Even though I was so excited to be back in the hammock last night, I struggled to fall asleep. Around 1am though, the rain rolled through and the tip tap of rain drops on my fly was exactly what I needed to send me off to sleep. 

Next time I opened my eyes it was light out and the rain had passed. There was just a slight tapping on my fly as water dropped from the fir branches high above me. It was peaceful and, as I heard no noises from anyone else moving about, I saw no need to rush. I basked in bed enjoying the relaxing morning. 

I’m trying to stick to low mileage days right now as I continue to heal so there’s really no reason to rush out in the morning. So after I finally removed myself from my hammock, I sat down for breakfast at the shelter picnic table and then set up my phone so Adrien could lead us through a morning yoga stretching routine. 

I was still somehow the first to leave camp but I was moving slow. I promised myself I would warm up properly as I heal so my mornings involve moving slower than molasses. I wasn’t surprised at all when an injured rocket passed me (I mean there’s a reason we all call him rocket after all) but I was a little taken aback when even Viking seemed to pass me like I was moving still. 

But I took it all in stride. I continued on at my own pace, enjoying the idyllic pine forest that I was walking through. Virginia had been nothing but great to me so far. The trail is cushioned with fallen pine leaves and the hills haven’t been steep at all. It’s as if the founding fathers chose to settle here because they had bad knees and knew the land would take care of them. 

Besides for a brief rain storm, the day passed without much event. And these days that’s a good thing. I continued on at my slow pace for the first 3 miles. I picked it up a bit for the next three and kept it there after lunch (peanut butter and Nutella on a bagel). I was by no means flying, but I was, by this point, moving at a respectable pace. 

I caught up to rocket at a river crossing and we walked the last mile or two into camp together chatting about who knows what. We almost passed the campsite we had been eyeing but when we realized where it was, we were blown away. It was gorgeous! 

A pristine patch of pine forest with enough space for 20 shelters. The ground wasn’t the flattest so tenters had to be choosy but there were unlimited trees available for hammocking. 

After setting up, I “cooked” my second cold soak meal. I opened a pack of boil and serve Mac n cheese and mixed it with a pack of boil and serve stroganoff. I filled the cup with water, put the lid on it and walked away. I came back two hours later and, once again, was shocked at how decent it tasted. I’m not ready to yet, but I one day may have to apologize to the ardent cold soakers who I so recently referred to as “foul”. 

We sat around a campfire and, using a makeshift table of logs, trekking poles and a camping pad, played another round of rummy. The winner of today’s game is irrelevant. While typically rummy is played until you reach 500, we chose today to play until the heavens opened up and it started pouring. 

I’m once again listening to the rain beating down on my fly while snuggly tucked into my hammock. What a far cry from listening to people snore while sleeping on a waterproof mattress in a shared room in Damascus. 

Key stats:

Miles: 10 

Elevation gained: 2,200 ft

Mile marker: 490

Amount of the jar of Nutella I’ve eaten in the last 2 days: 80%