Waynesboro, VA (845 miles)

Howdy there everybody! This is Chazaq writing to you from the public library (that is thankfully opened until 9:00 pm). It has been a little less than a month since I last wrote from Damascus. There was a rumor floating around that Virginia was flat-- let me assure you that is nothing but lies! Virginia has been much different terrain than the first 400 miles of the trail. I must tell you that spring has arrived! The canopy has come in. The dogwood bloomed, in the lower elevations the rhododendron has blossomed big pink flowers. The flora and the fauna have been revealed. I have seen Scarlet Tanagers, Cardinals, Robins, Grouse, Turkey, Blue Jays; Deer, Bunnies, Chipmunks, Bears!, a Rattlesnake (I nearly stepped on it!), Owls, Salamanders, Lizards, Ants, Ants, and Ants.

I have been hiking much more per day than I had early in the trip because Virginia seems to hypnotize-- after long strands of ridge-lines walks, beneath the canopy, one seems to go into sort of a trance with the steady rhythm of footsteps and the general hum of the forest, days go by. The people that I am hiking around lift the spirits on those days where the body does not reach serious elevation. There is a lot of music on the trail! Mandolins, Ukuleles, Harmonicas, and the our own voices. The trail has its own collections of standards-- a mix of folk, gospel, and blues.

I am doing great. My body is strong, my soul is at peace, and soon I will be home! I should arrive at Harper's Ferry (the psychological halfway point) within a fortnight. From there I will spend a few days in Annapolis and DC. Then on to Ocean City. There will be more pictures then. Until next time...