16.3 miles
Woke up to a rooster crowing – really! – and sunshine. OWL already had her stuff packed but she waited for me…almost patiently. Once again she wanted to get dropped off a few miles up (where the trail met the road) – I said – I don’t care what you do but I’m walking back on the trail where we left. So she walked with me.
Lots of fence stiles early, as we crossed several pastures. Not sure if I have explained these before, but fence stiles are set up to help backpackers cross barbed wire fences. They are essentially 2×4’s leaned across the fence and fastened together, with boards set up as steps of varying heights. You climb up the steps on one side, turn around on the top, and climb down the steps on the other side. Some people throw their hiking poles over, but I like to keep mine dangling on my wrists so I can use them to ease myself down the last ‘step’ to the ground.
I am still feeling weird – like I want to go home and am not sure if this is what I really want to be doing for the next three months of my life because it’s not really fun anymore – I guess this is the Virginia Blues. This phenomenon is so named because Virginia has 550+ miles of trail – more than any other state – and by the time hikers reach this area the novelty of being on the AT has worn off. Plus, the terrain is still difficult at times, except that you can’t really see any views from the ridgeline because the tree leaves create a ‘long green tunnel’.
Well, just because I’m able to give something a name doesn’t make it any easier to get through. My very favorite part of being out here is being in my tent and waking up to complete silence in the middle of the night. The next favorite is being in town and hanging out with other hikers. Then the wonderful views. But the actual *hiking* – well that is painful. I am so tired. My ankles and knees and feet hurt, all the time, even after 800mg of ibuprofen that I’m taking twice daily (which upsets my stomach). We have been pushing for miles and it feels so hectic and rushed, and I am always worried I won’t make it because I feel so tired. I am drinking lots of water – between 4-6L per day – but sweating more and have run out of water several times in the past week.
So I guess what I’m saying is that I’m having some growing pains.
We went over McAfee Knob today. OWL sent me a text – said thunderstorms are coming in the afternoon so don’t take a lunch break until you get here! I stopped to get water at the shelter just before the climb up, but kept hiking otherwise. Beautiful view there. Wish I could have stayed longer but we needed to get to Lambert Meadow Shelter to make the next day into Daleville easier. I would have much preferred to stay at McAfee Knob until sunset, and camped at the shelter less than a mile from there, and had a longer day into Daleville.
We went over Tinker Cliffs later on in the day – more beauty. As Modest Mouse sings, so much beauty it could make you cry.
But even with the great views of today, I’m still feeling frustrated and exhausted. Guess I’ll take a zero in Daleville to recover. Maybe OWL will take a zero, maybe she won’t. We are both getting frustrated with our differences in hiking pace. I know sometimes (like today) I feel like I am hiking HER hike, instead of my own. But I know she feels the same way about me.
Staying in the shelter tonight with Jeremiah & OWL – would prefer to tent but it is going to rain, and a wet tent fly sucks.
