Having now hiked some 590 miles, over one quarter of the trail’s length, I thought it is a good time to take stock of my health and well-being out here on the trail. I harken back to the day I headed out on the trail from Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia. As is recommended by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, I attended the hiker orientation session. The ranger proceeded to explain all the woes that I was likely to encounter during my hike. These included a compromised immune system, norovirus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, drastic weight loss, relationship problems with people back home, ticks embedded in my flesh, insect bites, poison ivy, hypothermia, heat stroke, sunburn, homesickness, chronic blisters, knee problems, plantar fasciitis, strained Achilles tendon, rattlesnake bites, copperhead bites, tree branch falling on my tent, and of course, the dreaded bear attack. And so on. By the end of the talk, I was thinking, “Good God!l What have I gotten myself into? I don’t even have moleskin for my blisters. I have no tick removal tweezers! Why did I even leave my house?”
As it turns out, very few of these things have so far befallen me. Other than some minor blisters, I have had no issues. My knees feel good. My feet get a little sore after a long day of walking on rocks, but usually feel better by the next morning. I have had two falls so far, both of the mild variety. One fall was a slip in the mud, the other on a slick rock. One concern I had was how well I would sleep on my 2.5 inch thick inflatable pad. The first few days, I tossed and turned, but now am sleeping comfortably with no backache.
Morale-wise, I’m doing well, although I do miss my family and friends, (and of course, my loyal dog, Riley.) I don’t get bored, and manage to keep myself occupied with my birding and photography. I’ve never once thought about quitting.
I am enjoying the scenery so far in southwest Virginia. The meadows and cow pastures are a welcome addition, and provide additional habitat to see different birds. It is getting increasingly difficult to see birds in the forest now that the trees are getting their leaves.
Dairy Farm along the trail
Pond on Chestnut Ridge
While admiring this view from Chestnut Knob, another hiker commented, “That looks like The Shire down there.” This was without me mentioning that my trail name was Bilbo. (For those not in the know, The Shire is Bilbo’s home in The Hobbit.)
View from Chestnut Knob Shelter
The flowering shrubs are currently stealing the show along the trail, although I think the best is yet to come. There are many more shrubs that have yet to bloom. If they all bloomed together, there would not be enough bees to go around!
Catawba Rhododendron
Flame Azalea
Yellow Azalea
For the past several days, Virginia has been stuck in a rainy weather pattern, with the forecast predicting it continue for a few more days. The past two nights I have tent-camped in the rain. Tonight, I am staying in a shelter. I rolled into the shelter today at 1:30 PM after only hiking 11 miles. This goes against the grain since I like to make maximum use of my trail time. With the next shelter too far, and considering that it was raining, my feet were waterlogged, the trail was a swamp, and my gear was wet, I reluctantly stopped.
Here is what the trail looks like after three days of rain. The soil on the trail, being most humus, drains extremely well. After a few dry hours, it looks much better. After a day, you’d hardly know it rained.
Water on the trail
Got my feet wet crossing this one
I ended up bagging my plan to go to Trail Days. This was partly due to the logistics of getting back and forth to Damascus, but mostly due to the weather forecast which is predicting rain through the weekend. I was picturing myself tent-camping two nights in “hiker village”, then returning to the trail like a wet rat. I have some life experience with mass camping in muddy fields at car races and such, and the memory is not favorable. Perhaps I will attend next year as a hiker alumnus and stay in a B&B like a civilized person. So back to “Plan A” – put my head down and hike north. There is a trail town called Pearisburg, VA about two and a half days away which will be my next shower and resupply.
I mananged to capture a photo of this nuthatch the other day. The bird appeared to be feeding its young, as it kept darting its head into the hole in the tree.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Nothing to report on the Lepidoptera front. I am hoping that with warmer (and sunnier!) weather, I will see more butterflies and moths .
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