Keffer Oak and Audie Leon Murphy Memorial

This is Keffer Oak and it is the largest tree on the southern part of the AT.  It is about 300 years old and a few years ago the girth measured more than 18 feet!

On Monday (5-9) after packing and having a breakfast of cereal with blueberries and delicious french toast, Dan drove me back to Pearisburg to resume my hike.  I began hiking at 9:30 AM and had a long climb in the early afternoon.  I took a refreshing nap after the climb.  I tented at Symms Gap Meadow.  I had a great view of a West Virginia town about five miles away on the VA/WV border.  I hiked only 11.9 miles, as the backpack was very heavy with plenty of food.  After seven weeks, I have hiked 46 days, taken three no hiking days, and have gone 637.8 miles for an average of 13.0 miles/day for 49 days.  I'm very happy about how far I have been able to go!  On Tuesday (5-10) I started hiking at 6:40 AM.  I had been out of water since Monday night.  The nearest water was 6.5 miles ahead.  I saw another large black snake in the middle of a very narrow part of the trail.  I had to touch his tail with my hiking stick to get him to move out of the way.  I fell while I was trying to get over a large tree that was blocking the path.  I wasn't hurt but I got a little muddy.  I took a nap in a shaded area in the early afternoon.  I had a big climb (1,000+ feet in just 1.3 miles) that was very challenging.  I ate my dinner of mashed potatoes and salmon with the handle of my toothbrush!  I couldn't find my spoon or fork after looking for 10 minutes so the handle had to do!  I gave some snacks away to some hikers when I got to the shelter to lighten my load.  I had no cell phone service.  I stopped hiking at 6:50 PM after covering 14.2 miles, as rain was eminent.  There were heavy thunderstorms overnight.  On Wednesday (5-11) I began hiking again at 6:40 AM.  Once again I had no water from the night before.  I hiked about 5 miles and found a spring with water coming out of a rock.  I drank the water since I was out of Aquamira (water purifier).  There was trail magic along the way which always brightens my day!  I saw another box turtle on the trail.  I fell on a wet rock which was really a step but thankfully, again, I wasn't hurt.  I stopped hiking at 8 PM as it started to rain.  I tented directly on the AT, the only time I have done that.  I went 18.3 miles.  It was a long but successful day.  Thursday (5-12) was cloudy and foggy all day.  I had a 1,600 foot climb in the early afternoon and visited the Audie Leon Murphy Monument.  

Rain and thunder started at 3:30 PM.  I stopped hiking at 5 PM and actually set up my tent inside a shelter.  I covered 15.9 miles.  I got an early start by hiking at 6 AM on Friday (5-13).  I saw a third box turtle.  I had two difficult ascents and an especially dangerous one at the Dragon's Tooth.  It was VERY rocky, steep, and rugged. If I would have fallen, it was very likely I would have been injured--it was that extreme. I hiked until 12:45 PM covering 12.6 miles and met Li'l Bit (Wendy Palmer, a thru-hiker from 2004, a friend of my cousin, Pat, in FL) and she took me and three other hikers to Trail Days (a big hiker festival) back in Damascus, VA.  It should a fun weekend!