Pearisburg, VA to Black Horse Gap, VA 4/6/2009-4/12/2009

Photos: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2775015860104728652QtuTZw

4/6/2009 - 9:00 PM - Bailey Gap Shelter - 23.2 mi today - 649.1 mi total

Woke up an had granola. Got all my stuff packed quickly as I wanted to hit the trail. Everyone else was planning a short hike, but I wanted to get some mileage done before I met my Dad. Paid for the room and said my goodbyes. Hit the trail at 9:15. First couple miles were ugly. The trail passes by a chemical company and then a landfill. Not very nice scenery. Pretty good climb out of Pearisburg, then it was flat ridgewalking for miles. Weather was raining off and on most of the day. I had lunch by myself at Rice Field Shelter, and just as I was about to leave, Stumblefoot arrived walking the other direction. She's a really nice lady. She's 66 and has section hiked about half of the AT over the past 16 years. Pretty impressive that she can do 12 miles days regularly. From there to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter was a breeze. Got there at 5:15 and started cooking dinner. Met a couple thruhiking with their dog. They started in early February, but didn't seem to know too many other thruhikers. Ate and decided to push for Bailey Gap Shelter as I still had daylight and it was only 4 more miles. Pumped water on the way. Finished with a 1000 foot climb in the sleet. Got here to find someone in a huge Coleman dome tent in the shelter...obviously not a thru-hiker. We'll see who emerges in the morning. This guy might be a bum. Hope it doesn't get too cold tonight. Supposed to snow tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. Already a thin layer on the ground. Time to snuggle with Harley.

4/7/2009 - 9:00 PM - Sarver Hollow Shelter - 21.0 mi today - 670.1 mi total

Woke up to a winter wonderland. Harley was not impressed. Temp was in the 20's. I wrapped him in the sleeping bag while I packed everything else. The bum complained about having to walk 1.5 miles in the snow down to the road. Pretty sure he was trying to sound like a hiker and wasn't actually planning on moving all day (later confirmed by some of my friends). Hit the trail at 9:15 and was slow going. Was quite rocky most of the morning along the ridgeline. Had lunch at War Spur Shelter after taking four hours to hike 9 miles. Privy had an April 2009 golf magazine! Took a long lunch. Saw Stumblefoot for the third day in a row and she told me that my friends had decided to take a zero in Pearisburg yesterday to avoid the weather. I left a message in the shelter log calling them the "Fearless Five" and then changed it to "Feeble Five." I told them that I was planning on going to the AYCE in Catawba and that they should get moving if they wanted to make it to Southern BBQ night. Got going again at 2:30. Precarious stream crossing to start with. Harley almost fell off the poorly constructed bridge. Pretty long climb back into the snowy hills. Hit Laurel Creek Shelter at 5 and decided to continue against the dog's wishes. There were a lot of fence crossings near the two roads. Walked through a couple farm fields. One had a mule that did not like Harley and chased him around the field. I broke for the fence in a panic and the dog ran in a terrified circle around the mule and met me at the gate. Once we were both safe on the other side of the fence I had a good laugh. It was scary at the time, but hilarious afterwards. Wish I had a video of that! Harley was not amused. Later we saw Keffer Oak which was massive! It's about 300 years old and 18 feet around. Very impressive. Got a video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooAS90WagA4
As we walked the final mile along the ridgeline, it began to snow again. I had to laugh because the sun was shining, but it was still snowing. Kind of made me miss Rochester weather. Got to the shelter at 7:30. Nice and new with a covered eating area. Met two section hikers (Think Tank and Becky) who are getting up early tomorrow. I'll probably pass them at lunch. Dinner was good and now to bed. Hoping tonight won't be as cold as last night for Harley's sake.

4/8/2009 - 7:45PM - Pickle Branch Shelter - 16.1 mi today - 686.2 mi total

Woke up today at sunrise. Think Tank and Becky were already moving. Ate my granola and took my time as I knew it was going to be an easy day. Still managed to hit the trail at 9. A bit rocky to start. The sun started to heat everything up pretty well. Passed Think Tank and Becky on the way to Niday Shelter. Had peanut butter and imitation crabmeat in m wraps. Tasted really good! Tried to eat up most of my lunch supplies so I can pig out at Homeplace AYCE in Catawba tomorrow. Really looking forward to that. After Niday, there was a pretty big climb up to the next ridgeline, then flat for a long time. Passed a monument for Audie Murphy, the most decorated WWII vet who died nearby in a plane crash. Kind of made me realize that even though I am so disconnected from everything, the world is still turning and stuff is happening. I wonder what President Obama did today. There were a ton of leaves on the ridgeline, so I took off Harley's pack and let him roll around in them. Got a video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ7mStDKn-Y
Got to the shelter at 5 PM. Harley was happy with the short mileage. Pumped water and a thruhiking couple arrived (Adam and Melissa). I've leapfrogged them a couple of times, so it was nice to finally get to talk to them. Adam is from Buffalo, so we talked about the Bills and TO. Still can't believe he is on the Bills. Had dinner and got ready for tomorrow. Hoping to get a good jump on the day and get to Catawba in the early afternoon so I can make my phone calls before Dad's arrival. Dragons Tooth is supposed to be pretty perilous. Hope Harley does okay with it. Looking forward to AYCE and seeing Dad.

4/9/2009 - 8:30 PM - Campbell Shelter - 17.0 mi today - 703.2 mi total
Got up at 7 and made breakfast. Everyone was excited for AYCE. Left camp at 8 and began the long ascent to Dragons Tooth. I had heard a lot about it through the shelter logs, so the anticipation was mounting. Each time I saw some rocks, I got my camera ready, only to discover that it was just a dragon molar (this happened about five times). Finally I got there and found that the "tooth" was down a blue-blazed side trail. Checked it out and took some pictures. Guess I had built it up too much in my mind because I wasn't overly impressed with it. Took an early lunch, but didn't eat much (I didn't want to spoil my appetite for AYCE). The descent from Dragons Tooth was really cool. Very steep and quite precarious. There were even a couple rocks that had ladders bolted in. The dog had no problem getting down and jumped from rock to rock. From there I tried to pick up the pace so I could get to town and use the payphone. Reached the parking lot at 2PM and tried to get a ride the the general store one mile down the road. The lady in the parking lot didn't pick up on my subtle hints that I needed a ride. Decided to try hitching, but it was a busy road and I nobody pulled over until I was about two thirds the way there. I was thankful all the same. Got Harley some water while I ate a grilled cheese, Mountain Dew, and ice cream sandwich to hold me over until the restaurant opened at 4. Called Dad and found to my dismay that he was much closer than expected and would be ready to hit the trail shortly after 4PM. After a 10 hour car ride, he wasn't really in the mood to stuff himself with Southern BBQ. He told me to go ahead anyways, but the timing didn't work out. At 4:15, the shuttle rolled up and took me back to the trailhead, away from the sweet smells of Homeplace. Glen and Pam (two of my Dad's friends) were getting their packs on as we rolled back into the parking lot. Hit the trail again at 4:30 after almost getting run over crossing the road. Glen dropped his water bottle in the road and dad left his in the car. Regrouped at the shelter one mile down the trail. Dad didn't have any water and I hadn't pumped since this morning, so we shared what little I had left. Decided to check out the view from McAfee Knob as the forecast for tomorrow looked grim. The view was absolutely amazing. Probably the best of the trip so far. I got a video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcQMDLxS_No
Zak (another thruhiker) caught up with us there and warned me that Chert, Grizzly, Wally and Pacman were on the hunt for me as they had taken my "Feeble Five" statement as a challenge. They had done mega miles to catch up and meet me for dinner, and of course I was on the trail instead of at the restaurant! I feel bad that I missed them, and I am sure they will give me crap for it tomorrow when they do catch up. The view did make up for the lack of BBQ. Got to Campbell Shelter and set up the tents. Pumped water (double dose) and cooked dinner in the dark. Dad accidently grabbed the wrong dinners (singles instead of doubles) so we had to cook dinner twice. We made the best of it and enjoyed Mum's home cooking (peanut butter chicken for Dad and Keelbassa stir fry for me... YUM!). Mum's dinners are getting better every time. She should start a business. Even so, I wish that my belly was more full. Hope the weather doesn't turn sour tomorrow.

4/10/2009 - 8:00 PM - Hay Rock, Tinker Ridge - 11.4 mi today - 714.6 mi total

Got up at 7 and started making breakfast. Dad wanted oatmeal, so I got the water boiling for him. He also bummed some coffee off of Glen. Glen hit the trail first, Pam followed shortly. Dad and I took our time packing up. It was nice to take the day slowly and not rush anywhere. About 2 miles before we stopped for lunch, Grizzly, Chert, Wally and Pacman caught us and started to roast me. I got a lot of crap for laying down a challenge and then standing them up at the restaurant. They made sure to describe just how good that dinner tasted. I gave them my box of Cheez-its to appease them. Laughs all around. Had some great views from Tinker Cliffs. Ate lunch at Lamberts Meadow Shelter with everyone. Started to rain on and off. Dad and I pumped water and Pam treated her big blisters. Got going again around 2 after a long filling lunch. Took it easy in the afternoon also. Found a pretty good spot to camp under a huge rock about 4 miles before Daleville. Glen had to set up his hammock in a windy spot, but our tents were well protected under the rock. May have thunderstorms tonight. Mixed two different pastas for dinner, and it turned out really well. Mum's food is getting better by the day. Dad lent me his ipod so I listened to three of my favorite songs in the hopes that the stupid "CC's Cat" song would be banished forever. It's a curse! Looking forward to eating by the thruway tomorrow. Great day on the trail with Papa Jolly today. Hope tomorrow is just as good.

4/11/2009 - 8:00 PM - Fullhardt Knob Shelter - 9.0 mi today - 723.6 mi total

Got up at 7 to a nice sunrise. Clouds were cool colors. Glen was already packed up by the time Dad and I got out of our sleeping bags. Guess he had a windy night. I left my tent door open so I could watch the lightning. The rock protected me well all night. Had breakfast and slowly descended into town. Got to the car around 11 and found everyone else in the parking lot. Glen and Pam had already chowed down on Wendy's and were moving on to Bojangles. Chert, Grizzly, Wally, and Pacman had hit the outfitters and then went to Krogers for food resupply. At one point we had the car surrounded with 8 backpacks as everyone was off doing their errands. I sorted through the food boxes while Dad went to get coffee. The coffee shop aalso filled up our water bladders with ice water. Once everyone had done all the town chores and I had taken care of Dad's micro-blister, it was food time. Glen and Pam were set, so they hit the trail again. The rest of us headed to the Mexican restaurant and Dad treated us all to a great lunch. It was the first time the Brits had tried Mexican. The dessert was amazing. Some kind of fried cheesecake creation (xango?). After lunch, Dad hit the trail while I shuttled the guys to Dollar General and the Post Office. Hit the trail again at 2:45. Easy 5 miles to the shelter, but my left foot was hurting more. Felt like it was falling asleep, so maybe I just have the laces done up too tight. Will adjust tomorrow. Got a nice fire going (sitting by the coals now) and cooked dinner. Another great day on the trail. Hoping the weather holds tomorrow too. PLanning to camp near the Blue Ridge Parkway for an easy pick-up on Monday morning. Really enjoying my hike with Dad, Glen, and Pam.

4-12-2009 - 11:30 PM - Comfort Inn - 9.4 mi today - 733.0 mi total

Woke up at sunrise to temps in the high teens. Got up and made oatmeal for breakfast. The fire coals were still hot, but it was too much effort to get them going again. Hit the trail around 9 and had a nice easy walk to start. First hour was a breeze. The closer we got to lunch, the more steep the hills became. Dad had some trouble with his knees, but managed to push through it. Got to Wilson Creek Shelter for lunch around noon. I went down the hill to pump water while Dad took care of his knees and played around with his layering system. Rehydrated a hummus mix for lunch and ate it with rice crackers. Yum! Also finished up some jerky and pepperoni. It was a nice little cocktail party. Dad wrote in the shelter log, and after a nice long two hour lunch, we pushed on. At Black Horse Gap, the trail meets the Blue Ridge Parkway, which it parallels for the next 200 miles. At the Taylors Mountain Overlook, we decided to call it quits. It was only about 4:00, so instead of camping in the woods, we called a local trail angel named Del for a shuttle back to where the car was parked in Daleville. He was a really nice guy, though I had trouble understanding what he was saying through his accent. I did learn that a couple of my thru-hiking friends have unfortunately fallen off the trail. Aparently SpiritFingers is battling some ort of illness that has taken him off the trail. I hope he is feeling better and is able to continue his hike. Also, one of the guys I met in Damascus (Splinter) has developed a staph infection and is headed home to recover. I send my best to both of those guys, as well as Steamboat, who should hopefully be returning to the trail soon. When we got to the parking lot, we decided on Wendy's for dinner. Dad and I had a triple stack cheeseburger each with a large order of fries. MMMMM that went down well. After a filling dinner, we decided that we would rather spend a night in a motel than camp on the ridgeline, so we headed to Comfort Inn and paid the "hiker-corporate" rate of $40 for a double room. After playing around with my gear, uploading my photos and videos, I am finally ready for bed. Be sure to check out my Webshots account as all of my pictures have been uploaded. I have also inserted the new videos into my older blog entries. Tomorrow, Harley and I will hit the trail with an overflowing food bag as Dad, Glen, and Pam head back to Rochester. This has been a nice change of pace, but I am ready to get back on the saddle and crank out some miles. I am hoping to get to Waynesboro by Friday or Saturday. Look for my next update then.