Blue Ridge Highway (Day 60)

I woke up early at the hostel. I’m not sure I can sleep anymore. My body has gotten used to rising and setting with the sun. Although I think sharing a room with another hiker who didn’t sleep until dawn didn’t help either.

The ticks are out

I took my time getting out of bed, knowing that coffee and breakfast wouldn’t be ready until 8 a.m. As promised, Beth had made me some delicious gluten-free pancakes. Last night we spent some time chatting and he told me that he was recently diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome, contracted from a tick bite. He said nearby Charlotte County, VA, has one of the highest alpha-gal incidence rates in the country.

This conversation motivated me even more to remove my clothes with permethrin spray before heading out for the day. Last week I found two ticks crawling up my leg, but luckily neither were attached to me. One was a deer tick and the other had the telltale white spot of the lone star variety.

1/3 Ready!

I didn’t leave the hostel until almost noon, unable to free myself from its many comforts. Back on the trail, I was surprised to almost immediately see a sign indicating we were a third of the way done. Wasn’t it right at the Quarter Way Inn?

Finding Nemo

It was a hot and sunny afternoon, much better than last week’s rainy weather. I stopped to get water in a fast-flowing stream and noticed that a small fish had found its way into my CNOC bag. Since I couldn’t afford the care that having him as a pet would require, I left him back in the water.

Blue Ridge Highway

It closed for the day on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I passed several viewpoints, each one more beautiful than the last. The sun was beginning to set and a cool breeze was blowing in the air. I set up camp at a dispersed site right off the road. I had a late start which led to a full day, another of many.

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