10 Weeks Completed!

I began hiking on Saturday (5-28) at 6:45 AM.  I had lunch at the Loft Mountain Campground.  I wanted to buy a little food at the Big Meadows Store but when I arrived the signs were poor.  I stopped to ask a large family that was camping where the store was located.  They told me it was a mile back.  Scratch that idea.  The man, Jim Lilly, asked if I would like some water.  After getting me some water, his wife asked if I would like something to eat.  No need to ask me twice!  They fed me grilled steak and onions, bread, and an apple.  It was my lucky day!  Jim and his oldest daughter are section hikers so we shared some hiking stories and info.  I went back to hiking at 7:30 PM.  I tented at 8:45 PM (near dark) about 1/10 of a mile before Rock Spring Hut.  I hiked 23.7 miles.  On Sunday (5-29) I started at 7 AM and devoured a large breakfast buffet at the Skyland Dining Room.  The restaurant probably lost money on me!  In the afternoon as I was hiking I saw something quite large moving behind the trees and brush about 30 yards from the trail.  I stopped as I was ready to see my first bear but it was just a deer.  In the late afternoon my feet hurt badly as I was descending from a very rocky and steep mountain.  I went from 3,514 feet elevation at Thornton Gap to 2,307 feet in just 1.9 miles.  I thought my feet wouldn't be much of a problem after the first few weeks.  Not so!  I camped on a side trail at 6:30 PM about 100 yards from Skyline Drive.  As I was setting up my tent, I noticed something moving about 25 feet away, but again, it was just another deer.  As I looked at it, it slowly wandered off.  Then a few minutes later as I sat in my tent I saw a wild turkey.  The bird kept looking at the ground trying to find morsels of food.  When he was 10 feet from my tent I took this picture.  He is to the left of the tree.

I took the picture through the mesh netting so that's why it isn't as clear as the other pictures.  I hiked 19.4 miles.  Monday (5-30) was Memorial Day and it seemed odd to be hiking.  I started at 6:50 AM on a hot and humid day.  I reached Elkwallow Wayside at 8:20 AM for breakfast.  It didn't open until 9 AM so that gave me a chance to get a few things done.  After breakfast I bought a few items and resupplied at the store.  The trail was tough again on my feet due to all the rocks.  At 10:30 AM I finally saw my first bear!  I was able to take a picture on my regular camera but unfortunately, he moved away and I didn't get him on my cell phone.  As I walking along the trail at about noon, I was very thirsty.  I looked up and saw people standing around a car.  I asked if they had anything cold to drink and they offered me Gatorade.  The drink was just what I needed!  After exactly 10 weeks, I have hiked 956.6 miles for an average of 13.7 miles a day.  Tuesday's hike (5-31) started at 8:40 AM and I arrived at the Quality Inn in Front Royal at 10:10 AM.  I only needed to hike 2.9 miles to get to the road leading to town.  I then hitchhiked 3.5 miles to the hotel.  Soon after I arrived, Bob Dowdy, a friend from West Palm Beach, FL who lives a few months of the year in Richmond, VA, traveled 180 miles to see me.  He drove me to the PO so I could send home some unneeded items, took me to resupply, and drove me to lunch and dinner.  It was great to see him and I appreciated him helping me out for the day.