Biggest miles this trek to date! I finally broke 20 miles. Hurrah for me. And what a day it was. Norman kept me up all evening. Finally at midnight, I took a sleeping pill and off to la-la land I went. Lately I’ve been sleeping pretty darn good, so I’m not sure what happened. I woke up to low clouds and mist. That’s good hiking weather in my book.

Norman and I packed up after having coffee and biscotti with almond butter. Good stuff. The morning was just like most days in the Shenandoah’s. Quiet, peaceful and lots of deers. I talked with Ranger Sam and he said that some of the deer in the park are being fed by the campers. Oh my word. What possesses people to think that’s a good idea. Hence the reason these White-Tailed Deers I keep running into, are not afraid of me. They’re looking for a handout. Like what would you think you should feed them? Pop tarts, Jelly Belly’s, Hot Dogs? On a positive note, he said the bears are not a nuisance and stay away from the campgrounds. Ranger Sam told me they have never had a person, hiker or any other attacked or killed by a bear in their park. That’s good odds!

The terrain was little ups and little downs. I had quite a few vistas but with the clouds, there wasn’t much to gawk over. There was light precipitation but noting that measured up to anything. It just kept the bugs away and no flying gnats to contend with. Thank goodness! Blue and I would take turns walking up front because it seemed whoever was in the lead, got harassed senselessly by gnats. They would fly around your face and when they were done doing that, they would fly directly in your eye! They are the weirdest insects, and good for nothing! I know, that’s a bit extreme but honestly, what can you do with a gnat? Today it was a gnat-free zone. Just a little rain or wind and poof, gnat be gone.

I met a few section hikers today. Two older guys from Waynesboro, a nearby town, who were carrying a full gallon of water. The one guy called his wife and asked her to bring him water. That’s how dry it is around here. I passed a Shelter where the spring was dry and another Spring Cistern that was murky. But lucky for me, Shelter #2 had a flowing spring. When I arrived Big Daddy and his college friend Poppins were having lunch. After a bit, Big Daddy headed to the Spring and filled up my water bottle too. That was super nice, especially since the route was lined with Stinging Nettle. Ouch, that stuff is no fun!

As I moved along, I ran into a group of ten Freshmen from the local university on a weeklong backpacking trip. The leader told me there were 200 Freshman hiking this week. Here? No, she laughed. We spread them out over many locations. She said it’s their orientation so they meet others. Wow, what a great idea. Most of them looked happy but one gal told me she didn’t like hiking uphills. That could be a problem, since your typical day is either up or downhill, all day, everyday. Honestly, I don’t like going downhill. Uphill is much better for me and then the rolling polly flats are by far, my most favorite.

Being I covered twenty plus miles, the trees, plants and flora changed drastically. It started out much more forest-like but the further south and the lower I went, it was more like shrub, lots of flowers and oak trees. It’s definitely changing as I slowly leave the Shenandoah’s. I’m gonna be sad to venture away from this National Park. Now I understand why so many people flock to it. I can only imagine how beautiful it will be in full fall colors!

I really didn’t intend on going this far today. But I was feeling good and didn’t have anything else to do. When I think about it, what else is there to do but walk? I’m setting my sights on arriving at McAfee Knob by Sunday, September 10th. Now I’ve put it out there so I’m committed. Its 192.6 miles from tonight’s campsite. So 16-17 miles per day, no days off and I’ll be there. My only issue will be resupplying as that requires going to town. If I didn’t have to eat, I could bypass that, but I’m not sure that’s a solid plan. We’ll see. Just hope and pray I can keep this up and get er done. Outside of that, I would ask for prayers for my right knee. It’s a bit full these day. I’m not sure if I have a Bakers Cyst on the back of my knee or it’s just sore from the extra miles lately. Anyhow, me and my knee could use a little extra prayer.