Samwise Hikes the Appalachian Trail! - Trail Journal -
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May 31, Niday Shelter - mile 667.9

It's been a rough day, made worse by the bad news I just got about Max. Leaf, who I just met last night at the shelter, arrived here & said Max got off the trail today at the road crossing because she was burning up with fever & feeling miserable. In fact, Leaf's hiking partner, Rooster, also got off at the same road because she fell twice & really tore up her ankle this morning. So both of them got a ride out to the doctor first in Blacksburg & then they were going on to Troutville, to hole up for at least a few days. I hope it's just a few days, anyway. Max was pretty down last night & talking about getting off for good, & I was trying to convince her not to. I hope that once the cold/fever clears, she'll feel better about staying on the trail. So I have a weird feeling now - I just got used to hiking with someone & just as quickly, I'm back to solo again. And wishing again for some of the people I know behind me to catch up!

I'm actually half expecting some folks I know to show up here tonight, since it's about the right distance for them. I only came 12 miles today, & for them it would be about 18. My original plan was to keep going another 5 & camp on top of the next mountain, but I was so tired when I got here & it looks like it will pour tonight, & I hate tenting in the rain. Plus I was worried about Max & I didn't want to move on without hearing something about where she was today. So here I am in the shelter, still not sure where I'll head tomorrow & feeling a little blue.

Besides all that. the day was actually a gorgeous day for hiking. The first 3 miles wandered through several meadows & pastures, & it was really beautiful to come out of the woods & see the mist rising off the green meadows, & there were also some beautiful old barns & a church steeple among the hills. Just before the trail headed back into the woods. we climbed a stile attached to the "Keefer Oak", a tree over 18 feet around & estimated to be over 300 years old. What a tree! It was incredible.

After that, we had a lot of ridge walking, where I encountered my most bizarre trail experience yet. As I was going down the trail, I looked up & suddenly saw three goats up ahead on the rocks. I stopped in surprise & before I knew it, two of them were racing towards me at break-neck speed, stopping just inches in front of me. And they start licking my legs! YUCK! Only after five minutes of me yelling & kicking & beating them with my trekking poles did they back off enough for me to get away. Apparently I'm not their first victim, though, as the register here is full of goat-licking accounts. I hope I do not run into ANY more goats in the next 1500 miles!