Hi from Front Royal, VA!

Hey there,

Made it to Front Royal a couple days early with some tender feet so going to take today off and set back out on the trail tomorrow as scheduled.

The trail's been a fun challenge thus far. Incredibly varied terrain! You'd think a forest is just a forest, right!?!? Well I'm learning otherwise.. kinda crazy how different things can look from one mile to the next.. one elevation to another. I've even walked through an alpine meadow or two which was just really cool; a field of flowers from waist high to over my head all topped off in yellow - too pretty. And it just went on and on for what seemed a couple of miles.. the path just winding its way through it all.

I've seen lots of different creatures.. lots of deer (mostly younger - the older they get the more of a clue they must have ;), frogs, a salamander (ran right up the spring trickle i was refilling from! ;), 3 turtles (one heading northbound, one south, and one waiting to cross to the west, so i'm waiting for the eastbounder - beautiful bright orange and black coloring!), butterflys, lots of spiders, caterpillers, a huge wild turkey(!), lots of different birds, some hawks, loads of squirels of course, chipmunks, and also saw a nice sized guy climbing up the bank of a road yesterday - can't remember what it is called.. not a beaver, but alot like it (sortof a broad but flatter body, bushy/hairy tail, and kindof a roundish short head).. badger?? can't remember... anyway.. have heard a couple of owls at night - REALLY loud! one of them mighta been a screech owl i think because something let off a really high-pitched almost whistle/shreak before the hoots came on.. and i also heard what i THOUGHT might've been a bear, but now i'm not so sure.. might've just been a deer... snorted/harumphed at me a few times after i barked my butt off at it thinking it was going after my bear(food) bag hanging from a tree..

BTW, for those of you who don't know, the forest is sooooo different at night.. obviously pitch black.. but also LOUD AS HELL!!!! especially when you're hanging there all by yourself in a hammock feeling like a poorly hung, abundantly stuffed bear bag! ;) all the insects in the forest all of the sudden start screaming out as loud as they can now that it's dark and they have a set of balls ;) crickets, rattlesnake sounds, little froggy sounds, and on and on.. all in a deafening chorus. Add to that a forest bed of dry dead leaves and anything that moves or falls makes a huge noise!

If it's not obvious i'm still adjusting to 'sleeping' alone out here ;)

But the hiking has been WONDERFUL! Challenging, but great! I think I can honestly say that the trail has been just as much (if not more) rock as dirt.. crazy.. but i guess the trail will last longer this way.. it's like it follows/crossed quite a few dried out or old stream beds and rock gardens.. there have been quite a few steep and challenging climbs and decents.. part of the reason for my taking a day off. I think I can say that I've got my 'hiking' legs under me now, but my feet are a little tender right now, so i figure it might be best to give 'em a short rest. Staying at a super8motel here and fortunately they have free internet access :) So i may try to add more later.

So here's to my first .. 5 days out on the trail and to quite a few more!

BTW, if you're looking for an all-you-can-eat place in a town that doesn't seem to feature any, hit up the nearest chinese place! order any dish and spread it out over as much free steamed rice as you can stuff your belly with!!! ;)

Later!!
david