Date: 2013-05-13
From: VA 683, US 11, I-81- Travel Inn, Marion, VA

To: Campsite by footbridge
Miles today: 14.5

I took my sleeping bag in the bed with me. The temperature had dropped outside, and when I went out in the morning there was a thick layer of frost on the car. Boy was I glad I had a warm hotel room rather than have to pack up a frozen tent. We breakfasted in the room, and I luxuriously added fresh strawberries to my granola. Heaven. I really miss fresh fruit, berries and vegetables. We loaded up the car, and as we were heading out of the parking lot, we saw St. Croix, Orion and several others sitting on the curb on the other side of the hotel. They arranged with Chad for a shuttle back to the trail. In fact, Chad spent the first 2/3 of the day taking hikers back to their respective trail heads. He's a good guy.We went back to the Barn and then drove down to see where the trail entered back off of the roadway. With the convergence of so many major roads, it wasn't readily apparent, and we didn't feel much like walking aimlessly in circles. I asked that he take us back to the Barn, because today I would officially pass the 25% mark, and I felt that it would drive me nuts if I skipped the 100 or so yards. I'm neurotic like that. Or you can call me a purist. Your choice.He dropped us off, we walked the 100 or so yards along the road, under the overpass and over the fence stile into a pasture. It still seems novel to me that land owners don't mind hikers passing across their land. I appreciate their generosity and benevolence. There was lots of beautiful pasture walking to be done today. The skies were so, so blue. Fluffy clouds hanging lightly in the sky. Perfectly shaped apple trees perched on hill tops forming the perfect silhouette. Black cows lazily grazing beneath, not minding that I was taking their picture. If I didn't know better, I would say that they were posing. We ran into Breeze and Wind at Davis campsite. It turns out it was Breeze's birthday today. Dreamer told him to tell Chad (who was hiking in from the other direction) that it was his birthday and to say that he (Chad) would know what Whirled Peas would want him to do. Chad was packing in some Guinnesses left over from our black and tans. As hoped, Chad read our minds and he gave Breeze and Wind the beers to celebrate 23 trips around the sun. Cool.The trail carried us through the woods. At one point I was climbing up a hill. I heard some rustling in the bushes. I looked over and saw a young, pregnant doe. I stopped. She stopped. I looked at her. She looked at me. I didn't move, but I knew that she could easily see me. She smelled the air and flicked her tail, but she wasn't alarmed. She lowered her head again and munched a few leaves. I wasn't threatening to her. Dreamer came up and saw me stopped. She stopped. We stood motionless for several minutes as the doe slowly feasted her way down the hill, occasionally lifting her head to smell the wind, but mostly unconcerned. It felt magical.We worked our way slowly and leisurely through the day. We walked through a shady corridor, flanked on either side by wide expansive fields. We climbed fence stiles and sat in the grass, absorbing the sun and the day. Grass sitting can be good, and I tend to get so wrapped up in clocking the miles that I forget the virtues of grass sitting. At one point, we crossed a low, infrequently traveled car bridge straddling a quick moving stream. Breeze and Wind were still there with their bare feet dangling in the flowing waters. Dreamer and I looked at each other. We had the same thought. We shed our packs and our footwear and soaked our hot feet in the ice cold water. At the end of the day, my feet and ankles really noticed the difference of taking so many breaks. They were virtually (for me) pain-free. Chad finally intercepted us as we were climbing up Bush Mountain. He relayed his day of shuttling hikers and reading our minds about the birthday beers. We told him of our magical pastures, deer, foot soaks and me officially reaching the 25% mark. We found a babbling stream with a couple of flat spots nearby and set up camp as the sun slid behind the hills. It was a fantastic day.