Like being back in GA.

Day 56 - 6/11/10
Woke up at 6:30 to go pee, then went back to bed for a few hours.
Didn't get downstairs for breakfast until 8:30 (eggs, bagel, OJ,
coffee), and then didn't leave until 9:15. Evelyn and Jim drove me
back to Thornton Gap, which took close to a 1/2 hour. We asked a lady
to take our picture, they both said a quick prayer for me, then I was
on my way. They did a terrific job taking care of me for 2.5 days, and
I'm so grateful for their amazing hospitality. It made leaving tough.

When I got moving at 10am my knees instantly started hurting, feet
felt sore, I was lacking endurance, almost like being back in Georgia.
My body did end up readjusting to its former glory, but two days off
was definitely noticeable. Plus I had a giant foodbag, so that added
to my troubling start. Then again I felt excited and happy to be back
on the trail. I was beginning to miss it. So there was a wide range of
thoughts and feelings going on this morning.

I ended up seeing three bears within the first hour, four total
throughout the day. The first one was huge, then I saw two cubs only a
short time later, and then one more cub in the afternoon. I've gotten
to the point where I can tell the difference between a bear crashing
through the woods, and a deer nimbly maneuvering away from you. It's a
matter of noise, so each time I hear something, twigs snapping or
leaves rustling, I know whether I can walk without worry or if I need
to keep my eyes peeled for a bear.

One of the things I realized early on this morning was how thinned out
hikers have become. In 3.5 hours I passed 3 people, dayhikers, didn't
come across any thrus until 1:30, and that was only because I was
passing a Wayside, which hikers always flock to. The Shenandoahs have
a few that are convenient for hikers to stop in and get a burger or
something if they want. When I got there I saw Timber, a hiker I met a
while ago, sitting at a table. I went over and said hello, dropped my
bag and went into the store. I bought a blackberry milkshake and when
I came back outside Timber was gone and now and new people were
sitting there. I went over to sit down and ended up striking up a
conversation with them. It was a woman named Sarah, her mother Joan,
and Joan's husband Wayne. After talking with them for a while Sarah
told me her husband Justen also went to Emerson (small world), as a
grad student, so she called him over to introduce me, and I also met
their two children Sequoia and Jorrien. They were all very nice people
and I enjoyed getting to talk with them.

After they left Timber came back, and introduced me to some other
hikers, Safari (guy) and Rabid (girl). They were both very cool, fun
to talk with and friendly. I ended up staying at the Wayside for a
rather extended break, about an hour and a half, so I didn't leave
until 3. That was okay though because I only planned on doing a short
14-mile day to transition myself back into hiking, and that left me
with only 6 more miles to go. I saw that 4th bear right as I was
leaving then. It must lurk near the Wayside because of all the
enticing snacks. I made it to Gravel Springs Hut at 5:30, and the
shelter was already pretty full so I pitched my tent at one of the
designated spots up the hill. I made dinner, rice with bacon bits,
dolloped that onto a tortilla, a few drops of Tabasco and then sealed
'er up. Tasty tasty. Because I stopped earlier then usual I was able
to enjoy a nice meal while relaxing and talking with everyone around
the dinner table.

Now I'm laying in my tent, and after I'm done with this I'll hopefully
still have enough energy to read a few chapters, or at the very least
one from my new book. It's been a nice day, and after only a few rough
miles I feel right back in the swing again. Tomorrow I'm looking to do
an 18+ to this shelter with a solar shower. Take advantage of those as
often as I can. That means this will be my last night in the
Shenandoahs and my last night in a National Park for the remainder of
my trip.

Total miles: 946.8