Date: 2015-06-01
From: Iron Mountain Shelter 

To: Double Spring Gap
Miles today: 13.0

I can't believe it's June already! Last night as soon as it got dark I heard walking and crashing and leaves rustling and sticks breaking outside my tent. I was scared! How does a person live in the woods and still get scared? I wanted so badly to turn my headlamp all way up and poke my head out and face my fear. But instead i put my earplugs in and went right to sleep. I didn't even wake up last night, like a rock. I wanted to do 16 today and leave 10 into Damascus. Instead I did all of the opposite things I woke up at 6. Did i get moving? Nah. Back to bed, slept in until 8:30. Pack up, poptart and hit the trail? Nah. Cooked oatmeal and made coffee. It was such a beautiful spot and there was a picnic table at the shelter to sit and enjoy my coffee. There were some thru hikers rolling through so I sat and chatted and very much enjoyed the company after spending much of the last couple of days alone. It was lovely. And 11:30 before I started walking. Not the way to do miles at all When I finally did get going I was moving. If today was any indication of what the terrain is going to be in Virginia i'll take it!! It started to rain lightly around 1 o'clock but the tree canopy was so dense I didn't get wet until around 2 when it started really raining. I put my jacket and pack cover on. It was thundering the whole time, seemed directly overhead, I was still on the ridgetop and didnt like it one bit. I didnt see any lightning flashes but maybe thats because it was light out? Does it thunder without lightning? I passed a tree that had been carved in and I thought for a very long time about it. I thought about how Id feel if someone tattooed me. I wondered if the tree felt violated. I wondered if he was proud of his beautiful bark and now hes ashamed. I thought about how the carving subjected the tree to infection and I thought about how thoughtless and careless and selfish some people are. I closed my eyes and imagined smoothing over all the graffiti and a lovely seamless healthy bark and i tried to send that to the tree. Whether that is or does or means anything i don't know but it's all I could do. It kept thunderstorming and the trail wound out of the trees into an expanse of farmland. It was incredible. Sometimes when the trail is grown up on both sides I start to feel claustrophobic. Grass and weeds and wildflowers as far as I could see. And one angry sky. I thought an open field was more dangerous than the ridge but the sky looked clearer the way I was heading so i hurried The trail lead right to a gate, I opened and closed it and on the other side were cows! I looked around, was the trail really going through all these cows?! Like 30 cows munching away. I wish I would have taken a picture but it was raining and booming and on I went. I made it 7 and a half to the first shelter in no time. Better than 2 miles an hour It stopped raining as soon as i got there (of course). I was soaked and chilled and starving so I made tea and dinner for lunch. I was planning on pushing on and camping and didn't want to cook in the rain. I took a bit longer of a lunch and then at 5 wondered if I should push on. 5.4 to a campsite 2 miles after a road. I figured even if I went my usual 1.5 mph Id still get there before dark so I went for it! Even though I was cruising I was still vigilant with respect to my snail/newt relocation program. I placed 3 snails and 5 newts safely off trail No water at the campsite but a spring by the road. I filled up my bag, it only took one guy in a pickup with a long stare and i carried my bag up into the woods out of view and filtered it there. That's your smart girl Two miles from the road to camp, got here by 7:30! 13 miles and i feel great I got set up, threw my bear line, got it stuck for the first time, got it down, washed my shorts, and got into dry clothes. The sunset lit up the sky behind the trees. Its still raining.What a day. and... Damascus tomorrow still!! Totally doable 13.