Date: 2008-07-10
From: Doyles River Trail (just past)

To: Elkton, VA
Miles today: 19.5

Gold!!! I made it to Elkton safely (6 miles from the trailhead: got a ride from a nice couple in a van) and have found a community center that has computers for use, $3 for as long as you want!!! They don't close until 9:00 though as of yet I haven't found a place to stay or eaten anything in hours so I don't know how long I'll actually be able to stay. This is IDEAL though, not a soul around, no one waiting for my computer, the keyboard works fine as does the internet. I can't believe my luck!!! (It's about time!)Thanks again to everyone who wrote! I LOVE to read my guest book when I get to a computer. Gloria--when I am done with this hike I will be a writer! Have lots of book ideas that I work on everyday as I walk and walk and walk and walk some more. Fiction and nonfiction--they're in the works! Jessica! It was nice hearing from you. Today was a good day. I so enjoyed all the flowers I passed--especially the milkweed with the blooming pink flowers that are oh so fragrant! I love the smell, loved walking along and catching a whiff of it in the air. And the insects on the flowers! I took so many pictures! (THANK YOU MOM FOR THE CAMERA!!!!) There were butterflies and bees, beetles and bugs, so many sizes and colors. And of course the very best part was--they weren't interested in landing on me!!!!! The trail today was less buggy than yesterday, thankfully. And I walked some along the parkway to save my aching feet. That was a nice change, not so much of the ups and downs and rocks of the trail. I got to graze on lots of blackberries today! What a nice treat that is, let me tell you. And my body was yelling "thank you thank you thank you!!!!" for finally feeding it some fruit. I wish I could have picked a ton and made a blackberry milkshake, or cobbler. Yum. I had lunch at a great overlook, sat on rocks facing the valley and could see the winding parkway in the near distance. Enjoyed my grape kool-aid, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, combos and of course, a bit of dark chocolate for dessert. Lunch with a view is one of the greatest pleasures of this long hike. So I had a bear in my campsite last night! Was in my tent and ready for sleep before 8:30, hoping to make a few calls, including one to Ken and Mom and Lisa and Honey. But despite my phone showing good coverage, I could not get a single call to go through, as was the case for the entire day. This puzzles me. That was very disappointing as I was looking forward to catching up with some people. I was lying there waiting for the sweet pleasure of sleep to take me away when I heard a loud rustling off to the left of my tent, fairly close. It was loud enough that I suspected a bear. So I sit up, peer out the "window" (the vestabule with the zipper partially unzipped) and look off in the direction of the sound. By then it was closing in on 9:30, not quite as dark as it would get but getting close. I couldn't see much, but I could see a large shape moving about, off to the side. A bear! The bear stopped at a tree maybe 40 feet away and put his (or her?) paws up on the tree, as if he were going to climb it. Then took a big whiff. He then moved to another tree right next to that one and did the same thing. Luckily last night my bear bag was PERFECTLY hung. Because sometimes, especially when I am alone and tired and just want to get it done it is not always ideal--maybe a little too close to the trunk or a bit close to the ground. Ideal is 4 feet from the trunk and at least 10 feet from the ground. Sometimes those conditions are hard to find given the short length of rope I have (must get a longer piece!). Anyway, last night my bear bag was perfect so I had no fear that the bear could get it. So after the second paws up, the bear ambled a few feet closer towards my tent. I could hear him sniffing around, luckily not that close! Couldn't see him at this point. Then he wandered back up, in the direction I could see and then disappeared. I tried to shine my light but by then he was gone. A shadow in the night. Was glad he didn't come close enough that I had to take action! Action being making noise and trying to scare him away. Hope I never have to resort to that.