Daleville, VA (USA)

What a beautiful, cloudless day! I had a big breakfast and then ventured out into the 20 degree weather. It was a short drive to the parking lot for the Andy Layne Trail (yellow blazed) and I left my car at 0815. From the rudimentary map I found when I hiked in the area last year, it looked like a useful path to reach the middle of this 20 mile section of AT. But it was 3 miles, almost all uphill, so I wasn't going to be able to count much of the miles of my day... Oh well - it was worth it! I made it to the ridge and AT at Scorched Earth Gap after about an hour and encountered a huge group of backpackers. Fortunately, they headed SOBO while I started NOBO to connect to the turnaround west of Daleville (from my trip to the area in late February) - a distance of 3 miles. I passed two hikers who were leaving a campsite and, when I backtracked later, I noticed they hadn't doused their fire. Without any cups or containers, I had to use water in my reservoir to put out the flames. SMH about their carelessness, especially with all the fire danger and last year's massive fires on the AT. I wore gloves and earmuffs almost all day and my water tube froze over completely before noon. But it did get a bit warmer by the end of the day... After reaching the Andy Layne Trail again, I decided to hike up to Tinker Cliffs (one of the "Big Three" must-see AT spots in Virginia). It definitely lived up to the hype! Stunning views from many overlooks all afternoon. There were a lot of people who were also enjoying the trail. I continued SOBO until I reached Brickeys Gap. At that point, I was concerned I didn't have enough gas in the tank for all the climbing so I used the Lamberts Meadow Trail (blue blazed) to head back to my car. This seemed like a good plan, at first, and I got a view of Scorched Earth Gap immediately. But the trail started taking me too far to the east and I decided to bushwhack. With my eyes on the Gap, all went well until I realized that the steep rolling hills were obstacles (and additional climbing was required). One of those life metaphors, I guess: going in a straight line isn't always the best path... There were three deer watching me as I slid down leave-covered slopes. They moved a bit at a time and I actually followed their footpaths (helpful). But the going was very slow and, despite the fact that I hit my orienteering target within 50 yards, I was exhausted by the time I was following yellow blazes again. I encountered a few hikers who were just heading up to the Cliffs - even with the cold it would be a great night to camp. Finished my 17.7 mile day by 1600 - feeling worn out but not beaten. Dinner at Wendy's in Daleville (1625). Hoping that food and lying completely still will help to tee up another good trail day tomorrow! AT Today = 5.40 miles / G.T. AT = 890.06 miles