We walked on three basic types of AT surfaces today: smooth, level old roadbeds; very narrow trails with knee- to waist-high vegetation encroaching in from both sides (plus encroaching from the bottom when the trail was full of rocks; and wider sections of trail where the AT passed over boulder fields. Unfortunately, the powers that be didn’t ask us for our opinions on what percentage we should spend on each type, or there would have been some very different figures. We did have about a mile of easy roadbed that ended in some newly replenished trail magic, but if we’d been choosing, that type would have been close to 100%. We could have done with maybe as much as 5% of the boulders, as that would have helped us appreciate the easy parts more. At the bottom of the list would have been the narrow parts, which drove us crazy!

Yesterday we posted a warning note we saw about a rattlesnake sighted along the trail. We said when we came through later, there was no Mr. No-Shoulders to be seen. We thought that was the end of it, but when they got to camp, several later arrivals reported seeing the rattler coiled up on the same spot beside the trail. This morning as they caught us while we were taking a break, Blue Feather and Daisy reported seeing a copperhead in the path just moments after we came through. After that, it was no fun walking, because you had to watch the AT so closely for venomous snakes that could be on the path or in the grasses just inches from it.

After a few miles of that, N must have had a premonition that a rock field was coming, as he made his first forehead plant of the trip. He was in the lead with his eyes a little further ahead than his feet on the lookout for snakes. A fern plant covered a pointy rock, and down he went. Hiking poles just a little too far under him to regain his balance and like in slow motion his pack weight pitched him forward. As his head came down on a smooth rock, N swears he heard something crack. After the relief of not feeling a bloody forehead (while he still lay on the ground) came the idea for a “write a caption for this picture” contest using a close-up of this massive knot that would surely form on his head. Something lalong the lines of “N re-enacts Pickett’s Charge exactly 149 years after Battle of Gettysburg.” Only we are sure our readership could come up with something way more clever.

The only thing, the knot never materialized! N waited and waited, but it just never appeared. What a disappointment! Try as he might, there was no ominous photo to be had. For that reason, sadly, we must cancel the caption contest before it even starts. (Besides the personal acclaim, we had already decided to offer 120 empty Gatorade bottles as the prize for 1st place.) (At the end of the day, we wonder if what N heard crack might actually have been a rib. In any case, he was extremely lucky. And with the bonus style points, with this fall he moves into a tie with X for the “total trip falls” category…) [Note: while we are happy to be making this into a light, laughable moment, X reminds us it was a very scary thing to be watching unfold from behind! She was sure we’d be looking for the closest ER.]

Some notes from the rest of the day: We were blown away to find a plastic bag with our name on it with a bottle of Powerade inside. No note, just anonymous personalized trail magic. Now that’s a first! A little later we came around a corner to find a bench and a cleared vista down to a historic old bridge that is part of the AT route, and a big cooler with fresh trail magic! Two cold Cokes certainly cranked our collective tractors. And the third episode of trail magic was discovering a second cooler (miles & miles apart from the first) with bottles of ice water, APPLES, and lots & lots of snacks. It was a red-letter day in the trail magic department!

We reached the famous 501 Shelter at about 2:00 p.m. It’s more like a clubhouse than an AT shelter: huge, big plastic dome skylight, solar shower, trash receptacles and you can order in pizza or buckets of fried chicken. Being that early we decided to push on. The trail right after that turned to nasty rocks and was some of the day’s toughest walking. We were planning on heading to a campsite about four miles from 501, but on arriving try as we might we couldn’t find the promised water source. We had to walk on to the next campsite, still another two miles. We were about as hot, tired, and dry as we’ve ever experienced on the AT. We were quite relieved when we arrived.

Everyone from last night pulled in about the same time, to join Vodka, just back after five weeks off the trail with an injury. Our vigil tonight will be waiting to see if we get the 50/50 rain. We’re hoping no…