Day 61
Miles Hiked Today - 7.3
Total Trail Miles - 624.7

Rice Field Shelter

Hello. My name is Sneetch and it's been 10 days since I last hiked on the A.T.

When I left Pearisburg 10 days ago, I hiked 1.8 miles in the rain to a flooded stream. I cried most of the way. I wanted to keep hiking, but I really felt like giving up. As I stood on the edge of the stream, I couldn't figure out how to cross it, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to. I stood there for a long, long time before I finally decided to turn around and go home. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make.

Scott left work immediately after I called him. He drove nine hours to pick me up and then we turned around and headed for home.

Being home was wonderful! Being with Scott was perfect! We did all the silly little things we always do together like rent movies and cook great vegan food. I felt like I was being healed there.

I also realized that I needed to return to the Trail and try again. Part of me wants Scott to come back and hike with me, but that's not what he wants right now and I respect that.

I'm inspired by my good friend (and 1999 thru-hiker), Tamarack, who recently told me about how difficult Virginia was for her. She said that there were many days when she wanted to quit, but she kept on going.

I've been thinking about the first two months of my thru-hike. It was so much fun hiking with my friends, and I really miss them now. But in a way, I've been feeling that my hike isn't so much an experiment in my own independence as it is a social experiment. I want to learn to exist out here on my own and be happy. It's hard for me to avoid getting the blues when I'm not with people I care about. But I'm working on that.

As I hiked today and as I sit here now, I still don't know how I feel about being out here. I'm so homesick! Sometimes the woods are beautiful to me, and sometimes the trees are like prison bars.

Day 62
Miles Hiked Today - 16.2
Total Trail Miles - 640.9

Bailey Gap Shelter

I hiked with Miss America all day. We had great conversations about veganism (she's a vegan too!), activism, and her work with abused women. I'm so glad I met her.

We also hung around with Toast a lot. He is so kind and fun.

I'm feeling better today, better about hiking and about being here on the A.T. This improvement is largely due to Miss America. Her friendship already is affecting me, making me more at ease.

Day 63
Miles Hiked Today - 17
Total Trail Miles - 657.9

Sinking Creek Valley

Hiked in the rain today. It was kind of uncomfortable and my feet were pretty beat by the end of the day. But I'm still hiking on, one day at a time.

Every day brings a new challenge. Today, the soaking wet and cold. Total hypothermia weather. And then the world turned . . .

Right now I'm sitting on a sofa in the home of Langhorn, a former thru-hiker. He is a generous fellow who occasionally takes hikers into his home. I've had a shower and done my laundry. I've talked with Scott and now I'm watching a movie. Wow, life is good!

It's rained quite a bit lately. Sometimes the creeks are so high I have to cross them by walking on logs tossed across the water. The thought of falling in frightens me a bit because it's extremely cold out.

Tonight I get to sleep on a sofa! Yahoo!

Day 64
Miles Hiked Today - 10
Total Trail Miles - 667.9

Niday Shelter

I'm sitting in the shelter enjoying some great guitar music, courtesy of Teaque and 6-String. It's so peaceful and I'm relaxed and happy to be here.

I'm sad that Miss America will be leaving me in Catawba. She has already hiked the section from Catawba to Waynesboro. I wish I could skip it too, just to keep hiking with her. Maybe I'll be able to catch up with her later.

Virginia is all about ridge-hopping. We walk along a ridge for awhile and it's pretty flat. We hike down, down, down into the valley between the ridges. We cross over several streams and then hike back up to the next ridge. It's kind of predictable, but sort of nice.

I was licked by goats today! There were three wild goats on the ridge. They enjoyed my salty skin.

I think that my Virginia blues are waning. All this good company, good food, and good music are very healthy for my spirit.

Day 65
Miles Hiked Today - 9.9
Total Trail Miles - 677.8

Pickle Branch Shelter

Another short day today. Hiked nice and slow with Miss America. It was pretty uneventful - - - crossed a road, hiked up onto a ridge, back down, crossed a road, hiked up onto a ridge, and down again.

Hiked a half-mile to the shelter. Many shelters are on the Trail itself, but some are off to the side on blue-blazed trails. A half-mile is the longest you'd ever have to walk off the Trail to a shelter.

Jeez, I don't know what more to say. Just another day in the woods.

Day 66
Miles Hiked Today - 11.9
Total Trail Miles - 689.7

Homeplace Restaurant, Catawba, VA

Here with me in the gazebo at the restaurant are 6-String, Fragipan (playing the guitar), Toast (known as Mr. Toasty to the ladies!), Basil, and Miss America. I just talked to Scott on the phone. Although this morning I felt great being back out on the A.T., tonight I'm feeling like going home again.

Day 67
Miles Hiked Today - 19.6
Total Trail Miles - 709.3

Best Western in Daleville

Today I did a 20-mile slackpack to Daleville in eight hours. Not bad. I can move so much faster without all that weight. I carried a hip pack with water, food, TP (toilet paper), and other essentials.

I'm staying in a room with Jackrabbit and Isis, a.k.a. The Barefoot Sisters. (Have I mentioned that they hike barefoot?) They hiked from Maine to Georgia last year, then turned around and started hiking back. I really enjoy their company. Female companionship is rare on the Trail.

Flower Report: The honeysuckle is out like crazy. The smell is so strong that it sticks in my throat. Mountain laurel and rhododendron are blooming.

Day 68
Miles Hiked Today - 1.5
Total Trail Miles - 710.8

Roanoke, VA

We're spending tonight in the apartment of Pork Chop who is a friend of Toast's. Earlier today I went to a great health food co-op where I bought some of my favorite treats, including vegan chocolate bars from Tropical Source. Yum!

We had dinner at the most amazing Indian restaurant. I had samosas and vegetable mango. Wow, what a treat!!!!

Now I'm sitting on Pork Chop's couch watching "The Jerk," which is one of my favorite movies. Pork Chop thru-hiked the A.T. southbound last year. He's only 22. It's folks like him who make this hike such a great experience.

Day 69
Miles Hiked Today - 17.0
Total Trail Miles - 727.8

Bobblets Gap Shelter

There are some common misconceptions about the Trail. The Trail is NOT:

• paved
• straight
• flat
• graded
• smooth in any way!

Today I'm amazed by my own strength. Over 700 miles! Wow!

Day 70
Miles Hiked Today - 13.3
Total Trail Miles - 741.1

Bryant Ridge Shelter

I have to get a maildrop in Glasgow (25 miles from here) and it's Friday today. Since I won't be able to get to Glasgow before the post office closes at noon tomorrow, I will have to wait until Monday. It's kind of a bummer when that happens, but it gives me an excuse to go slow and relax. Although after my ten days off, I need to be careful about going too slowly.

Yesterday as I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway, a minivan pulled off in one of the overlook spots. A man and woman stepped out, snapped a few pictures of the mountains, and then drove away. Is this the typical American vacation? The mountains are meant to be experienced, appreciated, and respected by walking over them, not by driving past them.

I'd rather hike through rain and snow and suffer as I have been than view nature from a car. I think that many Americans have forgotten (or never learned) how to appreciate the beauty of the earth.