Date: 2015-05-10
From: Mountain Home, Front Royal, VA

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 15.2

5/10, 15.2, Dick's Dome Shelter, MOTHER'S DAY!BEAR! But I digress. I woke early today in the hostel because it was such a restful night of sleep so I quietly finished the journal I was writing when I fell asleep. Soon I could smell the coffee and decided to begin packing. Breakfast was scheduled for 8 am so I was in no hurry and enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee on the front porch. The birds were beginning to welcome the day, and the sun was already making things warm, and a little humid. Breakfast was simple, but very pleasant with homemade jam for the toast and fresh fruit. After finishing I gathered and packed my pack and prepared to leave. Mountain Home BnB is a work in progress. It is a pre Civil War home that was on the National Historic Register, and abandoned. The current owners are restoring the property and started wi the tenant house, which now serves as a hiker cabbin for up to six hikers. The next phase is the main house and Lisa, our host, offered a tour. We all readily accepted and the tour began around 8:45. The house is remarkable and I hope to come back and visit in a few years after all is complete. After the tour, photos and goodbyes I was on trail at 9:30. With the late start I set my goal for a shelter 15 miles away and I am glad I did. It was very hard to leave the B&B today, and I was missing Kathy a bit this morning, so I was hiking a bit slower than usual and making very little noise. Less than 10 minutes into my hike the trail follows the fence of a Smithsonian Farm and as I looked ahead I saw a bear cub shimmying down the fence on my side. Then a second cub went up and over also to my side and headed for the stream. Unfortunately it chose a path too difficult, got stuck and began to cry for its mother. By this time I had stopped to watch and wait to see where mom was. Soon she came up from the stream, looked around locating me, then moved away up the trail a few yards with all 3 cubs behind. She stopped after about ten yards and turned to face me. I had readied my camera and started shooting photos as I backed up a bit. She took this as a good sign, turned and continued up the trail away from me. About 50 yards up the trail I could see her turn left off the trail and up into the woods. I headed up the trail slowly and aware they may yet be fairly close. Sure enough, as I got to the point where they turned one of the cubs was bleating for its mother as it could not penetrate the fence. I saw her and the other cubs about 50 yards uphill in the woods as she turned to see what was happening. By this time I was passing them and kept hiking on but could see mom up the hill wait for me to pass. That was the end of my first bear encounter this trip and I have to say it is about time. Until now the only bears I had seen were stuffed in display cases at visitor centers. As I hiked on the morning continued to warm considerably and when I checked my watch at lunch, it was 80 degrees. With these temps my breaks were longer and I was moving more slowly. I reached a crossroad near a small town, Linden, and decided to take a moment and see how quick I could get a ride in. It took about ten minutes but a couple of canoeists picked me up and dropped me at the first convenience store. With temps as high as they were I was determined to get a sofa and some ice cream. After two sodas, a bag of chips, a gatorade and an ice cream bar, I caught a hitch back to the trail head and was on my way again. I stopped at another shelter to rest in the shade and get cool spring water and stayed about 20 minutes. Moving on my destination was now just 5 miles further and I arrived at Dick's Dome Shelter at 5:30. There are a couple section hikers here, and three thru hikers, as well as a couple other tents nearby. I decided to take a space on the shelter so I can be on trail quickly in the morning. I will hike nearly 20 miles tomorrow and I hope to do most of it before the afternoon heat takes hold. Tomorrow evening I plan to stay at the semi famous Bears Den Hostel, and press on to Harper's Ferry from there on Tuesday. Tomorrow I will also pass the 1000 mile mark of my quest.It is cooling nicely here so I will end this part of my journal. Those of you who may be brave can read on to my homage to my mother. SilverbackIf there was ever a perfect mother I believe I have been the recipient of her gracious love and the recipe includes many things.Those of you who know my mom will agree her main ingredient is a gift which allows her to see the good in even the most rotten individuals. One of the first things I remember hearing from her was, "If you can't say something nice about someone...", well...you know how it ends. She truly is able to say something nice about anyone. Add to that a generous portion of grace. She raised five severely different, from each other, kids. The challenges were myriad and through it all gracious second chances were offered, and hird and fourth to me as I recall. I probably know this as much as, if not more than, my siblings. I received the benefit of my mothers grace constantly, and still do, as I barrel my way through life. Another significant ingredient in the perfect mother is the ability to laugh at one's self. A story comes to mind. My parents took this motley crew, sometimes called the Gratz Brats, on annual vacations. One of these vacations found us traveling along the north shore of Lake Superior where we took some time to walk one of the beaches. As we walked along my mother picked up several pieces of driftwood, examining them carefully searching for the right decorative item. She happened upon just the right piece, pocked it up and as serious as ever proclaimed, "It's perfect, and I can sand it down, finish it and make it look real!" I think we still talk about sanding things down and making them look real but mom never gets mad with the teasing, as we always express it with our love. Finally, I have to share one more example of the perfect mother from moms repertoire. My mother always set the standard in the home for acceptable language and the following story paints an accurate picture of the standard she set. Dinner in my home was always as a family, gathered around the table usually around 5:30. Attendance was mandatory unless work schedules interfered as we grew older. As you can imagine with five children and only ten years from oldest to youngest, discipline at the dinner table was required. I remember one dinner event when Dad was probably trying to calm down from a particularly stressful day and we children decided to push the limits of rambunctiousness. When dad had heard enough DOWN came his fist on the table, making all the dishes jump, as he exclaimed, "Quit fartin around!" The proverbial pin drop silence that followed was broken when my mom looked at my dad very seriously and scolded, "Emil, don't use such strong language in front of the children!" There was never a dull moment growing up in my home but there was never a moment one did not feel the love and care my mother has for each of us as individuals. To that end, her greatest gift to us has been her constant prayers. I know she prays for each of us daily, and I am pretty sure I get an extra helping of that from time to time, including during this adventure. I am certain those prayers have made a great difference in my life. So in closing, happy mother's day mom and I hope this has warmed your heart as much as your love and care has made my life so enjoyable.