Today was slow in every sense of the word. I got off to a slow start and I moved slowly all day. I got off to a slow start because it rained during the night so my fly (the covering for my hammock) was wet (I hate packing it wet – leads to mold and it weighs more). My socks, shoes, and all my hiking clothes were still wet from the day before when I hiked in the rain (even though I hung them under the fly, it was just too humid for them to dry). So I decided to take advantage of the sunny day. When the sun came up I spread all of my stuff out and waited for it to dry at least a little.

I finally got on the trail about 10am. The day before by 10am I had hiked 6 miles! The charm of doing this on my own is that I get to make my own schedule. I was making okay time. The soles of my feet still hurt from yesterday’s trail. The trail today was just as rocky, if not more rocky. About 11 o’clock am I was feeling pretty discouraged, your feet feeling like they are being beaten from the bottom by sledge hammers is not an exciting time. I was wishing I could have trail magic for lunch when VOILA! There was trail magic!

I am not kidding within 3 minutes of me wishing for trail magic, there was a sign with an arrow that said trail magic! I followed the arrow and in a parking lot at the trailhead was a gentleman and his neighbor. They were custom making deli sandwiches! They had chips, cokes, and best of all fresh fruit! I had a turkey sandwich, chips, watermelon, and cuties! They also had a place for me to throw away my trash and to sit in a chair and lean back! So wonderful and just what I needed. They would not accept donations and did not want anything from me! The forest fairies were definitely looking out for me!

I felt much better after a good lunch and conversation. The trail afterward however was not fun. Today’s trail was more rocky than yesterday and a couple of the boulder fields were about a mile long! They had the added charm of being steeply uphill or downhill. It is tiring to cross a short one. It is exhausting to cross one a mile long. You have to pay attention and look for every foot placement. You have to be prepared for the rock to shift and either move quickly to another rock or maintain your balance on a shifting rock. I am sore all over from doing this. It takes every muscle in your body to keep your balance with a 30 pound pack on your back. Plus it is terrifying.

In addition, sometimes it is hard to figure out which direction to go (watch video below). so you stand precariously on a boulder while trying to figure it out!

After making my way through a couple of these, I just felt like I was moving in slow motion. Not the cool kind of slow motion like an action hero where everything slows down and every move is executed perfectly. The kind of slow motion that feels like you are trying to run quickly through chest deep jello (no, I don’t know what it feels like to run through jello, but in my imagination it is like running through water only harder and smellier). I was really dragging and I had about 4 miles to go.

I was crossing a boulder field that was literally over a mile long. I was talking to myself (not out loud, that freaks the other hikers out), telling myself that I wished I was on a pretty, easy path. Moments later I got my wish again! The trail turned and there was a beautiful, truly beautiful, path of soft dirt (rained yesterday) and on either side were walls of mountain laurel in every stage of blooming. It was like an enchanted forest! This section of trail went on for over a mile! It took me more than 30 minutes to walk it! The sun was shining. The flowers were blooming and my feet felt like they were walking on soft carpet. Once again the forest fairies worked their magic for me.

One step out of that enchanted mile and I was faced with another steeply uphill boulder field. The good news about going uphill in a boulder field is that I can’t move quickly enough to get out of breath, so no coughing fits. The bad news is, it’s really hard. The scary thing about it is when a big rock rolls out from under your feet and goes clattering down the mountain.

Forgot to mention snakes. I have only seen five so far and all non-venomous. However, everyone warned me that snakes would be out sunning themselves on the rocks today. The venomous snakes here are eastern rattlesnakes and copperheads. So as I go along I tap my hiking sticks on the rocks, assuming this will let the snakes know I am coming and they will move along. When I came across the fellow in the photo below, my theory was disproven. It is just a black rat snake, but it was huge! Maybe 9 or 10 feet long! Part of him was still under a rock and he was laying all curvy, so I really couldn’t tell how long, but one of the longest rat snakes I’ve ever seen! I tapped all around him and he was not moving. I wondered if maybe he actually baked himself into a stupor. He was definitely alive because I could occasionally see one of his curves ripple. Based on his lack of movement, I just stepped over him and kept going.

I also saw the famous orange salamander today – much more pleasant to step over. I left my shoe in the photo so you could get an idea of size ( no quarters handy; they are too heavy to carry).

I only did 10 miles today. I was hoping to do 12. However when I got to the campsite at the 10 mile mark, I decided to stop. My feet hurt. I was tired and I just couldn’t face the long uphill climb that is next. I will tackle that in the morning.