Date: 2014-05-01
To: Buena Vista
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Ok. It seems I have to cover all of April. Eek!On my 1 Monthaversary of being on the trail (4/5/14) I watched the sunrise from the Overmountain shelter. It was a VERY chilly morning. Felt like we walked from Winter into Spring that day. I have some neat photos of the scenery in the morning vs. afternoon through the Roan Mountain Highlands. Unfortunately, they are on my other camera and will have to wait to be shared. Heather (Wooden Spoon) said that area would blow my socks off. It did. Almost literally too (very windy). Walked with Sun Bear and Grease most of that day. Left my home state NC.Met Bob Peoples at the Kincora Hostel. He's a cool guy. Hiked over 14,000 miles of trails and super friendly. He runs the Hard Core trail work crew after Trail Days and I think I'd like to go back for that if I can (I'm not even as interested in the main event. I suppose it's more something you go to the year after you hike anyway...). Summit photos line the walls at the hostel. It's really inspiring.Hiked with Tuesday and Whiffle for a couple of days after that. Amazed I kept up with them! It was on the "Tennessee Turnpike" that I I'd my first day over 20 miles (21.6). Saw a chunky mouse at the shelter just watching us during dinner. In broad daylight! They're pretty well fed. He had rolls (not the bread).Made it to VA!!!! Three states down, now for the loooong haul through Virginia... (I can't believe, that since this blog entry is one month late I am actually almost done with VA!)Did a dance at the 500 mile mark, but that's already been shared. I think that was the day that Team One Size (One Day and Fun Size) was more or less "official" (well, we became Facebook friends at least). That was our first Sunday Fun Day! And boy was it a fun day because we hiked through the Grayson Highlands and saw ponies!Easter Sunday was beautiful. Wish I had more pictures to share. I felt a bit like I had "hinds feet on high places" (Habakuk 3:19) that morning in the rocky ridge, rather than noticing how it hurt my feet. There was just something in the spirit if that day that made everything pleasant. I enjoyed the wafting smell of fresh cut grass in preparation for all of the Easter egg hunts.There was a lot of planning involved in April. Planned to be in or around Damascus by the 11th to be picked up for my sister's figure competition on the 12th (surprise!). Planned to get to the Woods Hole Hostel by the 21st so that Dad + the sibs could do a day hike with me that afternoon. Planned where and for how long Dad would be joining me thereafter. Planned to meet Nana and Poppop at the end of the month for a visit. All the planning made for a very different kind of month than the last... LOVED seeing family and visiting, but I have to admit I am looking forward to just hiking until I feel like stopping again. But who knows? Maybe I will miss having little goals.Good times hiking with Dad. And good convos. (once again, the good pics of the day the siblings joined us are on my other camera *sigh*) After Dad left I had to catch Fun Size, especially when I discovered she was planning a sunrise on McAfee Knob. I did 23.7 miles and my first solo night hike to catch up! Did the last 7 or 8 miles after dinner at the Home Place! Started after 8:30pm and arrived at the shelter at 11:15pm. No worries, the only critters that attacked me were the moths at my headlamp. it was actually a beautiful night, and I could see city lights on either side of the ridge.For McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs there are no words... (See pics)Sleep deprived and hurting after a couple of long days, I was too stupid to recognize the intersection I was supposed to stop at for the motel in Daleville and instead hiked another mile and a half to Troutville only to find that I was at the wrong road and do a loop around the city to get back to where I was going. I was so mad. But it was that situation that allowed me to hitch a ride the next day back to the right spot on the AT with a new friend (Cassie from the coffee shop), which probably wouldn't have happened otherwise. So things have a tendency of working out...Should probably mention that all month we would get alternatively three days of terrible rain and thunderstorms and then three days of sunshine. "April showers bring May flowers." Of course, I never got my camera out in the rain, so I have only positive experiences to report. For example, I got in a pretty tight spot hiking over the ridge to Dragon's Tooth with lightning a little close for comfort, but it cleared up just as I got to the monolith. Had to ford a couple of creeks that had risen to high, but nothing too extreme, just some squishy shoes. Hiked through some nasty weather to see my grandparents, who treated us to a motel and several meals and shuttled us to and from the trail so that we could spend two nights with them. Still not slack packing though, I like the challenge I have set out for myself to backpack the whole way even when the opportunity to slack pack is available. And Fun Size is on the same page. Had some fun racing my grandparents to the pick up spot. We hiked 22 miles before they could drive 10,One Day