Date: 2003-04-28
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: South of VA623
Miles today: 14.0

Today was a strange day. I felt like we could do big miles today, but we stopped often, and for longer than usual breaks. The weather was great though, and it felt right to enjoy it while sitting, instead of hiking. Sometimes I feel like I need to put in a certain number of miles, or be at a certain town on a certain day, and when that doesn't happen, I'm disappointed. I don't know why I feel that way. I have time. Time to sit in the sun on a warm day if I choose.Of course, food supply can cause me to follow a schedule, or at least get to a place to resupply by a certain day. Hotdog and I had planned on resupply in three days, and tomorrow is that third day. I'm low on snacks, but have enough for tomorrow. The road crossing is about 15 miles away (depending where we are exactly) and hopefully we'll get there tomorrow. If not, I'm sure we'll be close enough to hitch in for breakfast the next day. We're trying to talk Fly and Smoothie into going in too, and if we keep telling them about Dairy Queen, we might get that to happen! I'll find out tomorrow.We knew today would have a long climb: about 2000' elevation gain, over 4 trail miles. It took us a while to get there, including a stop for lunch right on the trail, but the view once we got there was just awesome. Chestnut Knob Shelter is at the top of this climb, and overlooks Burkes Garden, a crater-shaped depression, with mountain ridges surrounding it completely. In the 'crater' are mostly farms, and it looked beautiful today! We stayed at shelter for at least an hour, taking in the view, and basking in the sun. We had planned on going to the next shelter, 10 miles farther north, but due to our long break at Chestnut Knob Shelter, we didn't leave there until 4pm. We figured we'd just camp somewhere before the shelter, and that's exactly what we did.We finally found a few flat spots aroun 7:15pm, and we were all ready to call it a day. I'm guessing we did around 14 miles, which isn't bad for the amount of lounging we did. Although it sets up either a tough day to get to Bland for resupply and back out to the trail, or it sets up an easier day tomorrow and then a coast into town early the next morning. I guess the pushy side of me wants to do it tomorrow. I'll wait and see how fast the miles are going tomorrow. Today, they seemed to crawl by.Jasper and Ben (Spoon Man?) were cooking dinner when we passed them, around 6pm, and they told us they saw a big hawk flying around the ridge. I never saw it, but would love too. I love hawks! Maybe my turn to see one will come soon.It's a beautiful night, and I'm going flyless in my tent again. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, put on my glasses and just look around. Up at the stars. Around at the trees. I fell asleep with my glasses on last time I did that. Oh well, it was cool.More milestones!!! Yesterday, we passed the 25% mark!!! So cool. I can't believe I've hiked that far, and that I'm in Virginia! It's difficult to imagine that I'd ever have done this, and yet, I'm right in the midst of it. There's much more to go though, and I only hope it's half as good as the first quarter has been.I feel blessed to be able to experience this. I wish everyone could find something to make them feel the way I do about this experience on the AT. It's an awesome thing!