Date: 2017-06-13
From: Laurel Creek, VA 

To: Dismal Falls Campsite 
Miles today: 28.1
Weather: clear sky

Day 42Tuesday, June 21, 2017 Laurel Creek, VA (582.3) to Dismal Falls (610.4)Miles: 28.1 miles in 11 hours with two breaks2017 AT trip miles: 610.4Total AT miles to date: 1899.9Weather: Humid, partly sunny, thunderstorms, Dinner: Packet of cold oatmeal, packet of tuna, chocolate, red zinger sun teaHikers: Half a dozen already bedded down when I arrive at 7:30Wildlife: DeerWell the mileage today seems super impressive, but there¢s an asterisk¢the first 21 miles was slackpacking¢meaning that only a daypack with water, lunch, rain gear and emergency stuff was carried. And the trail was smooth¢meaning fast. My typical pace with a fully loaded pack averages around two miles per hour. This morning I knocked off the first seven miles averaging 3.75 miles per hour, a pace I didn't sustain, but still. Faster! The hostel owner met me at 4 p.m. and I hiked another 7 miles to this campsite near a small waterfall. I wanted to get further today to set me up for my stay tomorrow at the Wood Hole Hostel¢a hostel I have been looking forward to staying at in Virginia. It's a sustainable farm, with community dinners¢I imagine like the Bearded Woods Hostel I stayed at in Connecticut last year. But that's tomorrow's update. Five of us left together to slack this morning. Cindy Lou and Hendricks had their packs dropped off an hour before I did, and I didn't see the other two hikers after the first seven miles. At least one of them had talked about going back to the hostel for a second night. Anyway¢today was a bit of a blur. I was in the zone. I hiked over mostly unnamed nubbins and listens to podcasts to pass the time. The biggest excitement, which really did make an otherwise unremarkable section of woods interesting, was the afternoon thunderstorms. The thunder began quietly as the clouds cloaked the sky, then became more insistent. Finally, the thunder was overhead and the rain began to fall. I had been leapfrogging another hiker and was quite a bit ahead of him when a flash of lightning immediately followed by a crash boomed nearby. A good time to hunker down and eat my lunch. I sat on a log with my umbrella and rain kilt, under the imagined protection of rhododendrons waiting for the thunder to move out. While I was sitting there, the hiker again passed me, happy to be soaked after the morning humidity. Three other hikers passed me going southbound, and I headed onward. A second shower with less thunder hit later in the afternoon, then cleared up by the time I picked up my full pack again. I finished up my snacks and was debating about whether to even make dinner tonight since I had been hiking late. Took the .3 mile blue blazed side trail to this waterfall area, got the tent set up, took my usual after hike sponge bath and went to boil water for dinner only to realize my fuel canister was empty. Decision made. Dinner was a bit creative, but fine. Especially the chocolate. The hostel offers resupplies, so I should be able to pick up a new canister tomorrow. A couple of number call outs: 28.1 miles is definitely a new high number for me. And again¢without any of last year's pain. Even my feet are less messed up. I still have all of my toenails (lost three last year), and blisters have been practically nonexistent. Passed the 600 mile mark on this leg of the trip and¢¦almost passed my 1900 cumulative mile mark. That will happen first thing tomorrow.I'm not nearly as tired as my 23-plus mile day two days ago, but the bugs are much to attracted to the light of this ipad, so time to turn in.