Date: 2016-07-04
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Miles today: 19.2

Well well well well well weeeeeeeheeeeellllllll!!! It started raining around 11:20 PM last night. Around 12:20 I started to feel small drips. On my face! I can't sleep with that. I despaired that I didn't put up the tarp. Eventually I had a larger drip on my shoulder and I resolved that when the rain let up a bit I was going to get the tarp. So, around 1 AM I put on my raincoat and went to the car. I found the rope and the tarp clips. I tied 3 sides of the tarp to trees (one very small on included) after toweling off the tent. I saw a little salamander on Steven's tent door! I tried to get him to move so I wouldn't smother it with the tarp. I think I did an awesome job for a 1 AM tarp set-up. When I woke up it was nearly 7! It was dark from the tarp and it was overcast and slightly rainy. I was not inspired to hike. I got some breakfast from the car and ate and read my book. Steven eventually convinced me to hike after it stopped pouring again. We got our stuff together and took off right from the campsite - leaving the tent and tarp up.I knew it was a big-mile day for us, so I tried to set a fast pace since it was already 9AM. It was threatening rain still, so I had my raincoat on. Mistake! I started sweating pretty quickly. Silly Applejack! Rain gear is for downpours! We were walking in mist, or as Maili would say - in a cloud! My glasses were fogged so I couldn't see. I hooked them into my chest strap and kept walking. Up.We made the first three miles in under an hour and a half, so that was a boost of confidence. I was hiking like a boss! We had sardine and cheese sandwiches for lunch which is new for us. It wasn't bad. We passed a gorgeous waterfall and soon after, Count saw a dog. I spoke to it and hiked toward it, but it turned tail and ran. When it turned, I could see how skinny it was and I wondered if this was another abandoned pet. Then I heard a guy calling to his dog. I was relieved. When we got near I asked, "Brown puppy?" He said "Brown? White." Then he said he saw the dog I was talking about yesterday and figured that someone left it. THE HEARTACHE!!! Two pets in one week?? And people act like it is totally normal!?! This complete nonchalance people have down here regarding abandoned pets has definitely turned me off from moving to the south. Blah. I hope someone finds and keeps that dog. It looked like some kind of small hound or beagle mix. I didn't feel as connected to the puppy as the cat because it wasn't pathetically begging for food. It makes me so sad. So sad.We kept on hiking, but my feet were starting to ache. Mostly from the blisters on both my feet on the pads under my toes. These big mile days are killing my poor feet. We stopped ta the Trimpi Shelter for water and I took my shoes off. Ahhhhhhhhhh Oh, on the way down to the shelter we saw a black rat snake. It wasn't too concerned about us. It slowly slithered across the trail while we waited as if at a stop light.We hiked up, we hiked down, we hike up some more and then it was blessedly flat and clear of rocks for nearly a mile. I surmised that we were walking along an old railway. Count agreed that it was most likely.The end of our hiking day was brutal up, up, up. I made up a song about "Four miles left, about two hours to go" and then I sang the entire 99 Bottles of Beer song (in my head) as we hiked up to the ridge. I'm pretty sure that is the closest to meditation I've ever been. It really worked. Then I sang Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins the Broadway Musical and the Supercal Reprise. I tried the Hallelujah Chorus, and other stuff from the Messiah, but I don't know enough words of the music well enough. Anyway, we got to the car in 1.5 hours instead of two, meaning that we hiked over 19 miles in just under 9 hours. BOOM!Back at the campsite, it started to rain on dinner, but it passed as quickly as it came. We are now the lucky listeners to at least two thrushes and the occasional red squirrel and dog bark - from the horse camp just down the road. I'm sooooooo excited because tomorrow we hike in Grayson Highlands State Park!!!!!! PONIES!!!!! We aren't allowed to approach or feed them - maybe not even touch them, but if they come up to us (please, please, please!!) I can't be held accountable... touching will happen.The other reason why I'm looking forward to tomorrow is we are hiking 9 miles. NINE measly miles (which is still a lot, but after the days we've been hiking 9 is a relief). Thunderstorms are predicted for tonight. We're ready with the tarp! I haven't mentioned how curly my wispy hairs have been since we've been down here in the humidity. I like it. Also my butt is turning into steel, yo!