I’m not sure why Jeremy was so accomodating, but he volunteered to take me to the trailhead at 6AM ON Christmas morning.
By 6:15, I was off.
Much of the trail was the same as it had been,l tall, bare trees, but today, I was more excited about it.
Having spent a day just relaxing made me more confident about my ankle, so I continued my efforts to run for longer periods of time.
As I came into some spots that were closer to towns, the navigation app warned that the water sources were downstream from farms and human settlements, so that filtering was necessary.
Isn’t it always?
At about noon, I came into a clearing.
And actual clearing - I didn’t think that happened on the east coast.
It wasn’t vast by any means, but my heat leaped at the open space. It was man made, apparently - some sort of damn that left a breathtaking lake on the other side.
The trail walked all along the lake, and I treasured what I assumed would be a short lived reprieve from the tunnel of dead trees that I had experienced for most of the trail up until now.
A church came into view - Shoal Creek. No longer in use, but the graveyard was still there. Some Civil War soldiers were buried there.
It’s a strange thing to see a rebel flag on a grave. I suspect they didn’t think of themselves as a traitor.
I suppose they wouldn’t be had their side had won.
I’m glad they didn’t.
As the sun set, I came to yet another damn - with a shelter that I planned to make camp in.
The shelter was downhill, close to water, and surrounded by hills - exactly the worst place to camp. I’m not sure who picks these spots, but they’re awful.
On top of the damn is plenty of open space, so I drop the bivy and look forward to the inevitable wind that will blow over me tonight.
The bivy protects me from all wind, and I feel super cozy hearing it pass around me.
Eat some tortillas, another protein bar or two, and it’s off to sleep.
No cell coverage tonight - rare for this trail.
I’m disappointed, but also happy at the opportunity to simply listen to the sounds.
At 10PM, I wake up, having been asleep for 4 hours previous.
I think…I here a growl.
Is it a growl?
There is a road somewhere in the distance, it could be the faint sound of a Diesel engine.
I lie very still - it seems to be coming from the shelter downhill.
It really sounds like a growl.