Date: 2015-10-08
From: Stealth Camping south of Elkwallow Wayside

To: Stealth Camping south of Pinnacles 
Miles today: 12.0

More deer came to visit during the night. How I love this! I could hear them chewing and walking around all night. Stealth camping lends itself to more opportunities to hear and see wildlife I think. At least I seem to notice the noises so much more. The forest truly comes alive at night I think. I'm sure being by myself with no other hikers in a shelter or camping area makes this connection to nature even stronger. Solitude is a good thing for me right now, and I am really enjoying it. Of course, the lack of rain makes it more condusive to stealth camping. Whenever I set up or take down my tent I wonder how I would deal with it in a driving cold rain. I do not mind hiking in the rain except when it is cold and I can't get dry. Or when my feet have been wet for so long that it leaves sores and open wounds. I say this now because I hear rain is in the forecast again soon. I woke up feeling better this morning and know my fever broke last night because I woke up sweating more than once. I am less tired, but still not myself. Sunrise is now at 7:15am so early starts are out of the equation for me now. Less hiking time equals less mileage for me. I greeted the day with an hour of meditation and yoga in the brightly colored leaves that settled on the ground all around my tent. It felt so right and did my body and soul a lot of good. It was much needed, and I feel no guilt about hiking less miles because of it. I smiled out loud as I packed up my tent and belongings and heaved my pack on my pack. Again I stopped at every outlook today and even hiked off trail for more views. I cannot help myself. I find myself mesmerized by the mountains and every tree and rock I see. The trail brings out the child in me and every step is an adventure. I eagerly look forward to every turn in the trail to see what is ahead and then I turn around to get another glimpse of what I just passed. This picture today is for my friend Annie who is a swimming sensation and told me the fall foliage here will remind me of cartons of brightly colored crayons. You are so right Annie! I want to scoop up all the colorful leaves fallen from the trees on the trail and give them a great big hug. The sheer beauty of the trail and it's splendor brings tears of joy to my eyes daily. This is why I love to hike and have dreamt of a thru-hike for years.The trail seemed a little steeper today, and I breathed a little heavier on some of the climbs, but nothing will ever be as challenging as the Whites and the northern end of the trail. I walked by to huts today and went to the second one, Byrd something or other, and was going to stop for a few minutes until I saw a sign warning about stomach illnesses being reported at the hut. I immediately walked on. I don't know if this is an old or new sign, but I wasn't taking any chances. I have heard so much about the noro virus at the hostels and shelters when the big NOBO bubbles go through, and I don't want any part of it. The thought of worrying about getting a contagious intestinal illness from unsanitary habits while living in the back country for months has a disconnect for me. I came upon a ridge line with big cliffs and rock croppings shortly after thus and was able to look down into the town of Luray. The trees on the mountains in the distance are colored in shaded of yellow, orange and red now. Just like boxes of crayolas.Towards the end of my day the trail took me right to the Pinnacles picnic area with a restroom with running water and flushing toilets again. Ah, the luxuries of my life right now. Even the garbage can was a delight because I could lighten my pack a tiny bit by throwing away my trash. I ate my dinner, brushed and flossed my teeth and got on my way again. The temperature dropped a little so I hiked on with my rain jacket and fleece hat.I just set up my tent in another grand spot on the side of a mountain in solitude. Two more deer came to visit me again and I can see the sun setting through the trees behind the mountain. It gets dark so early now. Sun sets at 6:45, and I don't want to get caught hiking in the dark again. My headlamp is not working properly ever since I fell in the stream. My entire pack got submerged and the flashlight was in an outside pocket. It shuts off about every 15 seconds and doesn't always want to turn on.It was a beautiful day again. I feel so lucky and thankful to be here.