My Trails

6/11/12 – 817 miles
I’m in a place called the Dutch Haus B&B in Montebello, VA. I only walked six miles to the road crossing, and then another two into town. The B&B offers free shuttles to and from the trail but you have to be able to call them – no thanks AT&T.

I’m here to pick up my canister stove I had Karen mail to me. It actually turned out well for several reasons: The day started with rain and I am warm and dry, this place is beautiful and the food is delicious, food, shower, bed, laundry, a very cute niece of the family to wait on me. What more could I ask for.

6/10/12 – 814 miles
Feet do not like to walk 24 miles. Physically, I felt good, it seemed like I could walk on forever but my feet said enough. After twenty miles of walking, my body enters a state of euphoria where it seems like my head is floating somewhere over the trail, detached but not quite aware. It’s probably a dangerous condition because of a lack of concentration.

I intended to stop at a campground at 18 miles but the open, snake-infested meadow, left me no choice but to push on. Six miles didn’t seem too far with four hours of daylight left. I was one tired puppy when I finally climbed into my tent.

I’m without my friends again. Blue Sky and Comma-Kaze are behind me and Kleenex has gone on ahead. It seems to be the way of the trail, we are all together and yet apart, each struggling with the desire to move north in our own pilgrimage. No one can walk the trail for you. It is ultimately a solo quest.

6/9/12 – 790 miles
In the morning we hitched back to the trail. Kleenex was going to stop at the first shelter but I wanted to go on for a few more miles. When it doesn’t get dark until 9:00 pm, it’s hard to stop early.

We split up at the trail head, Kleenex was faster climbing the hills in the increasing heat of day. I plodded along until up ahead I saw her stopped in the trail talking with someone. It was Blue Sky, and he told us Comma-Maze was just ahead.

I was happy that the four of us would once again be in the same place. I had been regretting not taking a picture of us since we left Daleville. Now I would get the picture.

It was a long, hot climb to the top of Bluff Mountain. I walked part way up with Comma-Kaze. I could tell she was having trouble with the hill because she is usually faster than me but not today. She told me she thought she was dehydrated – she felt weak and shaky – so I gave her some of my Gatorade. She felt better soon after that.

On top of the mountain there is a monument to little Ottie Powell, whose body was found there after he got lost gathering firewood for school back in early 1800’s.

We all stayed at Punchbowl Shelter that night and went to bed with chills after listening to another hiker tell stories of how Little Ollie haunts the shelter. Robo, who thruhiked in 2010, swears his dog sensed something in the darkness, and in the morning, the footprints of a young boy were visable in the dew around his tent. I had to laugh.