Date: 2009-05-25
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: light rain

I think my Trail appetite has really started to kick in. I¢m finding rationing rather difficult these days. If I have six Milky Ways and I¢m three days from town then logic would dictate I eat two per day but my belly says it¢s more like four today and then one for each of the other days. The belly is starting to win, I eat four before midday and then lament the fact that I didn¢t buy more snacks. Surprisingly, I don¢t have the same problems with dinners where packs of tuna go ignored for days. It seems it¢s Milky Ways that set the hikers gastric juices flowing. I wouldn¢t complain but I never seem to have enough ¢ oh woe is me!I digress as I¢m getting pretty close to the end of a fairly long section from Erwin to Damascus and needless to say supplies are starting to run low. As a result I planned a big day today, where I thought that the day¢s walk would not be so much about enjoyment but about miles and more importantly getting within striking distance of town. That may have been so but in fairness it actually turned out to be a mix of those necessary miles, meagre rations and ultimately, and unexpectedly, some enjoyment: some rather special enjoyment as it turned out.Grinding out early, but necessary, miles with only a paltry breakfast to offer scant relief gave way eventually to a nice walk up to a viewpoint situated on an old farm where I sat in the sunshine and scavenged my way through the rest of my foodbag. It wasn¢t much but I¢d survive. No matter life was good ¢ I was content, resting in the sun and looking out towards Mount Rodgers (whichever one it happened to be). A family went by. We chatted. The lady had been to Ireland. They left me a cereal bar. No fanfare just a ¢that¢s for you¢. Maybe they knew, but I couldn¢t be sure, that this meant a lot. Sure I could live without it but life would be better for it and I would definitely savour it later in the day.Some rain chased us (Pete had by now joined me) along and although we got a little wet the flat terrain meant we managed to sit most of it out in the next shelter.I was feeling good but Pete was struggling with sore feet. None the less, when the rain stopped we headed on for another 8.3 miles. Yes, it was all about the miles we thought but we thought wrong. We were plodding along in silence (a state I like) about three miles from our destination when I heard a loud crash to my right. A knoll obscured the view so I assumed it was a deer but suddenly as I crept along looking for the cause a bear shot up a nearby tree. It climbed up about 15 feet and looked at me. As Pete caught up it took a couple of ¢paces¢ down the trunk, paused, then decided it was time to make its getaway. It shimmied down the trunk seeming to fall the last bit, at which point all hell seemed to break out. Suddenly, there was a cacophony of noise across a wide area to our right and no sooner had bear number one disappeared from view than two more bears shot high up reasonably adjacent trees 30 or 40 yards off. It was quite a sight but that wasn¢t all as I caught a glimpse of a fourth (larger) bear bounding through the undergrowth. The tree bears hung around for a wee bit (literally) until they eventually decide to head off. All in all a rather thrilling minute or so.The big miles and Pete¢s sore feet were forgotten for the moment and as we headed on we saw two owls. It seems it is never ¢only¢ about the miles.