On Sunday, 5/26, we were in Daleville, VA enjoying a weekend off with Beth, Griffin, Sallie, Sarah Grace, Gabe, and Summer. Having relaxed all day Saturday trying to recover from our 26.2 mile day in town, there were chores to be done on Sunday. First and foremost, we had to find a laundromat to wash our stinky clothing. It is truly stunning to behold the smell of clothes that have been sweated in for a week. Unfortunately, our gear is not much better, and there is no good way to get funk out of a backpack. We also had to resupply our food. Those chores completed, we pretty much relaxed the rest of the day. For supper, we went back to Cracker Barrel since it was so close. We ate our fill and set into sleep for the night.
Monday was a great day. To say that Beth and Sallie have been bitten by the AT bug would be an understatement. They both wanted to spend some of the
After trail magic was dolled out, Sallie took Gavin and I back into town for one more night. It was a bit closer for her to make the trip than Beth. Instead of going back to the Quality Inn, though, we chose the Super 8 because it was closer to the trailhead and a nicer place to stay than the HoJo. Bullfrog and Angel came into town about an hour after we got there and it was great to reconnect with them. I find it incredible how close we have grown on the trail in only a few weeks, but we really missed having them along in the past week.
In the late afternoon, Bullfrog, Angel, and I walked about a half mile down to the Kroger to get a few food items and we were hoping to pick up a few things from the outfitter next door but they were closed for the holiday. On the way back, we decided to just order in pizza for supper and we had an early bedtime.
We slept in a bit Tuesday, but it worked out well. We were able to breakfast in the hotel lobby and from there we hiked back down to the outfitter to pick up a few needed items. By 11:00, we were back in the saddle again. We hiked a short distance to the trailhead, said our usual morning prayer, and we were off. Our goal for the day was Wilson Creek Shelter, about 11.2 miles north. It was not a very difficult hike, even though Gavin and I had been of trail for three full days. Along the way, we crossed under I-81 again, but the highlight of the trek was passing the ⅓ of the way mark. On the trail was spelled out “33.3%” in sticks and rocks, and for the math nerds, there was a bar over the final 3.
Early in the trip we crossed over a grassy pasture area and Angel had the chance to put her “mom” skills to use. Gavin sometimes has a difficult time getting back on trail, especially after seeing the family. The sour mood hit him a few miles in, and even though I tried too be encouraging to him, it just wasn’t working. Thankfully, Angel can often get him to breathe and relax, even when I can’t. So it was today. We are so thankful to have her and Bullfrog on the trail with us. We compliment each other well.
On Wednesday, we had our first crossing with the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Taylor’s Mountain Overlook. Bullfrog and Angel were already there and we waited a couple of minutes for Gavin to catch us. They all left and while I was resting, I observed a deer in the underbrush just off the overlook. I got some video that’ll be on the YouTube channel later on.
We had one of our biggest mileage days on Wednesday with a 17-mile trek. It was a mostly flat walk along a ridgeline and the primary excitement of the trip was dodging a thunderstorm just before Cove Mountain Shelter. We hustled into the shelter to allow the storm to pass, and it quickly did. From there, we headed on down to Jennings Creek to get a shuttle to Middle Creek Campground.
It was great to be in “civilization” again. The campground had a grill and the ladies that work there are incredible cooks. I had two of the best cheeseburgers I’ve had on trail, along with a couple of tall, cold beverages. We quickly retired to the bunkhouse. After a much needed shower, we settled in for a good night of sleep.
Our trip Thursday was 14 miles to the Thunder Hill Shelter. There was quite a bit of climbing involved, but thankfully the grade of the trail was reasonably gentle. Along the way, we stopped at the Bryant Ridge Shelter, which was one of the largest and newest shelters on the trail. It was built in 1992, and will sleep 20 people. It has three levels, a privy, and a nice stream running about 15 feet to the side. If it were further along the trail, I would have love to have camped there, but alas, we had more miles to do, so we had to settle with a long lunch break.
We also passed the Cornelius Creek Shelter. It was 0.1 mile off the trail, but we decided to stop and have an early supper before traveling on. While there, we met quite a few new hikers. One was Chilly Bin from New Zealand. She was great to talk to. We also met our first family on the trail, a group from New Hampshire. Mom and Dad are hiking with their three kids, aged 8, 11, and 13. I would really like to have had Gavin spend some time talking with them, but they were staying and we weren’t, even though we wanted to.
In the final part of the day, we had two different sights to see. First was the FAA radar tower at the top of Apple Orchard Mountain. It was a behemoth of a thing, a giant ball that tracks commercial flights. We also passed under the Guillotine, a rock formation that features two slabs of rock with a smaller boulder tapped between as if ready to fall. It was fun waiting on the rest of my party there and taking pictures of folks as they passed under. The only downside to waiting was being nearly eaten alive by bugs. To add excitement to the hike, there were a couple of places approaching the Guillotine that required scaling some fairly steep rocks.
Our final day of hiking this week was also a long one, at 14.8 miles, but we had a reward at the end. And at the beginning. One of the first things we passed was at incredible overlook. The view was among the best that I’ve seen. We ended our hike by crossing the James River via the James River Foot Bridge. It is the longest
Once off the bridge, we waited at the parking area for Bullfrog’s dad to come pick us up. While there, we chatted with Polar Bear and just before we left, the family of five we met the day before caught up with us. We were able to talk just briefly enough to learn that they have a YouTube channel, A Mile in their Shoes. The father is a ski resort chaplain and they are trying to bring awareness to people, parenting, and poverty. I am excited to have some time to check out their videos.
Bullfrog’s dad Ken picked us up a bit before 5:00 and we headed to our hotel in Lexington, VA. It was nice to stay in a hotel and have access to a car. Even though WalMart was only 0.5-0.7 miles up, it was great to have a ride. For supper, we went to a Mexican restaurant that was outstanding. Gavin learned that he likes enchiladas, so now he has something new to order when we go out. While we were at the restaurant, we were surprised to meet up with three section hikers whom we had passed in the previous two days. In talking with them at a road crossing we learned that each year they get together and hike 100 miles of the trail. It was good talking with them and I shared our blog and YouTube addresses.
Saturday morning we loaded up the car and went to an outfitter in Lexington. I was looking for a couple for small items and some relief with my new shoes. I wound up getting some SuperFeet insoles, and I think they’ll help absorb some shock. While at the outfitters, we met Butters and So it Goes, two hikers we haven’t seen since Chatfield shelter about a month ago, though at the time I didn’t remember meeting them.
In the afternoon we ran into Butters and So it Goes again at the hotel where we were all staying. We made arrangements to all go to supper at Ruby Tuesday, and it was great to talk with them. They’re from LA. Butters hiked the Pacific Crest Trail two years ago, and they both did some of the AT last year. It turns out that they‘re doing about the same mileage as us, so we’ll likely hike with them for a while. This was especially exciting for Gavin because they both are Dungeons and Dragons players. He is hoping to start a campaign on up the trail somewhere.
On Sunday, the six of us arranged a shuttle back to Stanimals hostel in Glasgow. Actually, they dropped us at a trailhead about 10.5 miles from the hostel and took our packs so that we could slackpack that section of the trail. It was awesome, because we were able to hike down a 2,500’ hill instead of hiking up it. Early on in our slackpack day, we met Polar Bear. He had a hard time finding his way out of Punchbowl Shelter and wound up walking a mile or two the wrong way on the trail. He was fit to be tied, and vowed that he was going to hike back to the road and go home. We haven’t seen him since, so suppose he made it.
The remarkable trail feature of the day was passing a marker that was placed in the memory of Ottie Cline Powell, a not quite 5-year-old boy who wandered seven miles away from his school in search of firewood in 1891. He was obviously lost, and he succumbed to the elements near the peak of Bluff Mountain. It was difficult to think of what might have been going through his mind as he wandered through the cold, icy wilderness, hoping to find his way home.
It turned out that this was an excellent section to hike southbound. Had we been going north, we’d have started our day with a 2,500’ climb up Big Rocky Row in less than five miles. Needless to say, it was great to be going downhill without packs instead of uphill with. We ended our day back at the James River Foot Bridge parking area and were picked up by a shuttle driver for a short trip back to the hostel.
Stanimals hostel was different than any that we’ve stayed in before. Essentially, it was a house that was set up for and turned over to hikers. The “manager” lived next door. Each of the two bedrooms on the main floor had 4-6 bunks, there were private rooms upstairs, and the living room had a massage chair for hikers’ use. There was a full kitchen and laundry which we didn’t need since we had washed clothes in Lexington over the weekend. For supper, we walked a few tenths of a mile up the road to a local restaurant and had pizza.
The other remarkable sight of the day was a giant fiberglass dinosaur across the street from the restaurant. It is a left-over from a dinosaur-themed park in the area.
We are really looking forward to tomorrow. Our friends Paul and Austin are supposed to be meeting us on trail Monday night. The plan is for them to hike out and meet us on the trail and then to hike back to their truck together for some trail magic. It is always great to see folks from home, and we also enjoy reading your comments on the blog. Thanks for checking in with us and please stay tuned for the next installment. Remember to just keep taking the Next Step.
Have you ever met Sir Stops aLot? I am asking I’ve found that the improbable is often truth lol. He is finishing the trail this summer. He chronicles his journey on FB under Simba Hits the Trail. He is always giving thanks for trail magic!
We are enjoying reading about your progress. I hope that you are considering writing a book when you are through with your adventure!