The way the birdsong resonated with orchestral grandeur on dewdrop diesel fuel mornings bursting at the prospect of a new day's journey.

Something mystical and savage in the teddy bear deer would surface in their eyes as they tracked me in hopes of the easy meal.

And how disappointed they would grow, to behold the vanity in their motives.

For I, too, travelled lightly and free.

Without fur, mind you.

But with the delicate roughage of crisp dollar bills in my pack,

ripe for spending on government handouts found trailside roadside all along the way.

Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail, here we come again. Virginia is for lovers. Save some wilderness for me.