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Journal
| About Downunda | Trail
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24th May 2002 From:
Punchbowl Shelter I slept like a log and was late getting started. If yesterday was like a day from hell (the afternoon climb that is), then today was a day from paradise. The AT took me alongside the reservoir that feeds Lynchburg, and then meanders for miles slowly climbing alongside Brown Mountain Creek. It was here that I met a group of ladies who hike together each Friday. They are members of the local Natural Bridge AT Club. One of the members, Michelle, gave me some "trail magic," a bar of Hershey's chocolate. I gave Michelle one of my miniature clip-on Koalas as a reward. What a great bunch of ladies they are! There's no doubt it's the people you meet that makes the AT experience what it is. I'm now sitting at a picnic table alongside US 60, the highway that leads to Buena Vista, some nine miles away. After lunch, I will head on to the next shelter, which is four miles away. I'll stay there for the night. After lunch, it was another three-hour climb straight up, just like yesterday, except today I had adequate water. Yesterday, I ran out of water just after starting up the mountain and ended up dehydrated….not pleasant. Today, along the Brown Mountain Creek, there were lots of large butterflies with light lemon coloured wings with chocolate markings on the tips. Once on the mountain, I saw the opposite - butterflies with chocolate coloured wings with lemon markings on the tips. I'm at the shelter with Real and Steamboat. As the shelter is a half-mile off the trail, I'm not sure if anyone else will come down. I'm going to cook dinner now, so I'll say goodnight all. |
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