Date: 2004-05-23
From: Lynn Camp Creek

To: Davis Farm Campsite
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: light rain

Phew! Are we having fun yet? What a day. The climb out of camp was a precursor of the entire day. There were several serious climbs in this section. The fact that we planned a 16+ mile day simply added to the difficulty. Where is the section of Virginia in which I've been assured we'll easily be doing 20-25 miles per day? Quite obviously we aren't there yet!The day was just a casual mountain-climbing day until just before 1:00. We reached the Chestnut Knob Shelter just as the first raindrops fell. After a long relaxing lunch break (nap for Ursa Minor) and a spot of time admiring the view down into "God's Thumbprint" we started attacking the second half of the day's hike. We met the foursome from Partnership Shelter (Andy, Lorene, Dave and Dot) traveling the other direction today. About an hour later, 4 p.m. I saw April Showers backing away from something......a rattlesnake! It wasn't very large but it was lounging right alongside the trail. She actually got quite close before she saw it. I'm so glad she did. She informed me the first person usually startles the rattler, the second gets the bite. Yours Truly was only a few feet behind April Showers. We waited for Ursa Minor and then all three of us circled through the woods about 10 feet around it. Prior to diverting off the path, I left a large note on the rock eight feet before the snake, warning fellow hikers behind us of its presence. Five minutes later we heard Big Tree go "ARGH!" We started heading back towards him but he was okay. The warning note got a larger reaction from him than actually seeing the snake. By the time Gadget came upon that spot 50 minutes later the rattler had disappeared.About 15 minutes past that episode, with our adrenaline flowing, I decided to make the day a bit more exciting. With 560 miles under my belt I finally took a tumble. I had just been thinking as we crossed these large flat rocks lying at 45 degree angles that even though the sides of my boots were showing wear and tear, my soles were still in great shape with lots of reliable traction. From the fall no damage done beyond a pea-sized scrape on my elbow.But that truly wasn't very spectacular so 20 minutes later I decided to try it again. This one was much more worthy of mention. It was a marvelous swan dive with my left shin taking a good blow and scrape on a rock and my body and pack doing a sideways roll off the trail. I landed on my back and lay there like a marooned turtle. After checking the damage to my leg and making certain nothing was twisted or broken I then pondered the dilemma of how to get up. I toyed with the idea of just lying there until Ursa Minor came along, but I didn't want to frighten her by making her think I was seriously hurt. After failing in my efforts to roll over or sit up I finally just unbuckled the silly pack and rolled off. I lavished Melaleuca oil and gel on the "owie" and wrapped my bandana around the injured leg.Within a few minutes we caught up with April Showers. I told her she had missed the second rattlesnake and asked if she knew how to treat a snakebite. I let her gasp for only a brief second before I told her the injury was from a second fall. Then she admitted she had taken two tumbles today too, and Ursa Minor said she had fallen once. She fell a couple days ago and skinned her shin.We decided the day was a long hard hike, we were getting fatigued and not picking up our feet, which was making our hiking a little treacherous, so we slowed down and took it easy. Of course, 1.3 mile from this site the rain started. Now in full rain gear and with tunnel-visioned determination we sped to this destination. There's room for only one large tent and one small tent so Ursa Minor took a spot a little lower. I believe we are all rolling downhill tonight. Gadget showed, set up, ate dinner, and decided he couldn't sleep at a 35 degree angle so he left. Already here ending a zero day is a North Yorkshire mate by the trailname General. I wanted to learn more about the Coast-to-Coast trail in England which he said went right by his home. But after having eaten, doing chores and watching the awesome sunset we all crawled into bed and conversation ended. Hopefully we'll cross paths again; I'd like to take a month or so next year to hike that UK trail.If we make it to Bland, VA by 2:00 or 3:00 tomorrow we have a ride into town for our next maildrop. But it's another 15+ mile day so we'll need to get a very early start -- 6 a.m. perhaps. That's my cue for lights out. There are very few dull days on the AT. What will tomorrow bring?