Date: 2009-05-11
From: US 11, Atkins, VA

To: Lynn Camp Creek
Miles today: 14.3

May 11 --Leaving in the light rain wasn't that easy. The trail follow US11 up to the Barn Restaurant and, even though I had cooked my oatmeal and trail coffee, I could do with some bacon and eggs. I met Rick, a thru-hiker from New Zealand, at the door and we were handed lunch menus since it was after 11:00. No problem, an 8oz bacon cheeseburger and fries would be a fine departing act, and it powered me the better part of the rainy afternoon. I felt good starting out, and I was amazed that my feet felt as if they were in slippers as I started up the trail through a green field. and my pack, which is in the light phase of my restock cycle, was unburdonsome, and hugged me on the slight ascent into the woods where I discovered three new flower varieties. It is amazing how the trail can change at gaps and summits, woods can become maple from pine, soil can become rich black to sandy, shale poor, and rocks can change texture, mostly always granite, with occasional sandstone red and orange, and yesterday what looked like marble slabs, natural steps in a stream was the path, looked polished like a bathroom threshold in a 70s house in NJ, amoungst giant chunks with course sides and green moss on them, massive blue cheese. It seems, however, that hardly a day goes by without some time spent walking through the overgrown rhododendrens, which is where the tent is tonight all Lynn Camp Creek less than a mile past the Knot Maul Branch Shelter. I'm not fond of tenting near the babbling brooks fo the world. While section hiking a few years back in PA, I stopped in a shelter, I think it was Rausch Gap, that was not far from a lovely waterfall, and there was a spring located right out front that filled a tank with a pipe overflow. The place was all mine since it was late October and I had a small fire and marvelled at the beauty of it all before turning in, listening to the friendly water as I drifted off. Later, in the early hours of the next day, I was awakened by the water, now too loud, too noisy... the distant waterfall sounded like I-80 from 5m away during early morning rush hour, and the spring sounded like voices, people talking quietly enough that I couldn't understand what they were saying, yet I could hear them talking. They are here again tonight, but they are moving things around out there too. Though I have many things to record here I must sleep. I walk all day and many things come to mind that should be included, but the days are longer and so is the hiking time and amazingly it is becoming more enjoyable. Today marks passing the 1/4 distance mark and I feel that recently the trail has accepted me and the best is yet to come. I need to become smarter nutritionally to endure, the calories don't add up, esp. with the additional daily miles, and extra 17 calorie granola bar doesn't get the job done. The trail has me responding to the physical demands but I am consuming myself to do so. French fries, Snickers bars, Little Debbie cakes, I don't normally eat that junk, but I need the calories. My system is yelling inside, "All of these years of storing away fat, a little here, some there, keeping it balanced as evenly and symmetric as practical, and now you want to get rid of it?" At certain times of the year to get into running shape I would go to the YMCA and get on the stair master for 15 minutes and the the summary counted 200 calories. Now, my boots are on 8-10 hrs a day, walking most of the time, typically 45% up, 45% down, 10% level, so 8 hrs up means 9*800cal = 7200cal, * 45% = 3240cal, plus half of that down, 1620cal and probly 200cal or so level, adds up to 5060cal, and that is with a pack on. Just how far does that 280cal Snickers bar go? Here I am eating these things all day, probly putting holes in my teeth with the same damn thing that put holes in my teeth 50 years ago. The damp mist has blown in, its chilly.