Date: 2015-05-23
From: Daleville, VA

To: camp site 750.1
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We woke early this morning and went down for breakfast at 06:45. We saw several other hikers at breakfast and had a nice time talking with them. We saw Glamper and Hangover who were taking a shuttle 20 miles north to start hiking. Champagne Jam and Five sat with us at our table and we discussed the days hike. Five is taking another zero day because his brother is still getting over a stomach bug and isn't ready to hike yet. After breakfast we got all our gear ready and then we went to check out. We were both a bit apprehensive about hiking which is crazy because we already have hiked over 700 miles but we weren't sure how our feet were going to do in our new boots and whether our time off was enough for our bodies to heal sufficiently.    We hit the trail at 07:15 and the first few miles were relatively easy. During the first miles we crossed over both I-81 and US route 11. After crossing route 11, we hiked through a tunnel of honeysuckle. It smelled so good. We then headed uphill about 1200 feet in elevation which wasn't too bad because there were lots of switchbacks. There was mountain laurel blooming everywhere. It was beautiful to see these plants in full bloom. We passed the first shelter of the day at the top of the mountain but we didn't stop. We continued hiking on the ridge line for the next few miles which was a bit rocky but not near as bad as a few days back. We stopped for lunch next to a spring and had a nice long break. Lavender saw a salamander in the stream while we were sitting eating our lunch. Check out our photos to see a picture of it.   While eating lunch, Amish came by and we chatted a bit and then Silence stopped for water so we talked for a good 20 minutes.   It was good to catch up with Silence since we hadn't seen him for awhile. After lunch we hiked a few miles and had our first crossing of the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). There was a pull out on the road for a view down to the valley and better yet there was and trash can there so we could get rid of our garbage.   The rest of the afternoon was spent paralleling the BRP and crossing it several time. Most of the crossings were by view points down to the valley which was nice since it was such and beautiful day. At one of the crossings we took a much needed 20 minute break to let our bodies rest. We take our boots off when we take a break to let our feet breathe a little and hopefully so our blisters will heal. We are still hiking with some painful blisters but we must keep hiking.   We saw a deer while hiking along this section. He ran off the trail when he heard us coming but he only went about 30 yards and stopped and watched us we went by.    At 17:10 we stopped a Bearwallow Gap and filtered water for the night. We continued on .7 miles and climbed 450 in elevation and found a nice little stealth campsite to call home for the night.    The temperature was cooler today and the wind was blowing a bit. These factors along with the trees being fully covered with leaves kept us cool. That was until this last .7 miles where we broke into a sweat. We were in full sun, with no wind getting through the thick rhododendron and mountain laurel. The shrubs were beautiful but we were do hot, it was hard to appreciate their true beauty.   We had a nice dinner of leftover cold pizza and mashed potatoes. The new boots certainly helped today. We are tired and we are going to rest out weary bodies for the night.