Date: 2013-04-15
From: Bog......

To: Abington Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

April 15th: Hiked from the bog to the Abingdon Gap Shelter for a total of 18.9 miles. Total miles hiked 456.7, 1729.2 to go. Last night I camped in what my map called a bog but I didn't see any cranberries or level ground for that matter. Probably just as well because it rained off and on throughout the night with a steady high wind off the ridge line. Unlike a few nights ago, however, the inside of my tent and all of it's contents stayed dry. Per usual I got an early start. Now I could have hiked through an ice storm and been attacked by a bear and it still would have been an awesome day when Jan told me this afternoon that she booked a flight for April, 27th to meet up with me somewhere in VA for a weekend getaway. Totally psyched. But awesome news aside, I still had an enjoyable and memorable day. The morning dawned overcast and raw and my right leg, which was sore from the day before, was still tender. Initially I had to take it slow and take a lot of breaks augmented with vitamin A (Advil). Helped but only slightly. After 4 miles I came across a monument no more than 10 feet off the trail on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. When I looked closer, I could see that it was actually a gravesite. Inlaid in this stone monument was a gravestone that had the saddest epitaph that I ever saw. It read: " Uncle Nick Grindstaff Born Dec. 26, 1851. Died July 22, 1923. He lived alone, suffered alone and died alone". Now I'm not sure if the author of this sad epitaph wished to convey compassion, pity or contempt for Uncle Nick but I do know this: Somebody/s took the time to build a pretty impressive monument (on top of a mountain no less) for him that still stands tall today. And after all these years, there lies Uncle Nick Grindstaff gone but not forgotten. 6 miles into my hike I came across some really cool trail magic that brought a smile to my face. The Nelson Chapel Baptist Church had this heavy gage metal bear proof canister chained to a tree in the woods loaded with trail magic. Inside was a cooler with cold drinks, a box with snack cakes and a hiker box with all the essentials, including boot laces and duck tape. After having a Dr. Pepper and a cake (alright I had 2) I wrote my gratitude in the hiker book before moving on. Just 2 miles later I came across a section of the AT that touted being wheelchair accessible. It started up this beautiful pasture land which I noticed was covered with cow pies. That's funny, I didn't know that cows hiked. When I turned the next bend, there was a two sided ladder that went up and over a barbed wire fence (not wheelchair accessible) Up and over I went only to come face to face with what I at first I thought was a bull but was relieved to see that "he" had utters. Hiking through this idyllic pasture with cows brought me back to my childhood on my Grandfather's farm in VT. Another big smile. My next big smile came when I passed a woman walking her dog. When I stopped to exchange pleasantries she asked me if I was a thru-hiker. She told me she was hiking down the trail to meet a friend but that her truck was parked in the lot behind her and that I could help myself to some food in drink that she had in the cab. When I got to the truck, I found a cooler full of Gatorade and 3 Dominos pizzas. One Gatorade and two slices of pepperoni pizza later, I was off once again with another smile on my face marveling at all the trail magic and trail angels I have encountered along the way. Another great day on the AT.