Date: 2007-05-21
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

We left out of the shelter at 8 am, we weren't sure what our intended destination was for the day. We just hiked. Incredible views along Tinker Cliffs. A very long day of hiking especially for my non-Georgia legs. We were joined several times along the way by deer who would just walk up on the trail a head of us and walk along the trail, sharing the trail peaceful with wildlife was very soothing to us. We saw turkeybeard - a very tall wildflower that is not very common that smells similiar to honeysuckle. The variety of wildflowers were impressive - two of our favorites things wildflowers and wildlife. We saw firepinks, spiderworts, mountain laurel tunnels, buttercups, cinquefoil, black-eyed susans, wild geranium, catawba rhododendron, dwarf iris, bluets, viper's bugloss, star chickweed, stonecrop, wood anemone, sweet cicely, wood sorrel, and many more that I forgotten , didn't write down or don't know the names. We took many pictures of flora & fauna. Flint said he saw more wildlife in this fifteen mile stretch than he has in his entire 700 mile adventure - woodpeckers, hawks, squirrels, chipmunks, cottontail rabbits, woodchuck, weasel, racoon, deer, turtle, skinks, lizards, snakes, a variety of birds at every turn wildlife was so abundant , we felt as if we were filming an episode of Animal Planet, "An AT Thru-Hiker's Sojourn with Wildlife" it was remarkable way to hike this day on the AT. We've included some of our wildlife and wildflower pictures in Flint's photos. We saw many vistas that were awe inspiring feeding our spirits with delight. We stopped at Lambert's Meadow shelter for water and lunch. Where we met up with Pootz for the 2nd time. We decided at this point to push on to Daleville, according to a sign at the campsites just past the shelter we had a little less than nine miles and it was around 12:30. We thought we are feeling pretty good, it's doable. The hike went on and on, the powerline crossings seemed endless and there were more than what was listed in the the thru-hiker books. It seemed we never quite knew exactly where we were on the trail, was that Hay Rock? or was that Hay Rock? Was that the old log road or is this the old log road? Flint said it doesn't matter Paws - you don't know where your at until you get there. Sometime I wish Flint - would be quiet. I was gettin tired, and then it happened I took a nasty tumble not once but twice first on a pretty steep rocky up hill, now I ask you how does a person fall going up hill? Well, I'm not exactly sure but I did it, placed my foot on a large loose rock (I guess) and the magic began I twisted to the left and the to the right and then did it again and again, I twisted my self into a pretzel before I came to rest in a heap. I should have just fallen from the get go, the damage would have been less, I believe in the long run. For the moment I just was scraped, my own trekking pole had stabbed my leg and was bruised not to bad for now so up I went and over the top, we ridge walked for a while. Next came the brutal crazy tree branch that reached out and took possession of my right leg, another assault on my already injuried right leg but I was still holding my own. Here came one of the many rocky and steep down hills, this one saw I was weak, another tumble down, this time my entire body took the jolt - this one I was going to pay for - everything hurt. I had to take a minute to shake this one off, and a tear ran down my cheek - Flint said do you realize you have fallen more in the past hour than I have fallen in the past three months and I said I don't need to ask who's talking - It's Flint - I said you need to warn Flint, he's within reach of my trekking pole. Then we both laughed. Humor is good for the soul. Then we passed a cool place called the Wall that wasn't even listed anywhere. Then we went under a huge powerline tower that you could here crackling, it sounded as if Frankenstein would be coming to life just around the bend, it was freaky. We made our way down the trail until finally at 7:45 pm we made our way to Daleville, what a day. Mexican food and the Econo Lodge. I'm sure we looked a sight - my thru-hiking husband looked well, like a well- traveled confident thru-hiker, I on the other hand, looked like a tired, weary, hiker who had a fight with a brier bush and lost, hadn't read the operating manual for my trekking poles, and had tried the new sport of rock turning whereas, you step on a rock and it ends up on top of your shoe or causes the particpant to loose their balance and inertia takes over. With each step that we take, we find ourselves working our way closer to clarity & purpose. Peace and Love To All. Paws & Flint