Date: 2014-06-03
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: Three Springs Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I am taking a zero day and going back to 3 springs hostel again. (Was there Friday night) I was going to only go 8 miles anyway so it doesn't seem like a big loss and I will start early tomorrow and do a long day. It's only 4 pm but I am going ahead to write today's entry. By the way, I passed then 800 mile mark. I amaze myself that I have made it this far! It doesn't seem that long unless I count the time elapsed since March 11 or think about missing my grandchildren.I lay in the field last night with the purpose of watching the stars but I started getting sleepy before they all came out and moved into the tent so I could sleep undisturbed by either the chiggers or the dew. I got up once during the night and the moon had set and the stars were shining clearly.I had pitched my tent toward the east, so the rising sun roused me early this morning with both heat and light. I made breakfast of souped-up oatmeal with dried blueberries, vanilla pudding mix and pecans, then made a 3-cup pot of coffee that I savored while taking the tent down. I first thought of leaving it up and sitting in it if the 60% thunderstorms materialized. Then decided to take it down and keep it dry and put on my raincoat if it started raining. By this time the occupants of "my spot" had gone north.Since it had been so important to me I wanted to spend at least the morning at Hog Pen Gap. I also wanted to catch up on my trail journal entries. I got everything squared away, then made a trip to the spring (2/3 mile round trip) to have ample water for the trip to the next shelter. I filled the coffee pot with water and purified it by boiling five minutes so I could make some coffee to sip while blogging or swinging. I did all three.I had just got started on the blog when Merman (as in mermaid but male) came to sit in the swing and chat. I didn't mind and enjoyed getting acquainted. I gathered from the conversation he is from Albany, NY. By the time he left, Simba had packed up to leave and came over to enjoy the swing. We chatted about our plans for today and why I was just sitting around in camp so long. She mentioned that I should bring Marcia, Paris and the grandchildren here sometime. The thought had not occurred to me but it is a good idea because the gravel road goes right past and we could drive right up to the site. Simba actually left camp before I did today.I typed some more on yesterday's entry then cooked lunch. I noticed it was nearly noon and I had not done nearly half the writing I had expected to do for the morning. It was then I had the sudden notion to go call up Oma at Three Springs Hostel and go down there for the night. Then I could hit the trail early in the morning without feeling like I had unfinished business to attend to.I am beginning to think that the written reflections are just as important to my hike as nature and people are. But I have to make some "space" for that to happen.(While I was waiting for Oma to pick me up, Achilles came by, so I told him if he caught up with Simba to tell her my plans for today had changed since I saw her. It is part of the magic of the trail that we three continue to remain connected as we traverse VA.