I had such a good hike yesterday I went back today and got more!  I parked at the same place, and hiked West, thinking I would make it to Hoxie Gorge.  I didn't quite, but what a beautiful day!  I left earlier today and was hiking before noon.  It was a clear and bright day, in the low 60s, and before I went a half mile had to peel off my vest and hike in shirt sleeves.

From the elevation plot below you can see there was a lot of up and down.  Up on the hilltops there were some beautiful views.  A lot of this part of the trail is in the edge of woods, skirting fields on private land.  The trail is well marked and in good shape.  The marking this time of year is important because the snowmelt obliterates the visible impression of the trail in many places, and without the blazes, it would be difficult to follow.

Getting down close to Hoxie Gorge, I decided to turn around at the bridge on the old wagon trail.  I was running out of time and my feet were pretty wet.  Changing to dry socks helped until I put my feet back into my boots.  I sat and ate a little lunch for about 5 minutes and then headed back.  I didn't see much wildlife.  I saw some songbirds, heard an owl when I was nearly back.  I heard a woodpecker.  I walked across a spot with a lot of deer hair.  This could be all that's left from a jaguar kill.  It was pretty wet, but the snow pack today was much softer than yesterday.  It reminded me some of the day Bob and I hiked over the Blue Ridge and were wearing shorts and hiking through snow over the tops of our gaiters.

Here is a tall shadow of a hiker, looking up at the much taller hill he has to climb.  This is at the route 116 crossing, facing east at nearly the end of the day.  Just one huge hill left to climb over.

The elevation plot is from East to West.