Date: 2008-06-18
From: Manassas Gap Shelter

To: Sam Moore Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: scattered clouds

The weather was great for sleeping. We got up around 8am and got ready pretty quickly and got right on the Trail. It was a great day. The weather was perfect again: not too hot, not too cold, sunny and breezy. We go through this area where everything is covered in vines, everything. You really cannot tell where one plant ends and another begins. Even the trees you can¢t see; they are just a massive form engulfed in vines. Because you can¢t see the tree trunks there are these giant posts ten feet tall that at the top have a white blaze. You can¢t see into the woods, either. The plants, trees, shrubs, bushes and vines are so dense that they form a wall. It is amazing and I absolutely love this section. It is all bright green in color and smells so sweet. I try to take photos but it just doesn¢t do it justice. I feel as though I¢m in the secret garden, not the typical one, but a special one all my own. It is beautiful. Not fancy and full of color, just simple and stunning without even knowing it. I don¢t ever want it to end, but alas, it does.The mellow walk takes us through a bit of Sky Meadows State Park, which appropriately, is a wide open meadow. We stop for lunch at Rod Hollow Shelter. We see an enormous spider on the ceiling of the shelter. It is one of the biggest spiders I have ever seen. It is nearly the size of my palm! It is terrifying and disgusting. My eyes remain fixed on it as we sit 10 feet away at the picnic table. I go to use the privy and as I pop my head in the door to do my pre-pee privy inspection (I always do this as they can be nasty!) I see one of the same exact giant spiders under the edge of the toilet seat! I nearly pee my pants! I pee in the woods instead, and decide to swear off privies for awhile.We now enter the ¢roller coaster¢. There is actually a sign calling it this right before you start. It is fittingly named, as it is a series of ups and downs for about 13 or so miles. You literally go up 500 feet (in elevation) then right back down, and then back up, and then¢¦well I think you get the idea. There are enough calm spots in between that it wasn¢t all that bad. Of course, we only did half today but the climbs really aren¢t that bad. Some steep spots but it¢s over quick. One area had this forest of about 100 foot tall, straight as a nail trees. No branches, just tall, tall, tall. It was really neat. I nearly ate it pretty hard staring up at them. Along the way today we saw 7 deer, 2 bunnies, and 1 turkey with a chick, or whatever baby turkeys are called. I also found 3 ticks on me, one of which was a deer tick. Those things creep me right out!We did nearly 20 miles today and my feet feel okay. Not at all like I want to cut them off, like I often do after long days. That¢s weird cause there was a lot of down-hills today. I think it helps to keep my laces really loose around my toes.   It was a great day! We didn¢t see a soul that we knew. All new faces, which is kind of neat. We actually didn¢t see any other thru-hikers, just 5 southbound section hikers. We¢re all alone! We actually have the shelter to ourselves, though 2 guys are in tents. Still, this is a first. The fireflies or lightening bugs (aren¢t they the same thing?) are out like crazy tonight and they are just the coolest things. I love just watching and waiting for them, never knowing where they are going to light up. Writing in the journal at night in the shelter without the protective netting of the tent, is a real pain. Bugs just keep dive-bombing me! If that¢s my biggest problem, then I got it made!