A good day for snakes on the trail (Plus how on the days with a high Sunshine Quotient [and Lord knows today had a high Sunshine Quotient!], you can use the steep climb out of town as an excuse to slow down and enjoy the magnificent mountain laurel blossoms, which remain at their peak as we continue to follow Spring north on the Appalachian Trail.)

We’d seen several signs at road crossings saying to “call Bubba” if you needed a shuttle, so when we needed a ride back to the trail from Bland, X called Bubba. [As our hike proceeded the TV show “Better Call Saul!” we wonder if those signs now read “Better Call Bubba”…] We were waiting at the door when the Dairy Queen down the hill from our motel opened at 7:00 a.m., and were ready to go when Bubba got there at 7:15, as arranged. One and Sixty-five decided to join us and Bubba had us all at the US 52 / AT crossing in 12 minutes, only charging ten bucks for the four of us. A much sweeter deal than hitching from town…

A word about one of the most imposing single obstacles we’ve encountered: In the first mile past I-77, on a very steep slope, a large tree just upslope from the trail has come down, pulling up a huge root ball with it. The result is so daunting it reminded us of the famous Hillary Step near the top of Mount Everest, known for the log jams it creates as climbers try to solve its technical challenge. Somehow, we were able to use the few dirt footholds available and keep our balance long enough to surmount this spot, which we will be talking about for days to come…

We’d already seen one large black snake on the trail. N saw a small black snake with yellow stripes as he went down to the spring to collect water. Meanwhile, a southbound day hiker arrived at Jenny Knob with a tale of a feisty little copperhead just past the 600-mile mark who was not interested in letting any hikers get by. X was very careful as we later passed that spot without incident (and without seeing Mr. Copperhead). We later saw another black snake almost as big as the first. Obviously, after all the rainy, cold weather the local reptile population is glad for a chance to lie out in the sun.

Tonight, the four of us who started the day together and walked at three different paces, all wound up at the same place: Trent’s Grocery. A short half mile walk from the AT, for six bucks apiece, we get a place to tent, use of the washing machine (something we couldn’t find in Bland!), and the best shower we’ve seen in 45 days. Not to mention for us two Philly cheese steaks and onion rings for dinner. We sleep tonight with a stream babbling on one side of us and deer in the horse pasture on the other. A great start to the Memorial Day weekend…