Saturday (5/19) Groot and I were about 10 miles into our day when suddenly I heard a dog bark. I couldn't see around Groot to get a look at the dog, but when I looked down the trail I couldn't believe who was there - it was Sixlegs (this time with his other 4 legs). He had driven most of the night to surprise me after hearing what miserable shape I had been in hiking into Pearisburg. He had 36 hours off of work and drove 4+ hours to cheer me up and bring me trail magic.
We walked the two miles back to his car where he had Gatorade, Cherry Coke and snacks that he shared with Groot and me. He offered to slack pack us about 6 miles up the trail, over the only climb of the day. He met us 2 miles further down the trail where it crossed the road again and we took another snack break. The climb up to Bailey Gap Shelter was pretty easy without packs on. We met Slow-Mo, a southbound section hiker taking a break who told us we could expect rocks ahead, but they turned out to be nothing we hadn't seen before. 
By 2pm we were back at Sixlegs’ car after an easy 20.1 mile day. Groot finished the last 5 miles to War Spur Shelter as originally planned while Sixlegs (including Calvin the dog) went to see if the Mountain Lake Resort, about 5 miles away, had any availability - clouds were moving in and I was still trying to avoid sleeping in the rain. It was Saturday and the Resort was full - we realized afterwards that it was where Dirty Dancing was filmed. We ended up in Blacksburg for the night and I'd have to add the 5 miles I missed to my 18.8 miles the next day. 
I called for an Uber back to the trail Sunday morning - the driver was able to get me within a mile and a half of the trailhead before. I had to get out because of a river flowing across the dirt road from all the recent rain. I walked the last 1.5 miles down the road and got back on the trail at 8:30am with a 23.4 mile day ahead of me. It was foggy but dry - the first 5 miles to War Spur Shelter were mostly flat and downhill and went by quickly. 
Just before reaching the shelter I came upon Dave, a section hiker I had met coming out of Damascus but hadn't seen since Partnership Shelter a week ago. We hiked most of the day together talking about our hike, the weather, and the people we had met. The first difficult climb of the day was up to Kelly Knob - some steep sections made more strenuous by the heat. About a half mile before the climb tops out I came across Trail Magic at VA 601. A previous thru hiker had a cooler set up with soda, cookies, and hot dogs - I had 2 and Dave showed up a short time later to enjoy one as well. It made the rest of the climb go by quickly but we weren't rewarded with much of a view, too many trees. The trail descended and then went through several pastures - the sun was out most of the day and I was soaked with sweat. The trail went right past Keffer Oak - very large oak tree, estimated to be near 300 years old. We started the last climb of the day which was more challenging than expected. Just before the top we ran into Groot. He had lost one of his trekking poles during one of the flooded stream crossings and was using a rhododendron branch as a substitute. At the top we said goodbye to Dave who was staying at Sarver Hollow Shelter, 6 miles before our intended shelter.
The last 6 miles looked like they would be quick but the elevation chart didn't show all the rocks and rock ledges we had to traverse. The flooded trail made it even slower and we finally made it to the shelter at 7:30PM. Sparky, a section hiker, and Marmot were there and the 4 of us slept in the shelter, fearing another night of rain. It was a warm night and we feel asleep listening to whippoorwills. 
Well, we tried to sleep but the bugs would not let us. Biting gnats landed on me about once a second and it was too hot to cover myself with my sleeping bag. That was the worst night of sleep so far on the trail and I woke up Monday (5/21) exhausted. At 5:30 I was sick of swatting away the bugs so I packed and was on trail by 6. Groot also did not sleep well and said he was going to rest a little longer but said he would see me at Catawba Shelter, 24.7 miles away.Just before 7 I crossed a road and found a Ziploc bag attached to a tree that said 'Trail Magic' - I was curious how they fit an entire hot breakfast into such a small bag but soon realized it as just shit-tickets (toilet paper) in the Ziploc. I guess shit-ticket trail magic is better than no trail magic.
The bugs weren't so bad when I was moving, but the cobwebs were just as maddening. The morning climb was about 2 miles (1,500’) to the Audie Murphy (the most decorated WWII veteran) Memorial. I don't think the climb was that challenging but to be honest I don't remember because I was so infuriated by the cobwebs I spent the whole time cursing the spiders, yelling “of all places in the entire forest to build your webs..” and swinging my trekking poles wildly in front of me. I was dripping with sweat and every second I would walk into another web, they would disintegrate into my sweat so it was almost pointless to try to wipe them off. At the top of the climb the webs were draped all over me, across my arms, legs, and face. 
The next challenge of the day was Dragon's Tooth, just after AT mile 700. The first few miles of the climb were mild - long switchbacks which turned into a ridge walk below treeline with some rocks added. Then the big rocks came. With about a half mile to go I passed a southbound hiker who informed me he had just seen a rattle snake at the view point. There were several day hikers at the top, it's a popular hiking spot. There are lots of rocks to scramble up with great views, but I was nervous about finding a rattler so I took a short snack break and started the descent. The way down was a lot harder - metal handles in rocks, lots of scooting on my butt, very slow. The day was turning more challenging than I expected. I hiked through more pastures with steep uphills but clouds were rolling which helped with the heat. I arrived at VA 311 - a large parking lot for day hikers hiking to McAfee Knob. Through the trees I could see lots of cars and people and I started getting my hopes up for finding trail magic. Then I saw it was 4 ambulances and a dozen EMTs - a young boy had broken his arm climbing on the rocky viewpoint at McAfee.
I made it to John's Spring Shelter (AT mile 710.4), one mile before Catawba Shelter which was my intended stopping point, before the thunder rolled in and it started pouring. Three other hikers camped nearby but I got the shelter to myself so I spread out. No sign of Groot all day. 
The rain left fog Tuesday (5/22) morning so I wasn't in a rush to get up - I had a 3 mile hike to McAfee Knob, one of the most well known views on trail, and was hoping the clouds would clear by mid-morning. I left the shelter at 7:15 and took my time. There was evidence of forest fire on the right side of the trail. I had heard that the AT near McAfee Knob had been closed earlier in the spring due to encroaching fire, but I don't know if that was what I was looking at. I took a peek in Catawba Shelter to see if Groot had made it there but all I found was two hikers who had pitched their tents inside the shelter..I didn't ask questions and kept moving. 
At the top it was still a little foggy but the view would come and go with the wind. I got there around 8:35 and found a woman and her son up there waiting to see the view. They were on a road trip from Canada - the woman's grandmother had always wanted to see McAfee Knob but died before she got the chance so the woman carried some of her ashes to the top. We took photos for each other and chatted about hiking. They gave me an extra power bar (yay trail magic!).
I continued north around 9:20AM - the miles went by quickly until the last 1.5 miles to Tinker Cliffs which had some short steep sections. I ran into 2 thru hikers, Walmart Special and Moonbeam, who warned me of a rattle snake on the side of the trail - my first poisonous snake sighting! It sat frozen and I gave it plenty of room as I passed. I hiked with them through Tinker Cliffs, a half mile cliff walk with views back to McAfee Knob. They had just got back on the trail after returning to Damascus for Trail Days. On the way down the mountain they saw a bear cub, but I arrived just moments to late to see it. 
I passed Lambert's Meadow Shelter without stopping - I still had 10 miles into Daleville, VA and another 5 miles north of town and it was already noon. I heard thunder and the clouds behind me were getting dark - I picked up the pace and hiked, running at some points, for the next 2 hours not wanted to get soaked. I thought I was doing pretty good outrunning the storm, and then the trail would go around a switchback and I would be heading straight towards the darkening clouds. And then switchback again and I was heading towards blue sky. I came over a hill and there were thundering clouds ahead of me as well. At that point I figured there was no avoiding it - I was going to get wet. I came across 3 southbound section hikers. One asked “do you like avocados?” He said he was trying to lighten his pack and handed me an avocado and a gala apple - sweet! After that I was too content chomping on the apple to care about which way the storms were moving. I ended up making it to Daleville without a rain drop falling on me.The descent into Daleville was pretty easy, I could hear I-81 for miles. I could see some day hikers walking down the mountain ahead of me, actually I could smell then before I could see them. They smelled like shampoo and laundry detergent and dryer sheets and scented candles. As I passed them I couldn't help but think about what kind of smells would follow me down the mountain for them to hike through - sorry!
I thought when I got to VA 220 I'd come to some sort of parking lot but the trail dumped me right the side of the 4 lane divided road. Directly within sight was a BP gas station which I walked to for a cold drink, ice cream, phone charging, and hand washing. It was 3:20PM and I really wanted to sit down for a meal but I figured I'd be in Buchanan tomorrow and I decided to 'hero’ out of town. 'Heroing’ is what ToCrows called hiking into and out of town on the same day because it is so hard to resist the call of hot pizza, warm beds, and free WiFi after a long day of hiking. I saw many thru hikers walking to the Howard Johnson after a trip to Kroger for resupply. I didn't recognize any of them and figured they had probably just returned from Trail Days. 
It was sunny and the radar looked clear so I left town at 4 to hike the last 5 miles up to Fallhardt Knob Shelter. The miles out of Daleville and through Troutville are the worst - it's noisy from highway traffic, takes you underneath I-81, all the water looks dirty (of course I forgot to fill up on water before leaving town again). The last 3 miles up Fallhardt Knob, about 1,100’, were not terribly hard and I told myself I could take my time and knew I'd make my goal miles for the day. About 2 miles to go I heard thunder quickly approaching. I neither had the desire nor the energy to pick up the pace so I just hoped for the best. Minutes before I felt raindrops I heard rustling in the woods, I turned to look expecting to see a squirrel but saw a black bear butt running quickly away from me in the distance. My first bear sighting! 
The rain was coming down now and the thunder sounded like it was right overhead and saw lightning in the distance. A minute later it was pouring, the thunder cracking, and lightning flashed above me. I was soaked and trembling and the trail was still going up. I didn't know which was the storms were coming or going and I didn't know where the trail was going except it would continue climbing until I got to the shelter. I looked up the trail and it looked like a dam had broken free - water, leaves, and sticks flooded down the trail. I got to the sign for the shelter which turned up one more switchback leading to the knob. I was basically running up the trail while also trying to crouch as if lowering myself a couple inches closer to the ground would keep me safer. When I got to the empty shelter I sobbed uncontrollably. I didn't feel like much of a hero anymore. I sat, huddled in the middle of the structure for several minutes trying to regain my composure.
The storm finally passed and I got dry and tried to eat but I wasn't hungry so I just snacked on cheez-its. I went to hang a bear line and scared a deer that was eating behind the shelter which scared me even more. That was the third deer I've seen in 700+ miles.. I've seen more on a 3 mile jog around DC! A mouse scurried around the shelter so I made sure all of my food and scented things were hung up. This would be my first night sleeping alone in the woods and I wasn't looking forward to it. I slept with my trekking poles next to me and would bang them a few times when I heard sticks snap. Eventually I fell asleep and slept peacefully through the night.
Ha, just kidding - I barely slept. At the first signs of light I got packed and got moving. It was a pleasant morning, even with the usual cobwebs. The streams were swollen and I walked through them since my boots were already as wet as they could get. I saw many people at the first shelter I passed, 6.2 miles into the day. It seems like I will see a lot more hikers now that Trail Days is over. 
At Taylor's Mountain Overlook, AT mile 743.5, the trail opened up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and we were treated to awesome views. A man was at the overlook passing out cold water and bananas to hikers. 
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