Date: 2016-04-11
From: SNP MP#105: Rockfish Gap

To: SNP MP#95: Sawmill Overlook
Miles today: 9.4

Miles: 9.4Rockfish Gap to Sawmill Overlook (MP # 95)Weather: High 60s, sunny, breezyWildlife: Whitetail deer, buzzards, birds and butterfliesNumber of hikers: Three solo women, two solo men (all heading south) with full packs, and a couple day hiking a few miles to the Sawmill overlook.Dinner: Lentil Stew and fresh saladDowning a few swigs of Dayquil, taking a few start photos by the park¢s entrance and making sure our phones were talking to each other, so began my walk of two million steps. I headed off with a 12-pound daypack at Rockfish Gap and Milepost #105 of Shendandoah¢s Skyline Drive while Sam headed over to nearby Waynesboro in search of a day of golf.Today we both found summer. But first, we had to drive 50 miles south to my A.T. start. By the time we got to my personal starting point, it was after 10:30 a.m.The first few miles out were uphill and slow. My lungs burned¢more from my congestion, I think, rather than the exertion with that back of your throat/grinding your molars feeling. I startled a few deer, which, in turn, startled me.In spite of my questionable health, today was spent getting acclimated both to a pace and to AWOL¢s guidebook. Go figure¢those elevation profiles mean so much more in person than in theory. I also underestimated my time in the beginning. Not sure if it was because of this upper respiratory bug I¢ve been fighting or that my start was mostly uphill, but it took me 3 hours to hike 4 miles. I had been texting Sam all day with updates so we could determine where and when he could meet me at the end of the day. The original plan had been 4:30, but now I was starting to think it was looking like it would be more like 6 p.m. or later. Crap.After passing two younger female solo hikers within the first few miles, I met a very friendly guy by the Bears Den Mountain communication towers. Big Wave Dave was on the last of his nine-day 107-mile SNP hike raising awareness for Mental Health wellness. He told me he had started with a 65# pack weight, was now down to 38# and had really learned a lot this past week. This was also his first truly warm day. A week ago, he camped with wind chills below zero under 75 mph wind gusts. That had to be educational.After a late lunch under the shadow of the towers, the rest of the day¢s pace was much more in line with the pace I had in mind. I hiked along pine-forested ridgelines and through mountain laurel flanked gaps and for a short moment, under a crackling high-voltage power line. At one point I was passing signs of bear including scat full of shining black fur, but no sight of the real deal. My hacking cough has to be alerting any nearby wildlife. Toward the end of the day, I past a second solo male hiker near the Calf Mountain Shelter, 7 miles distant from Waynesboro, where he was headed. A few miles further, I passed a third solo young woman, heavily-burdened and silent. I wondered where she was planning to end her day. I ended mine at 5 p.m. after six hours and a total of 9.4 miles. Today¢s musing: Walking through the changing shadows over the hours, I realized how much I forget what it¢s like to experience a full day¢s passing doing this singular activity. I¢m a living sundial. The day also passes just as fast, if not faster, than any other day packed full of activities.