Date: 2016-04-11
From: Daleville - US 220 - Holiday Inn Express

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

"So are you excited to start hiking again?" Beth asked me that question shortly before my hike began today. Ouch. The answer was "No. I'm not excited." I knew why she was asking. I didn't have anyone to hike with today. Fresh Ground was home. Blues Brother, Rambo, Last Chance, and Seeker were probably 10 miles behind at today's start. Saying goodbye to Beth was easier today - probably because we're getting used to this, if you ever "get used to this." With my poles digging in, I moved quickly across US 220 in order to not get run over by a car. I looked over my shoulder after entering the trail into the woods and saw Beth taking a picture from the car. One final wave. It reminded me of countless times my two children waved goodbye as I headed off to work on a weekend many years ago - can't say that I liked that memory but that memory came into my mind.The trail between Daleville and Troutville is maintained by someone who is maintaining their back yard. The grass around the trail was just cut with a lawn mower. Thanks to whoever did this because it made for a nice start to the day.The trail took me through a fence stile and then up a hill. That's what I saw in today's picture. I picked up my hiking poles to not draw the cow's attention anymore than it seeing me as I approached. No fence separated us and as I hiked I saw many more cows grazing around me. At the hill's top was a post with a double blaze. A double blaze alerts hikers that the trail is turning. A cow was a few feet away from that post, denying my hiking there. I went wide left and then returned to where I thought the trail would be. More cows came into view. No sign of a white blaze or a path. After what seemed like a long time but probably was less than 10 minutes, I realized I had to get another look at that double blazed post. Fortunately the cow was gone and I then saw a couple white blazes down another side of the hill. Back in track with none of the cows doing anything beyond looking at me and then returning to their grazing. I left this pasture knowing I liked Troutville cows more than Catawba cows. With a few miles behind me, I began to find my rhythm hiking. And then I remembered what it was like to hike alone. It was then that I really realized how long it had been since feeling like this. While hiking with other hikers, we often hike with separately with substantial distances between us but there's an awareness of the ofher hikers being ahead or behind. Not so today. My late start today combined with my wasting time searching for the trail around the grazing cows pretty much solidified that I'd hike just to the shelter 18.5 miles away so I never attempted to hike faster than a normal stride of 2 miles per hour. So why am I not excited to be hiking? What does this mean? When did this change happen? Those questions needed answers as the trail went up and down and around numerous corners. The initial climb was graded nicely making for a nice hike that didn't require thought to keep climb. My thinking seemed scrambled with various perspectives. Eventually a thread of consistency and awareness surfaced. Layers of memories in the form of people and places came to mind. Having hiked 700+ miles, the excitement of those initial days has been replaced by the fact that hiking is what I do now. Blues Brother has often said something about how we have to get up and hike every day. He and Fresh Ground repeatedly pointed out that the length and vertical aspect of the next mountain's climb iis nothing we haven't already climbed - so just get on with this one too. After that thought solidified came more memories and more appreciation for this first part of hiking the AT. If you've read this journal - and thanks to all who are doing that and enjoying this hike with me - then you too can surely fill in the blanks with the new friends I've made out here hiking. Think about all those I've had moments with. All those amazing places I've seen. Excitement apparently isn't there now, but it feels good to be here. This thinking gave me peace with Beth's question. I then found myself yearning for the coming days and weeks. Who will be next? What is around the next corner? A quick wildlife update. Prompted by my being startled as I nearly stuck my right hiking pole into a 3' - 4' black snake today. Yesterday, I gave some candy to a couple section hiking for a few days. As we spoke I recalled seeing them around a shelter on Friday. They remembered seeing me too as I was one of two hikers they'd seen out here. Earlier that day they had seen three bear cubs playing up on the side of the mountain we had all passed. So the bears are up and out now. Deer are being seen more frequently. A few days ago Blues Brother, Rambo, Fesh Ground, and I got to see 3 white-tailed deer scamper away with ease. According to several hikers, salamanders are apparently out everywhere - maybe I'm making too much noise with my hiking poles.   Awareness of my shadow returned today, bring a smile to my face. Bean, a female flip-flop hiker who began her thru-hike in Front Royal at the northern end of Shenandoah National Park, is hoping her trail legs will come in soon. She seemed to be a strong hiker already. Otis, who began hiking in January, joined me in this shelter around 7:00. We'd met at Four Pines Hostel. Otis is best known as the hiker who bear a rabid skunk to death when the skunk kept confronting he and a fellow hiker as they tented. He still feels bad about it but realizes other options weren't available. I had a nice elongated conversation with a couple at Taylor Mountain Overlook. They had plenty of questions and said that I look to clean to be a thru-hiker; was glad Blues Brother and Fresh Ground were not around to hear that in order to avoid the teasing that would've been relentless. Got a message from a friend from sunny Florida today. More memories of great times spent in earlier days. All of your messages are appreciated more than you can imagine. Someone recently asked how much time these entries take. I'm a slow typer on this phone so this one took about 1.5 hours. I think I'm tired enough now to fall asleep again so that's what I'm going to do now. I am so lucky to be here experiencing this trail.