Date: 2016-06-29
From: Daleville / Howard Johnson's

To: Wilson Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

2:45 pm - Took a break at Fullhardt Knob (seriously? Can you make it just a little harder for the giggling 14 year old boys, AT?). I just ate half a block of 2-day-old cheddar wrapped in a tortilla for lunch. I felt this should be documented.8:20 pm - A nice, relaxing day. Started off with the free breakfast at HoJo's with Friendly Nate. Then I headed to a cafe to have an Americano (!) in a real mug (!) and write journal entries. I love doing that.Then I hit my resupply mail drop - I got a package from Sandy, a woman who attended my TEDx talk! We exchanged emails before I left LA, but things were so busy I didn't get a chance to meet her yet. But what an incredibly sweet package! I didn't have the time to go through it all yet, and I wanted to prolong the fun of it - I was one of those kids who never asked for anything for Christmas because I like the surprise best of all. So I took Sandy's letter and scraped off the top layer of things, put them in my food bag, and bounced the rest ahead to my next stop. That way, it will be the gift that keeps on giving! Sandy, I look forward to telling you about how I eat / use / share the lovely and thoughtful things you sent! Let's just say that Trader Joe's products are GOLD in the woods!Coming out of Daleville, I had WAY too much food. This happens to most hikers leaving towns. My pack was heavy as sh*t. I'll have to eat the heaviest food first (like aforementioned block o' cheese).Since I didn't get out of town til 11:00, I knew it would be a short day. I decided to take my time and enjoy it. I pulled out my bowl and collected blueberries and blackberries for tomorrow's oatmeal.When I got to a pretty little stream to collect water, I noticed all of these little fish...and I don't know if it was me being observant or outright playing, but I got out a packet of ramen and fed it to the fish and crayfish, filming underneath with the GoPro. The crayfish grabbed a chunk of ramen and held it triumphantly...it was pretty funny.I got in about 7:00 and met Woodstock and Rebel Bear. We chatted over dinner and I called them back behind the shelter to see this incredible moon-faced owl. (Letter from Hogwarts?) There are TONS of birds in this area. I noticed a bright, practically neon, red bird with black wings. Rebel Bear said it was a scarlet tanager.The owl noises tonight are out of control!whup-whup-whup-WHUP-WHOOOOOOORL!!!(increasingly louder barks of noise, rhythmic, then the big trilling one)Side Note: I have a huge writer's crush on Lin-Manuel Miranda. I downloaded the Hamilton soundtrack just before coming out and it plays in my head a LOT. The fast pace of the songs is perfect for uphill climbing, when you just need a little more motivation. I don't usually play music because I need to conserve the battery and I like natural sounds, but if I'm heading into a town, I treat myself to playing Hamilton. The parts that mention Virginia are perfect! And I totally started crying during Eliza's solo at the end. See, I told you hiking makes you emotional.I love the music to pieces. I will have one night in NYC (Friday, July 29) before I return to California. If by some miracle someone out there has an extra ticket and wants to take a smelly hiker to see Hamilton, I'm your gal!