Date: 2018-07-20
From: Panorama Parking Area

To: Big Meadows Campground
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: broken clouds

The three of us girls had breakfast at our campsite picnic table this morning. Hugs and I wondered if the big breakfast yesterday had added to our lethargy.  So this morning it was coffee and a tortilla with Nutella for me.  During breakfast I found a microscopic tick had embedded itself right where my ear and face meet.  When I removed it, there was bleeding, and now a hole.  This of course has me worried given the high incidents of Lyme Disease in this area. Say a prayer for me.  We loaded up in Forest Diva¢s Jeep and drove north.  The drive was much longer than our hike would be.  It¢s that whole driving around mountains thing.  We did see another large brood of turkeys during our drive.  This mama had 6 or 7 tiny babies.  They were so cute. Hugs and I began our slack pack SOBO flip flop from Panorama Parking Area. There were bathrooms at the parking lot, so we took advantage of them before we headed out.  It was in there when I realized my Advil was not located where I thought I had put it.  ( I misplace things on a regular basis). By the time I hit the trailhead I KNEW  my Advil was definitely lost.  This is not good with a 17 mile day planned.  An elderly gentleman saw my distress and said he at least had aspirin if I would like some.  YES please and thank you!  In the end he gave me two Alieve.  Losing my Advil is what I call a ¢happy accident¢. I¢ve learned that Alieve gives me much better relief than Advil ever did.  He was my Trail Angel today.  This morning started out UP. The terrain changed back and forth, but there were lots more rocks than I was hoping for.  I said to Hugs, ¢is this Pennsylvania?¢  My feet were seriously giving me grief by the end of the day.  At one point the terrain just smoothed out and opened up into a grassy area, almost like a little bald. But it wasn¢t. That was nice! Eventually that bald of sorts turned into a picnic site.  Just as we were getting close to the picnic tables we saw a mama dear with a fawn.  This was my first fawn of the hike.  It had little white spots like Bambi and everything.  I can¢t wait to be in a place with WiFi long enough to upload all of my photos.  Anyway, wildlife ALWAYS makes my heart happy!  And even though the rocks were a real pain, it was cooler than usual for a July day with nice breezes. There were views galore too. I couldn¢t ask for anything more.  So hiking through a National Park can really spoil a thru-hiker. About 9 miles into our day was a blue blaze to Skyland Resort.  This was perfect for a late lunch.  I had a burger and a side salad with Diet Pepsi. I charged my phone and looked around in the gift shop. Then I rested my weary body on the sofa.  I think we spent a good hour there.  It was getting a little late into the afternoon when we finally left the resort. We had 8 more miles still to go before we would be back at camp. I started out in the lead, and took off quickly to make up miles for time lost. Soon we were slowed way down.  Bears everywhere!  When dusk hits the mountains the bears get busy.  Hugs calls it ¢Bear-thirty¢!  I like that phrase!  So there it was a bear to our right. I heard it first then we saw him plain as day.  We had a nice photo session.  I just can¢t get enough of them!  Before we reached camp there was a total of three bears. Every single one was a magical A.T. moment for me.  I was able to photo or video each bear. The last mile of our hike was UP...again.  This is proof that it is possible to walk uphill both ways. We walked uphill leaving, and uphill coming back.  At least it wasn¢t winter time, and we both had shoes!  Hugs and I walked straight to the lodge where we met up with our new friend and Trail Sister Forest Diva.  We had dessert and champagne to honor this new friendship. I¢m certain we will be lifelong friends! Forest Diva has stayed an extra day with us but she really has to leave tomorrow.  I will miss her very much.  On that note, it¢s way past hikers midnight again.  Until Next Time Blue Raccoon (2018) Where¢s your faith?