Later, I ordered a large pizza and ate half of it and had the rest for breakfast this morning. Then for lunch, I went to McDonalds, but only managed to eat one McDouble and a hot fudge sundae. I don't seem to have the appetite most thru-hikers have. I never thought I'd ever have to try so hard to GAIN weight.