Today was an interesting day, in a good way. I hiked from Log Cabin Road up to Flint Mountain Shelter, which was a little over 17 miles.
I started hiking at 6 a.m. for some reason. I needed my headlamp for under an hour to see, even with the moon out.
The sun eventually did rise and it was pretty good hiking weather. The afternoon got a little warm.
The trail turned pretty rock by mid morning and stayed so until early afternoon.
Just as I was nearing a big cliff, a mountain lion ran down the hill, out of the brush, over the trail and down into a ravine. All about 30 feet in front of me. It showed no interest in me, but still pretty wild.
Then the rock trail lead up to a exposed ridgeline, with fantastic views. Very pleased to have had good weather. I almost teared up, being able to see so far and some of what I hiked over.
As I was getting closer to camp, I came across some graves. My understanding is the Sheltons were brothers from North Carolina who joined the Union Army during the Civil War. They returned home for a family reunion, only to be killed in an ambush. Millard was an innocent bystander who was also killed.
Before I made it to camp, I passed Big Butt Bypass and choose to include it here for no other reason than it amused me. You do not have to admit it amuses you too, but I know it does!
The skies are clear now. The weather forecast has an 80 percent chance of rain tonight. It looked like it would rain earlier, but not now. Time will tell.
J's Blog 
Really cool, the mountain lion,check another critter off the close encounter list.Love the history your crusing over,Great,!
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Sounds like it was a good day to hike, J. On the trail by 6 a.m. gave you a good start. I usually consider myself doing well if I can be on the trail by 8 a.m. after having a decent breakfast and a cup of hot coffee/tea. So bravo to you!
You’ll likely start seeing a lot of Civil War-related history along and in the vicinity of the trail for the next month+, as you move through VA, up the Shenandoah Valley toward Harpers Ferry -then into a small section of Maryland, and into PA. States were against one another, even families and neighbors were split over the war. Small cemeteries are scattered throughout the countryside, and large cemeteries can be found near major battle sites. Enjoy the trip! And keep an eye out for those mountain lions! 😉
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Yup, I was amused😄
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Wow, a mountain lion? How cool is that! Good thing he didn’t have your name on his menu today or you would’ve had to break out your ninja skills! Big Butt Bypass, huh? Yeah, I spit my coffee out! Congrats on making it to your first official “checkpoint” the other day. Not much new happening up here other then another 9″ of snow. Don’t worry though, I shoveled your driveway for you!! 🙂 Keep on a truck’n Pace Car!!
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I want a steak too please.
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I love that big butt was listed right at mile 300 on my tracking chart.
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One month down, from my level mall walking, the time went fast. Your orchids had a special spa day today, had a couple blooms going on and they still look green, so maybe they will be ok. Sounds like a lot of history coming your way, you should love that. So glad the mountain lion viewed you from afar, because you know he did, unlike the Alaska grizzly that wanted to check out the digs. Take care, looking forward to you next post. Oh, we had 9 inches of snow.
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Proud of you, man. (And yep, I snickered, too.)
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I am sure glad the mountain lion didn’t mind you being there. Love all the pictures, history and stories. Keep em coming
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If my memory serves me correctly this is not your first encounter with local wildlife, I remember the buffalo that wanted to share your tent, a grizzly bear that chased you and your uncle into a river and now a mountain lion who wants to share the trail……..enjoy.
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It was great to hear from you, albeit a short convo! the BBQ brisket was amazing. St. Louis was nice because it was so warm, and then we came back to January. we’ve had the coldest start to spring on record, I believe they said on the news. It’s like we’re in the middle of winter still here. someday we might be cutting the grass and having BBQs, but maybe not…
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