Date: 2017-06-12
From:  A flat spot by the Pedlar River Bridge at Mile 799.9

To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter Tent Site 
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: light rain

6/12A flat spot by the Pedlar River Bridge at Mile 799.9 to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter Tent Site 20.8 miles Total miles:  820.7Well, I spent almost 12 hours at "the office" today, and what do I have to show for it?  Over 20 miles in and four encounters with trail magic.  I woke up a bit early and was on the trail by 6:45.  There weren't a lot of camping opportunities where I wanted to end up today and there was one major climb up Bald Knob (which is totally tree covered at the top) and a smaller climb up Cole Mountain (which is a bald).  I had planned to stop along Piney River, where the guidebook indicates camping spots, but it was in a low, marshy area and very damp and buggy.  Gravity and I discussed earlier the possibility of going on to the shelter area, which is a higher elevation with a spring, and not a stream, for a water source. Hence, I walked into Seeley-Woodworth Shelter area at 6:30, eleven hours and forty-five minutes after leaving my previous campsite.  When I am faced with a steep climb (and the four mile climb up Bald Knob was very steep), I say to myself, "Just another day at the office."  I was tired but in fine shape when I arrived this evening, but I don't like to string together too many long days in a row.  The number of hikers has certainly diminished since I began.  The shelter and tent area were empty when I got here, and Gravity and I are the only inhabitants tonight.  The only human ones anyway.  I read in the shelter log book that the mice are very friendly and will even climb into your hand. There were several pleas not to kill them.  I have heard a great deal of rustling around my tent tonight, but no mouse has attempted to gnaw its way in so I can pet it.  The day started out cooler than expected, and I made excellent time to the juntion with US 60, the highway into Buena Vista. I encountered my first example of trail magic as the trail came out at the road.  Some kind soul had left a case of bottled water, free to all hikers.  Water is one of the heaviest things we carry, and there are numerous dry sections lately, so any time you can get extra water that you didn't have to carry that you can just guzzle,  that is magic indeed.  There is an unspoken expectation that everyone only takes one, to share the magic with as many hikers as possible.  There was a picnic table at this junction, so I sat down to download yesterday's journal and send a few texts.  I was soon joined by a few other hikers, some just resting and others planning on going into Buena Vista to resupply.  It was then that I met my second Trail Angel of the day.  David drove up to meet his friend, Shawn, for a few days of hiking, and he pulled a cooler out of his vehicle full of ice cold Gatorade. I was never a fan of Gatorade until I started this adventure, but I am now a convert.  I gratefully took one from the cooler, and David also offered me a bag of Doritos.  Score.  David and Shawn agreed to pose for a photo of hiker kindness in action.  I soon hiked on, and I'm positive that the Gatorade, plus the way I procured it, helped power me up the long and very steep ascent of Bald Knob.  I met a turtle on the way up, and he calmly let me take his picture even after one of my trekking poles fell and almost hit him.  Later, I would meet my first bunny of the trip.  She hung around long enough for me to get out my phone, turn it on, and take a distance shot.  When I tried to move in for a close up, she was gone in a flash.  I also saw another deer today, who was feeding on the grass that the trail maintainers have been cutting along the trail.  I believe she had a fawn with her, but they quickly disappeared when I came into view.  The only other wildlife I saw today were flies and gnats.  Summer appears to have arrived in Virginia with a vengence, and I spent most of my day with a cloud of gnats keeping me company.  They don't really hurt anything, but they can be annoying. I hiked along with my cloud of new friends, and enjoyed my third meeting with trail magic at Hog Camp Gap, where the trail crosses UAFS Road 48. Here was another Trail Angel, whose only name he would give was Trail Angel. He said he was worried about the hikers in the heat, so he drove up to the trail with, you guessed it, ice cold Gatorade.  I am continually amazed  at the kindness of so many local people toward hikers.  I heard the whining noise of my fourth Trail Angel before I actually met him.  Logan, a volunteer with the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club, is the finest kind of Trail Angel.  He was out in the heat trimming the undergrowth back from the trail.  Without such attention, in some areas the trail would be soon overwhelmed by grasses and other growth. I had a good chat with Logan about the trail in Virginia and told him I have been a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy since the year 2000.  He thanked me, and told me that the ATC had provided both the brush cutter that he was using and the protective chaps he was wearing. Shameless plug: if anyone who is reading this wants to help support the Appalachian Trail and its community, a great way to do this is to join the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  It's easy to do on-line, and, in addition to helping the ATC with their important work, you also receive a very well produced quarterly magazine full of information about the trail and beautiful photography.  Many thanks to Logan and the hundreds of other trail maintainers that make the AT possible. You guys and gals are the greatest!  I also encountered some  very interesting historical information on the trail today. In the early 1900s, a group of freed slaves established a community along Brown Mountain Creek.  There were two informational signs along the trail, and I saw several examples of stone work that is all that remains today.  At almost the very end of my hike today, I came across the last surprise of the day.  While I obviously miss my family and friends, perhaps Mother Nature felt I might be missing Missouri and St. Louis as well, because she provided me with my very own Arch to walk through on my way to my campsite.  I'm not sure how the poor tree was damaged to cause it to be bent like it was, but it was very cool to walk through it.  If only a Cardinal had been perched on top.  Oh well, you can't have everything.  I have a shorter day planned for tomorrow, which is good considering the length of my hike today.  I may have over 800 miles in, but it's still a long way to Katahdin.