Date: 2018-05-03
From: Glasgow, VA

To: Stealth Camp on Big Bald
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The lovely town of Glasgow treated Two Clicks and I very well including this morning. I should mention that the town also has a fiberglass dinosaur in the middle of town next to the grocery store. When we asked about it, they just said some guy came and built it and since then it has simply stayed. Strange, but cool!At about 645 in the morning, Two Clicks and I walked across the street to the gas station, bags on our back. The temperature was expected to be in the 90's today and we wanted some early breakfast before climbing. Most of the time, the AT is not glamorous. I haven't washed my clothes in about a week and a half, I basically drive my body to it's limits and I often find myself loitering outside gas stations. This was no exception. We walked in and poured some pretty awesome coffee, although I wouldn't have said otherwise in my condition and we each grabbed two Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches in the fridge. Now I encourage you all to read Hungry Cat's journal if you get the chance because he had a totally different experience in Glasgow. We paid our bill and put the sandwiches in the microwave for a minute each before sitting on the curb outside people watching and eating like animals as normal.When the time came, we positioned ourselves in what we concluded was a good place to hitch. Near an intersection, on a busy road and with enough room for a car to pull off. Well, luckily none of that mattered. As soon as a car approached, we stuck our thumbs out. Without hesitation, this guy stopped in the middle of the road with traffic behind him and pointed to the bed of his truck. We both ran up, jumped in and before we were even settled he was off without a word to us. The backpacks and our looks seem to give away our desired destination. The 6 mile ride in the back of the pickup was awesome and we said our thanks as he pulled into the trail lot near the James River. That was easy!The day began with 3,000 feet of elevation gain. I don't want to sound cocky but I crushed it and felt amazing. It was nice to beat the heat. From there I hiked down a bunch to a lake then followed a creek for the rest of the day. I only saw one person. It was a kid who had just finished his last final of college and was gleaming with joy. I definitely know that feeling. I told him he should go hike the AT now but that didn't seem to interest him at all. Hahaha I tried. The days hike seemed quick and by 3:00 I had hiked 20 miles! Two Clicks was right behind me and from there we walked our sweaty bodies over to the creek and layed in the water. It was cold but extremely refreshing. I considered hiking on up another 2400' of elevation to the top of Bald Knob (which apparently isn't even bald? Virginia...) But the heat and lack of further motivation held Two Clicks and I at the shelter where we hung around.At 6:30, after dinner, Two Clicks and I had a second wind. Another hiker, Bags, was pushing on up the hill and headed for the next shelter. I said to Two Clicks "we should push on" and instantly he agreed. We were feverishly grabbing gear and repacking everything with plans to hike 4.6 miles up to the top of Big Bald that isn't actually a bald. I cranked out the miles as quick as I could just to enjoy the cool air up top and the lack of bugs. By 8 I had made it up and scoped out a spot for tents. I set up in the last bit of light as Two Clicks rolled up with Bags behind him. We all made camp and then layed down to enjoy the cooler air and wind that was blowing. It was going to be a much more comfortable night!P.S: Hi Mrs Young's! Glad you're following my journal! Two Clicks has been an awesome companion to hike with and we've definitely seen some cool things together! Crazy to think we've hiked almost 400 miles together.