Date: 2013-06-01
From: Super 8, US 220, Daleville, VA

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: few clouds

I didn't get to sleep until after 1:30 a.m. So much for my grand plans of getting up at the butt-crack of dawn and staying ahead of the heat. I slept well though and finally roused around 6:15. My right knee felt better, but it would still cause a sharp pain on the outside if I flexed or twisted it just right. I put the compression sleeve on it. Hopefully that will give it some extra support. That seemed to help, but I need to keep an eye on it, especially on the downhills. My hike down into Daleville yesterday was a bit quicker and more ambitious than perhaps it should have been. I hope I don't pay for it in the long run.I packed up and headed down to breakfast. I ate my own granola with the cup of fresh berries- strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries- I picked up at the grocery store yesterday. Afterwards, I settled into the "business center" to get the last two journal enteries written. That is one less monkey on my back! Without further ado, I put on my pack, ladden with 3 liters of water, and stepped out of the air conditioning into the world.The trail was right beside the hotel, so within a few feet I was back on the AT green belt. There was a 1.5 miles to get through town. The trees were lush, the grass recently mowed. Even the trail itself looked less traveled. The only clue (beside the mowed grass) that civilization was nearby was the roar of interstate traffic. The big trucks sounded like jet engines as they passed by. It's funny how the trail can create such a false sense of isolation sometimes, when in fact you are so near to people, houses, and town. The logistics of the trail really impress me; All the work that has gone in to getting hikers through towns, under interstates, across rivers and railroad tracks, across private lands. As a hiker, you do so very effortlessly and with little thought to all the work that has taken place behind the scenes to make the trail so accessible and passable. Thank you and hats off to you, whoever you are!As I was following the green corridor, the air was warm with the smell of sweet honeysuckle. Summer. I noticed plump, ripe mulberries on the ground. I stopped and picked one up. I popped it in my mouth. Instantly, I was taken back to Texas, to Aunt Rosie & Uncle Bobby's house. To the huge, old mulberry tree at the edge of their yard. How many pounds of mulberries had I eaten off that tree? How many hours had my brother and I climbed and gotten into mischief in that tree? I thought of my cousin, Loren. How when she was little, only a year old, maybe two, I had held her up and let her pick ripe berries off that tree. The juice stained her lips. It only seems like yesterday, though she's 19 now. I hadn't thought of it in years. It made me feel homesick. It made me miss my family, all of them. I dedicated today's hike to them.The trail climbed up a hilltop pasture. Houses were tucked and hidden behind trees. A far field was dotted with round hay bales. There was a tall forested mountain ahead. I guessed that was where the trail would take me. The trail climbed, but for the most part the ascent was gradual and the path smooth covered in pine straw. Perfect for making time. I spooked a large doe who was just a few feet off the trail. She flicked her white tail and bounced off through the woods. I wish I had half her finesse. I passed Fifteen and Quaker heading up the hill. I had planned to get to Fullhardt Knob Shelter last night, but instead I would have to settle for a snack break there today. I was officially at the "1/3 of the AT behind me mark!" I took a self-portrait and sent it to Tom to add to his collection, and then I kept going. It was hot and humid. Sweat rolled down my face and down my back. I kept thinking that I had a bug down the back of my shirt, but it was perspiration. I also lubed up my body with a body lube (meant for feet, but seems to work everywhere!) Steve bought me way back at the beginning to help with my rubbing toes. I've used it everywhere but my feet. Thank you, Steve!I stopped at Curry Creek for lunch. I pulled out my food and plopped down next to the water. I peeled off my shoes and socks and slipped my callused feet into a cool pool of water. Several dozen little fishes started swarming around. They pecked at my feet to see if there was anything interesting. A couple of shy crawfish came out for a look, but soon they scuddled back under their rocks. I managed to get one wrap eaten before the thunder clouds rumbled through. It happened so quickly! It looked like the bottom of the sky would fall out at any second. I packed up the food, put on my boots, threw on the rain fly and decided I would finish lunch elsewhere. I crossed the creek and headed up the next hill. I had been walking only a minute or two when I heard rustling in the ravine below. I saw movement of black. A bear! My first AT bear sighting! What a day It was a young junvile, not too big, not too small, just right. I stopped in my tracks and watched it for a few minutes and then started digging frantically for my camera. None of the photos came out very well because it was so dark with the overcast skies. I thought for sure the bear heard me but was just uninterested. It nosed around for a few more minutes and then looked up suddenly in my direction. Quicker than I would have thought possible, it did an about-face and hightailed it in the opposite direction. The last thing I saw was the bottoms of its back paws. Blitz came up behind me soon after. And the rain started falling. It wasn't a hard rain, just a soft drizzle. I hoped that it would cool things down, but instead it felt like we were in a hotdog bun steamer. I'm still not sure if it was sweat, rain or condensation on my skin. As I neared the shelter, I started seeing the bright orange salamanders. At least a dozen of them were lined up over a 30 ft stretch of trail. Where they hanging out trying to attract the ladies? Where they waiting for a flood? Whatever it was, they knew something that I didn't. And that kind of bothered me.Blitz was at the shelter when I arrived. I set my pack down on the bench of the picnic table and went to use the privy. I heard it fall. When I got back, I saw that it had fallen in the ashes of the fire. With the wet, dirt and ash clung to all surfaces and stunk like an ashtray. Damn it. I tried to wipe off some of the grit, but it only spread it over my pack and on my skin. So much for "town clean."I decided to hold off eating the rest of lunch and just have an early dinner. The flattish, smooth trail continued on. Lucky me! The mountain laurels were just starting to peak. Some of them had faded from a soft pink to a pure white. I walked through a few rhododendron tunnels. I had worried that I'd missed them. A sign announced the changing of trail maintence clubs, and at the same moment I saw and heard a car passing through the trees. It could mean one thing, I had reached the Blue Ridge Parkway! Woohoo! Immediately, the trail got more rocky and steep. My enthusiasm whaned. The pine straw was all gone. Small oaks were all around, embedded amongst rocks, Lily of the Valley and blueberry bushes. It happened quite suddenly. The trial deposited me out at Taylors Mountain Overlook. I walked to the sidewalk's edge and looked out to the east. Tom was out there somewhere. I blew him a kiss. I missed him more than usual at that moment. But when I see something beautiful, I usually do.I stopped at Montevale Lookout, at a cement picnic table. I set up my cookset. The temperature had cooled, and there was a pleasant breeze. I examined my armpit for chaffage. There was no new developments, but I also stuck my thumb through the fabric of my sleeve. I guess after 750 miles, that sort of wear is to be expected. I waddled, belly full, the last few miles to Bobblet's Shelter. Blitz beat me there. A young couple from Berlin, Strawberry Donut (does that make her eine erdberr-berliner?) and Whistler, also arrived. I set up my tent on the only flattish space around. It was lumpy and uneven. I suspect it is also the former location of the shelter's privy. I didn't care, I was pooped (no pun intended).