Date: 2016-06-09
From: Mountain Home Cabbin

To: Stealth Camp, Mile 991.1
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: broken clouds

"The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well." - Joe AncisDay 90I left the hostel and headed north. There was a massive fenced in area nearby, which I learned is the Smithsonian Conservation Biological Institute. The 3200-acre campus houses a variety of endangered species, including the cloud leopard, mane wolf, American Bison, and cheetah. As a conservative Christian, I probably should have been on that side of the fence as well. Prior to its use for conservation, the area was used to train war horses during World War I.My priority today was to coordinate a time and place to meet my friends, Darrell and Alicia Brimberry. My wife and I met, went to church with, and became friends with the Brimberry's during my military assignment at the Pentagon. We share a love of the outdoors, and they plan to thru-hike the AT themselves in 2017 after he retires from the Army. Their plan was to set up a trail magic station for me and other hikers and then Darrell would hike with me for a couple of days. Alicia would then pick us up in Harpers Ferry and take us to their home on Bolling AFB in DC for some rest, recuperation and resupply. Needless to say, I was really excited about all of this.Plan A had them setting up at Manassas Gap, but the timing worked better to shift that northward. I suggested Plan B which involved them setting up at Ashby Gap, mile 989.1. It seemed to make sense as the map showed the AT crossing a road there. My job was to hike at least as far as Dicks Dome Shelter, so I would be within 5 miles of their position the following morning.Here, then, is how the best laid plan can unravel. When I got to Dicks Dome Shelter, I called an audible. Rather than face a mile ascent and five mile hike in the morning, I decided to go an extra mile. This would shorten my journey tomorrow and my AT guide showed a spring up on Signal Knob. Being nearly out of water, finding some was paramount. So I climbed the mile up Signal Knob only to discover the spring was completely dry. Not good. Not good at all. Given my increasingly desperate need for water, I had to hike on. A mile later I entered Sky Meadows State Park. It's a beautiful park, but unfortunately camping is not allowed there along the AT. There are also no water sources there along the AT. Thirsty and tired and with no place to camp, I hiked on. A few miles later I arrived at Ashby Gap, our Plan B meeting point. The good news...there was a little creek so I could get much needed water. The bad news...this was a terrible spot for the Brimberrys to do trail magic. It was among the most dangerous, divided highway road crossings on the AT. So with the sun starting to set, I called Darrell and told him we needed a Plan C, but my priority at the moment was to find a place to set up my tent before it got dark.Exhausted, I continued northward and eventually found a nice spot by a stream at mile 991.1, just as it got dark. After settling in, I called Darrell and he proposed a new Trail Magic and rendezvous point at Snickers Gap, about 12 miles north. I agreed, mainly because I heard him say Snickers. After my 21.7 mile day, I just wanted to go to sleep...and so I did.My takeaways from the above narrative:1) It's not easy coordinating a time and place to meet someone on the AT because there are so many variables involved. I'm glad the Brimberrys were patient with me and flexible.2) You can't always rely on water being available where your AT Guide indicates, unless it's a major source like a river. Thus, it's good to have a backup plan, preferably one that doesn't require hiking at night or in bad weather.3) The butterfly effect is alive and well on the AT. One seemingly small decision (like hiking just one more mile) can have a much larger ripple effect, like having to actually hike 7 more miles (bad effect) and discovering the planned rendezvous point needs to be changed (good effect). I find it interesting to think about how my life might have been different had I made different decisions and flipped different levers.4) Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I think this verse tells me, among other things, that if I love God and try my best to live faithfully, he is going to ultimately bring about good outcomes in my life...regardless of which specific lever I flip (college choice, career choice, choice of spouse, etc.). I can (and do) make bad choices on the AT that have bad consequences, but I feel like God just figures out a way to have some good come out of them.Fob