TRAIL DAY 98
Sat, May 28, 2016 The day dawned bright and sunny. I retrieved my food and supplies from Mike and Debbie’s van and we had breakfast together. I even had some of their pancakes and syrup. “The mercy of others.” I took pictures of my kind hosts while Theo entertained us all, thanked them for their generosity and set off on my way. It had to be a matter of great interest to them that I was leaving on foot with Maine as my destination.
We were back at the amphitheater at 9:15, the day’s trail ahead. I made my way back to the sign directing hikers to the theater and turned north. I had not gone far before I almost stepped on a fawn in the trail right in front of me. It was an awesome and very sweet sight. I spoke the unnecessary “Stay, Theo.” Without a sound, he remained right behind me.
I carefully reached into my left front pocket to get my phone / camera out to take the once-in-a-lifetime photo.
With that the fawn got up on spindly and very shaky legs and made his way off into very thick brush. He did not go far so I gingerly went in after him. I wanted that picture! I wanted others to see the awesome thing I saw. But it was not to be.
I wasn’t going to go nuts to get this shot and I didn’t want to terrify the fawn. If I could do it with relative ease, OK. That would be great. But even though I saw where he had gone and knew he was probably close enough to touch, I could not see him. He absolutely blended in with the leaves and brush and grey twigs of the bushes that hid him right in plain sight. I abandoned the effort but the attached composite picture is exactly what I saw in the trail.
A careful search of my pictures at the time, trying to capture whatever I could as the fawn took his first steps, reveals that I do have a couple pictures of him in flight and hiding!
In a half hour or so I came upon an official looking person ahead of me. I told her of my experience with the fawn and she told me that doe would drop their fawns in the trail believing that bears, wanting to avoid hikers, would not find them there. She also said they would leave them right after birth to go and hunt for food. I must have arrived soon after delivery. A most distinct privilege for sure. God smiling upon me yet again.
But how did that fawn know to fear me? How did he know where and how to hide and be still? What an awesome amount of information is passed on in our genes and DNA!
There were more Virginia green hills and vistas, a lot more bear scat and thick growths of flowers along the trail; and even streams and burned-out sections of the trail; shadows; rough bark and a tired dog; and then the 900-mile marker and rest for Theo.
Theo’s most common position was behind me. When I stopped – for whatever reason, he stopped.
We hiked on with 5 ascents of about 500′ each until a descent and climb to Hightop Hut (0.1W) off the trail.
Here I ran into my first we’re-a-by-the-rules-portion-of-the-trail ranger who directed me to keep Theo on a leash. The shelter was full. The campsites were nearly full. I found a slim section off a side path that just worked for Theo and me to set up our tent. I got water from a pipe in the ground several hundred yards back the trail and down a slight descent. We cooked supper and turned in.
Day #98 Loft Mountain Campground > Hightop Hut 14.7 miles