Last night was a pretty restless sleep. There was something, I’m pretty sure it was a couple of deer, rustling about the campsite all night, making just enough noise to keep us awake. That was not the right start to the day, and I think it affected us… I know it affected me… all day.
It was just another rough section of trail today. Who ever said that Virginia is “flat” and “easy” was just lying. There are plenty of steep climbs and drops, and lots of rocks that are just begging to twist an ankle, and are torture to already blistered feet. Another thru-hiker gave me the term PUDS, or, “pointless ups and downs,” which felt like an accurate description of the day. We had originally planned on doing almost 24 miles today, but the last few miles of climbing and rocky terrain slowed us down, so we stopped at Wind Rock for the night. It’s a very nice view from up here, and we watched some storms blow by to the north, and we were finally able to witness a sunset.
It being Memorial Day, we did chat a bit this morning at the start of our hike. We tried to keep what we’re doing in perspective… yes we’re in pain, and we want to hit the next town to take a break… but we’re lucky to have the freedom to do so. Many service men and women have suffered far greater pains, and made the ultimate sacrifice. We made sure to take the time to actually remember, on this Memorial day, why we’re able to do what we do in this country.
We’re very tired now and I don’t think we’ll have any troubles sleeping tonight. Daleville is still in our sights, hopefully by Thursday. I need to get into a new set of shoes and take a day off my feet ASAP.
