Date: 2017-05-17
From: Campbell Shelter 712.7

To: US220 (Daleville, VA) 728.1
Miles today: 15.4

I was excited to be up before sunrise.  I successfully retrieved my food from the bear box without waking everyone up.  I had my breakfast and was walking by 6:30am.  For the first couple of hours, it was just me and the wildlife.  This mornings wildlife was a large black snake laying across the trail trying to catch some early rays and a chipmunk not quite awake enough to run before I got his photo. I was dreading Tinker Cliffs fearful they would be like Dragons Tooth.   I walked quickly wanting to get it over with.   Sadly not far before the cliffs, the tread on my right shoe peeled partially off.   I walked a few steps with it flopping before I decided to just dig out my knife and cut it off.  I was already planning on new shoes in Daleville because the sides of my Hokas were busting opening and for some odd reason making my heels hurt.  I was disappointed they only last 250 miles but I knew I couldn't walk in them anymore.   Within a mile of the shoe surgery, I could tell my feet were going to be in horrible shape by the time I got to Daleville.  My heels were throbbing and the pain almost unbearable.   But I just gritted my teeth and kept going.  Tinker Cliffs were amazing and not nearly as scary as I thought they would be.  A former through Hiker named Mouse I believe even gave me a handful of tiny snickers.   As the day wore on, it got hotter and hotter.  The water sources were further apart than I was used to.  I stopped at Lambert Meadows, drank a liter of water, had lunch, and filled up two more bottles for the long walk to the next water source.  The afternoon was filled with lizards, power lines, and sand.  It reminded me a lot of the desert.  It reaffirmed my notion that I could never do the PCT.  I had cell service and let Goat know that my feet were going to need a zero in Daleville.  I made a reservation for one night at the Quality Inn because I was really craving Cracker Barrel and it was only $10 dollars more than HoJo.  Out of curiosity, I opened my Uber app to see if the town had Uber.  I was amazed to see that yes they did and that picking me up from that exact spot on the Appalachian Trail (2 miles away from the road) and taking me to Quality Inn would only cost $9.56.   I really thought a helicopter would cost more than that!   After everything was all set up (not Uber just the hotel) I started walking again.   The sun was getting hotter and hotter and I was running low on water.  Finally, I started the endless switchbacks down, but was so happy to see shade.  I ended up crossing a tiny stream and stopped to drink water. I was feeling a bit woozy at that point but the water helped.  Goat caught up with me then and we kept walking toward Daleville.  I saw my first honeysuckle and convinced Goat to try it.  Oh the memories of childhood.   After crossing over, a small log bridge through a bog, I saw my first bear print (according to google).  Then I was surprised to see the trail littered with mulberries.  I couldn't reach any that were ripe, so Goat got a pass on trying those.   I hope at some point, she will get to try one.  They are my absolute favorite berry. Finally we emerged from the woods onto a four lane road.  It was such a shock.  My senses were completely overwhelmed.  We wades through traffic cones and rush hour traffic to get to Quality Inn.  I am surprised we made it alive.  At the hotel, we checked in.  The lady at the reception desk complimented us on our lack of smell.  I couldn't help but laugh.   Once in the room, we showered and rested for a few minutes.   For dinner, we had Cracker Barrel and it was delicious.  I think I drank at least two gallons of sweet tea.  All satisfied, we headed back to the hotel.   We never completely unpacked our bags because we had decided to Uber to the outfitters and then stay at the HoJo for our zero since it was closer to the trail.  **Photos/Video on Facebook -- Mickie Blair (Dicey Willow)