Date: 2009-05-20
From: Punchbowl Shelter, VA 

To: Hog Camp Gap, VA
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

Cell not reliableOG notesWe had an interesting night last night, we had two deer making noises at each other to mark their turf. I didn't know deer did that and the noise was so high pitched I thought it was birds.We've been having cold nights lately. Here we are thinking summer and still feeling touches of winter. Where is the Global Warming when you need it. Hopefully mother nature can read a calender and see that Monday is Memorial Day.We're in a grassy field tonight and the wind is blowing all around us. When we arrived here the wind wasn't blowing but started after the sun went down. There are 4 tents in this huge field, it is nice to have others camping nearby. We chose this site because there is a good water source and it fit in nicely with our desired milage.We owe an apology to our youngest grandson, Steven. He turned one on May 15th and we forgot about it. We also forgot to mention it in the May 15th entry. Happy Birthday Steven.C6 notes Yes, we're so sorry we forgot Steven's first birthday on May 15th. We look forward to celebrating it with a 2nd birthday party this weekend. (They had a birthday party a couple weeks ago and will celebrate it again with us this weekend.)We came upon trail magic today. Hal ("Flash") and Ruth ("Hot Flash") Washington were at an AT road crossing with Turkey sandwiches, iced tea, and fabulous desserts. What a wonderful surprise! (Thank you so much!!) OG said they were there in 2006 also, but he didn't mention them in case they weren't there this time. He hasn't told me about a couple of the trail magic surprises we've come across because he wants me to be surprised if they are there again. I love the surprises. Flash and Hot Flash thru-hiked in 1987. Their car license plate is "AT 7." (Say it fast.) They are very nice people, and the food was wonderful!They still hike a lot. We stopped at the shelter just beyond where they were, and just before we left the shelter to finish today's hike, Hal and Ruth showed up at the shelter for their day hike.We saw a couple more bunnies today, and they reminded me that I haven't updated our wildlife list. Since I wrote about the wildlife we've seen, we have seen other wildlife. Some deer - two crossed the AT very close to us. I tried to take a video of them, but I had my hiking glasses on so I couldn't see the camera picture very well and I didn't want to make any quick moves that would scare the deer away, so they are barely in the picture. Bummer. We've seen deer in other places as well since then. We were walking down a back road one day and saw a fox walking toward us (not very close to us though). As soon as it saw us, it bounded off into the woods. At the Bryant Ridge Shelter there was a porcupine in a tree, and we can add chipmunks to the list as well. I think that's it so far. I haven't mentioned my emotions in a long time. I've been mostly stable emotionally. I've had some tears (but minor) a couple times, but no more big meltdowns. This morning OG teased me about something and for some reason I ended up crying. I don't know what those tears were about, and they stopped fairly quickly. When I find my emotions dipping, I try to talk about what's happening with OG quickly and it passes. The hiking is easier now, and any pain is minor or goes away quickly when we take breaks or stop for the day, so hiking isn't causing meltdowns now. Even the 4.7 mile nonstop uphill today didn't upset me. It was hard, and it bothered me that it kept going and going, but no meltdown. The string of beautiful sunny days helps a lot, too, though. It's so nice to hike in great weather!Old Goat & Check Six