No Absense Of Deer In Virginia

Day 73 Sunday June 3, 2017 Miles: 743.6 - 756.3 Completed 12.7 Last night we went to bed with the sunset burned into our memory. It looked like the horizon was on fire. Soon after we had fallen asleep we were awoke with a dajevue sensation. We could here the steady walk of a large animal in the trees next to our tent. I said to Bruce, "You've got to be kidding me!" I grabbed the head lamp, unzipped the screen and scanned the trees to make sure it wasn't a bear. Shortcake was next to us in a tent and I wanted to confirm our safety from any hungry beast. It wasn't a bear. Instead it was a very large Deer about 10 feet away. In 2015 Bruce and I were tenting in the exact same spot and about the same time we could here an animal. Last year it circled our tent all night but we could never see it. Today's hike was an easy stroll but for some reason I ran out of gas about 1:00pm. I was so glad we were almost done. This feeling of exhaustion has hit me a few times on the trail so far. I struggle to finish the day. As much as I love the heat I think it is affecting me. If not the heat it's a combination of a few things such as lack of sleep from not getting a good night's sleep for a host of reason, to maybe having to take Benadryl to stop the itching to lack of good food. Who knows. What I do know is I am tired. But the hike goes on and we were blessed with the sighting of a beautiful doe right in the middle of the trail. We stopped and let her do her thing. We only continued when she disappeared over the ridge.

Happy Hiking.