Date: 2014-05-15
From: Wise Shelter (mile 500.5)

To: Middle Creek Campground, Buchanan, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Greetings, friends. It is been some days since I updated this blog (weeks)¢¦ Therefore, some of the dates and locations may be a little off. Most evenings, I have not had access to the Internet, and therefore composed some brief notes at the end of each day using my cell phone or this iPad mini. Over the past few weeks, we've had a few days where we split up to spend time with our families. Therefore, we did some camping by ourselves, which was good to get a chance to chat with other folks in the evenings. Most days, I have walked by myself listening to audiobooks. In general the terrain has been pretty decent, although there have been a few ball-busting straight-ups. Weather has been quite tolerable over the past few weeks, naturally, it is spring so we have been hammered by rain a few times. Usually, the procedure is to take a long lunch the following day to spread our stuff out (mainly sleeping bag and tent) to dry. We almost always camp in our tents, but are generally staying at tent spots next to shelters. Typically, there is a water source, and frequently a privy ("outhouse"). We most recently passed through Roanoke Virginia, and I therefore got an opportunity to get off the trail and visit with my sisters, who live there. They were quite helpful in getting on and off the trail and up to see my wife and son in Harrisonburg and attend Beth's graduation. Great time. Best of all, got a chance to have a nice Mother's Day brunch with my wife and sister. Naturally, it is always good to get off the trail and take advantage of shower and laundry. (Not to mention having an opportunity to eat normal food)Re-supplies have been thankfully convenient for the most part, occasionally having to hitchhike five or 10 miles off the trail to get to a store. However, many times the stores are within walking distance. If not a regular grocery store, at least a dollar general, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I've been trying to be better about taking photographs, and am working on getting some posted to this website. I've been most interested in flora and fauna, mostly flora, and am working on getting some of these shots posted to this website. Most recently, I was running down a steep hill, and thankfully looking a few paces ahead, when I noticed a rather fat rattlesnake crossing the trail. I slammed on the brakes as quickly as possible, and the weight of my pack almost propelled me forward on top of him. After I regained my composure, I snapped a photograph and since most of my photographs make people car-sick, I also shot a video. Not sure if videos are up-loadable to this website, will work on finding a way to share that with you as well. He was rattling quite loudly to make sure I saw that he was there. One of my hiking colleagues also pointed out a bear crashing through the woods away from our direction, there have been quite a few bear sightings by others on the trail here. Today, we saw a dead buzzard sitting on the trail, no evidence of trauma. He must've weighed about 20 pounds.We are making some good friends on the trail, the trail is fairly empty today and will probably be over the next few days, as many of the people have departed for "trail-days", down in Damascus, Virginia. Well, those are some of the highlights¢¦ What follows are the "cut-n-pastes" from previous days.May 1st: Departed my campsite next to a stream. I camped by myself last night... I intended to camp up on the mountain, but discoverd not very good tent sites, and there was no water. My eventual campsite was in a hollow, among the pines. Thought I was taking my time to give Al a chance to catch up, but with my policy of (generally) constant forward motion, I ended up putting in 16-point-something miles. And the last four or so were some hard miles. I was planning to get to the top of the mountain, but darkness was falling fast, so I find myself camping next to a pond with a virtual symphony of bullfrogs to keep us company/ lull us to sleep. I had planned on stopping when the forecasted rain materialized, but that was not to occur until the end of the evening, when I was looking for a place to set up anyway. Chris (code name "Long Haul Trucker") caught up to me at the end of the day (well, maybe five-ish). It is raining now, so I cooked my dinner in my tent. What could go wrong w that? Although there is cell service this evening, my phone battery is down to 12%, so think I'll keep it turned off so it's available in case of an emergency. I texted my location to Al, but pretty sure he's down where the reception is nil. I thought I saw a beaver scurrying into a woodpile, but will have to investigate tomorrow, as it was just getting too dark (and I had my evening chores to complete).May 2nd. Took our time getting up-n-out this morning. Wet and foggy, cooked breakfast and dried tent w a pack towel. I must have wrung out a few pints or more of water, so worth the exercise, even if it is a little time-consuming. This morning I saw no gnawed trees or saplings, so it seemed unlikely that what I saw was a beaver last night. Maybe a rabbit. Our walk to the summit of Chestnut Knob was an easy 600 feet over two miles (it standing at about 4400 feet high. There was a cool shelter there, constructed of stones, and completely closed in. It even had a door. Al was already there, having seen a note I left him in the previous shelter 9 miles back (Knot Maul Branch) saying I was going to the next shelter. Turns out he hiked there last night in the rain (and dark), arriving around 9:30. The shelter was packed (and we generally avoid staying in shelters, anyway) and he set up his tent in the rain. We walked all day, and while we had a few steep climbs, in general, the terrain was easier navigating today. We stopped mid-day for the usual long lunch break on days after it rains, emptying out packs and setting everything out in the sun and wind to dry. I saw an unusually bright-colored (but sadly, dead) bird, which I think was a blue-jay. Tru-Brit, a gentleman who runs a nearby hostel, said they lose their color a little as they age. Easy afternoon walk, I fell behind so resumed listening to Doris Kearns Goodwin's story about the bully pulpit of TR's presidency. Nice camp near a river, some of our usual crowd, it was nice to stop a little earlier today (~ 6:30 PM), as my legs have been getting a little tired over the last day or two. Well, that's enough for one day, will post some photos in the photo section. (As well as adding to these posts).