Slept in until 9, so I missed the hotel breakfast, but it didn’t matter; I had Krispy Kremes again from a fundraiser outside Kroger. The hotel room even had a microwave. Yum! Amazing how nice a couple nights in a real bed in an air conditioned room feels. I both didn’t want to leave and was eager to start hiking again. Leaving town is rough, but within a couple of miles I’m always looking forward to sleeping outside again.
The trail North of Daleville was completely different than the South side. The jagged rockiness was replaced by shaded trails of nicely graded mud and dirt. Started on the trail at 10 and made it to the second shelter for lunch around 1:30. Since this is finally a less than five day resupply and there was a real grocery store I was able to carry some good food stuffs. Specifically, I had a block of cheese, an apple, and an an avocado. One of my go to lunches has been “pizza” consisting of some kind of bread or tortilla with pepperoni. Today I made “pizza” with Italian flat bread, Boar’s head pepperoni, jack cheese, and sliced avocado. My best creation yet. Avocado is going to be a definite repeat buy.
After lunch the trail met up with the Blue Ridge Parkway which it paralleled the rest of the afternoon, crossing the road at a couple scenic overlooks. The trail was gaining elevation almost all day but it stayed smooth and gradual. I felt great after the day off, especially after lunch when I started listening to my ipod. Knocked off 18.5 miles today, the first of several 18-20 mile days this week, and I still felt strong at the end of the day.