Oct. 20
On the 20th, I did a 19 mile day out of Damascus. I crossed the Virginia/Tennessee line this day, which was a pretty big milestone since Virginia was so long and harrowing. I ended up averaging about 20 miles a day through Virginia, which is a solid speed. Before I headed out of Damascus, some dude (a former thru hiker) came into the hostel I was staying at and asked me if I could help him move a woodburning stove. He said he would give me a few bucks to help, so I decided to help him out. This stove ended up being the heaviest thing I think I have ever lifted. There were 5 guys carrying this thing off of a truck bed and up a small hill to the guy's house. The thing almost feel over and could have crushed me to death on a couple of occasions, since it wasn't the easiest thing to balance. We ended up getting it into the guy's house, and he took me out to lunch afterwards. Not really sure if it was worth throwing out my back for, but the lunch was good anyway.
Oct. 21st
Along with the 20th, this was a pretty boring day in Tennessee. I followed a ridgeline up and down for most of the day, and there really weren't too many good views. Water was super scarce that day, and it was pretty warm, so it wasn't very fun staring at the clear blue water of Watauga Dam on the way down the mountain. I decended that day from 4000 feet to about 2000 to Watauga Lake Shelter. The shelter is right near Watauga Lake Dam, which was a TVA dam that forced some 700 people to leave there homes to build the thing. I did about 22 miles that day.
Oct. 22nd
On the 22nd, I took it easy and did an 11 mile day to the Kincora Hostel, run by Bob Peoples. Bob Peoples is sort of a trail legend, and has been running the Hostel for years upon years. I went past Laurel Fork Falls that day, which is a 30-40 foot high waterfall. There were a bunch of day hikers out, and one told me I would have trouble climbing out from the valley from Laurel Falls. I told him I thought I could handle it.
Oct. 23rd
I slackpacked 25 miles on the 23rd. Peoples drove me out to Elk Park/Roan Mtn where I walked north for 25 miles back to his hostel. There were some pretty decent views that day, and I remember the weather being nice and sunny.
Oct. 24th
People's drove me back to Elk Park the next day and I proceeded south again. This day I entered the Roan's. The Roans are above 5000 feet in alot of places, and there are amazing views from some of the balds, especially from Hump Mtn and Grassy Ridge. I pulled a huge 22 mile day on the 24th, starting at 3000 feet at Elk Park and heading all the way up to 6300 feet at Roan High Knob. Roan High Knob looked alot like Maine, with a very large section of coniferous forest. I stayed at Clyde Smith shelter that night.
Oct. 25th
I did a 9 mile day on the 25th because it poured for half the day and I didn't want to get out of the shelter. I stayed at Cherry Gap Shelter that night instead of pushing on because I didn't want to continue to get rained on overnight.
Oct. 26th
On the 26th, I booked it 17 miles over Unaka Mtn (which also looks like Maine) and into Erwin, TN to resupply. I stayed at Uncle Johnny's, which was a pretty nice hostel to spend the night.
Oct. 27th
The climb out of Erwin, like alot of trail towns, really sucked. Erwin was at 1700 feet, and I had to climb up to 5200 feet that day in a drizzling rain. I would have went farther than I did that day (I did 17 miles) but I did not feel like night hiking in the rain to get to a farther shelter.
Oct. 28th
On the 28th, I pulled a 25 mile day to Jerry Cabin Shelter. It wasn't too bad of a 25, and I took my time. Around 8 pm, I was startled by 2 people riding ATV's through the woods. They stopped right in front of the shelter and had asked if I had seen their dogs. These people leave their coon dogs out in the woods with tracking collars, and often hikers will take the collars off the dogs because they feel bad for them. There was a sign on the road I crossed that day that read, verbatim, "Theif. Do not steall or dogs". I hope that sign was written by a 3rd grader, but I think it probably wasn't.
Oct. 29th
Yesterday I did a 26 mile day into Hot Springs, NC. I left around 9 am, when it was warm enough out to actually move, and was keeping a pretty good pace until I got to Allen Gap. There was a sign for trail magic! It offered belgian waffles, beef stew, and dessert, so I was there. I walked the 300 yards to the home, and sat, ate, and talked to the couple that owned the home. Afterwards, they brought up if I was a Christian. They then offered me Christian literature and different books to read about god, and I had an hour long debate with them. They were at least reasonable, but I nonetheless felt that it was kind of strange to invite someone into their home just to talk about religion. I ended up staying at their house for a few hours, which forced me to night hike for about 4 hours into Hot Springs, which turned out to be a fairly enjoyable experience.
Oct. 3oth
So I am currently in Hot Springs, and I need to get out of here and hike 13 miles out of town. I had a couple of nice hot meals so its about time to get going. I got 270 miles left to hike, and I'm hoping the weather cooperates through the Smokies, which is in a mere 30 miles.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Daleville to Damascus, Virginia
Oct. 4
So instead of catching up with Flora and getting to Lamberts Meadow shelter on the fourth, I stayed in town with a couple of section hikers at the Howard Johnson in Daleville. It sure was nice to stay in a warm hotel room, take a shower, and watch t.v.--unfortunately I paid for those luxuries the next few days. The plan was to do 20 mile days to get to Pearisburg in 4 days, but since I stayed in town, I had 90 miles to do instead of 80 over those 4 days. I figured I'd catch up to Flora the next day, pulling 32 miles. But the weather that day was pretty crappy. I woke up on the 5th around 6 am to pull the 32 miles. By the time I made it 19 miles over Tinker Cliffs (awesome views) and McAfee's Knob (even awesomer views), it was about 4 pm, about 45-50 degrees with strong winds, and the sky looked like it was about to pour. I would have to do another 13.5 miles in order to catch up with Flora that night, and I only had another 3 hours of daylight to do it. I knew I would be going over Dragon's Tooth as soon as it got dark, and with the weather it seemed like a dumb idea to push on that night. So I stayed at Johns Spring Shelter on the night of the 5th.
Oct. 6
So I had to pull a big day on the 6th since I was now 13 miles behind instead of 10. I started hiking at 7 am after waking up to 40-ish degree weather that morning. That day I had 3 big climbs--a 1200 foot climb up to Dragon's Tooth, a 1500 foot climb up to the Audie Murphy Monument, and a 1600 foot climb up to Sinking Creek Mtn. This 30 mile day took me almost 12 hours on the dot. I pulled into Sarver Hollow Shelter right before dark and passed out by 7:30.
Oct. 7
I still needed to pull another big day to catch up with Flora. So I pulled a 25 mile day from Sarver Hollow to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter. I once again awoke at the crack of dawn to get moving early. Though the terrain and mileage were not as bad as on the 6th, I was dead tired from the previous day's hike. There were two big climbs that day, and going from Johns Creek Valley up to Wind Rock was about a 2000 foot climb. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got up to Wind Rock, but I still had another 8 miles to go before Pine Swamp. After busting ass and running at some points through that 8 mile section, I fully expected to see Flora and a bunch of other thru hikers at the shelter. The previous two nights I had stayed at the shelters alone, and had only seen a handful of hikers the previous few days, so I really needed to see some people for my psyche. When I arrived at the shelter, there was no one there. I threw down my hiking poles and felt like I was about to explode. I calmed down, told myself that Flora and the other thru hikers probably went on to Rice Field Shelter, and set my alarm clock to 2 am. I fully expected myself to wake up and night hike to that shelter, which was 12 miles away. When my alarm woke me up at 2 am, it was of course freezing outside, so of course I went back to sleep. In the morning I woke up late. Flora ended up walking up a half hour later, and apparently she and the other thru hikers had stayed at some dude's house on route 635, about 3/10 of a mile from where I stayed.
Oct. 8
Coming out of Pine Swamp Branch, I had a mere 19 miles into Pearisburg, Va. It was an easy 19 miles, along a ridgeline most of the day, and we were in town by around 4 pm as I recall. I got to meet Hobbit, Lonestar and Coyote for the first time that day. This crew of southbounders all stayed at the Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg that night, and it was pretty sweet to meet some new people after not seeing any new thru hikers in awhile.
Oct. 9
On the 9th, I took my first real "zero" day in awhile. No miles, just chilling in a motel room and watching t.v.. It was glorious.
Oct. 10
Flora's mom, grandma, and godmother came up on the 9th, so I slack packed for the first time this day with the other thru hikers. Slack packing basically involves doing a hike without all your gear, so its pretty enjoyable and makes your life a lot easier. I slackpacked 10 miles from Pearisburg to Sugar Run Gap, where Wood's Hole Hostel is located. Wood's Hole is an old 1800's era log cabin that has been refurbished and takes in hikers. It is basically in the middle of the woods, and you feel like you are in another century when you're at Wood's Hole. The place is basically self-sustaining, growing its own food, heating the house with a wood burning stove, etc. So Flora, Coyote, Hobbit, Abear, Peepeeopee, Kunu, and I ended up staying there the night along with Flora's family that came up. After my slack pack that day, Flora's mom took me up to Bland, Virginia to see my parents who came down for a couple hours to see me for the first time in about 4 months.
Oct. 11
Though the plan was for Flora's family to leave on the 11th, we decided that slack packing was so much fun that we did it again the next day, though this time for 20 miles. Flora's mom dropped everyone that stayed at Woods Hole that night off at route 608, and we walked back to Wood's Hole going north to stay another night. It was well worth it.
Oct. 12
The next day, we got dropped off back at 608 and headed south again. I did a 20 mile day to Laurel Creek/ Va 615. It was a pretty easy day, though it got pretty warm out considering the time of year.
Oct. 13
From Laurel Creek, I did a 24 mile day to Knot Maul Branch Shelter. It was a pretty difficult day, but I took my sweet time once I got up to Chestnut Knob Shelter, elevation 4400 feet. There were great views coming down from the shelter.
Oct. 14/15
The next day we planned on doing a 19 mile day to Chatfield shelter. It rained for awhile in the morning, and it was cold and miserable. Flora and Hobbit decided to stop when we got to the road to Atkins, Virginia, and we got a ride into town and stayed at a motel there. We resupplied the next day, and took a nero day and did the 5 miles out to Chatfield shelter.
Oct. 16
On the 16th, Hobbit decided that he was getting off trail. His back had been bothering him for awhile, and the cold was making it worse, so he headed back to Atkins. Flora, Abear and I planned on doing a 20 mile day on the 16th to a campsite right outside of Troutdale, Va. Unfortunately, there was no water at the campsite, so Abear and Flora kept on hiking until they got to the road. I ended up doing a 27 mile day to Hurricane Mtn. Shelter, and caught up to Coyote there.
Oct. 17
The 17th was a great day. Only a 16 mile day into the Grayson Highlands. The views up there are amazing, and there are wild ponies roaming the area that I got to pet. I stayed at Thomas Knob shelter that night, which is at 5500 feet and has some great views of the area.
Oct. 18th
The 18th had some great views as well from near Whitetop Mtn. The elevation dropped from 5000 feet down to 3000, and I left the Greyson Highlands area. I stayed that night at Saunders Shelter along with Flora, Abear, Coyote, Doc Geo (who caught up to us on the 17th), Kite and Sandpiper (who are doing a flip flop thru hike).
Oct. 19th
So I'm currently in Damascus, VA. I did 10 miles into town, and will most likely do 10 miles tomorrow. I'm under 500 miles, and I will definitely be done by Thanksgiving now, and probably even sooner.
So instead of catching up with Flora and getting to Lamberts Meadow shelter on the fourth, I stayed in town with a couple of section hikers at the Howard Johnson in Daleville. It sure was nice to stay in a warm hotel room, take a shower, and watch t.v.--unfortunately I paid for those luxuries the next few days. The plan was to do 20 mile days to get to Pearisburg in 4 days, but since I stayed in town, I had 90 miles to do instead of 80 over those 4 days. I figured I'd catch up to Flora the next day, pulling 32 miles. But the weather that day was pretty crappy. I woke up on the 5th around 6 am to pull the 32 miles. By the time I made it 19 miles over Tinker Cliffs (awesome views) and McAfee's Knob (even awesomer views), it was about 4 pm, about 45-50 degrees with strong winds, and the sky looked like it was about to pour. I would have to do another 13.5 miles in order to catch up with Flora that night, and I only had another 3 hours of daylight to do it. I knew I would be going over Dragon's Tooth as soon as it got dark, and with the weather it seemed like a dumb idea to push on that night. So I stayed at Johns Spring Shelter on the night of the 5th.
Oct. 6
So I had to pull a big day on the 6th since I was now 13 miles behind instead of 10. I started hiking at 7 am after waking up to 40-ish degree weather that morning. That day I had 3 big climbs--a 1200 foot climb up to Dragon's Tooth, a 1500 foot climb up to the Audie Murphy Monument, and a 1600 foot climb up to Sinking Creek Mtn. This 30 mile day took me almost 12 hours on the dot. I pulled into Sarver Hollow Shelter right before dark and passed out by 7:30.
Oct. 7
I still needed to pull another big day to catch up with Flora. So I pulled a 25 mile day from Sarver Hollow to Pine Swamp Branch Shelter. I once again awoke at the crack of dawn to get moving early. Though the terrain and mileage were not as bad as on the 6th, I was dead tired from the previous day's hike. There were two big climbs that day, and going from Johns Creek Valley up to Wind Rock was about a 2000 foot climb. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got up to Wind Rock, but I still had another 8 miles to go before Pine Swamp. After busting ass and running at some points through that 8 mile section, I fully expected to see Flora and a bunch of other thru hikers at the shelter. The previous two nights I had stayed at the shelters alone, and had only seen a handful of hikers the previous few days, so I really needed to see some people for my psyche. When I arrived at the shelter, there was no one there. I threw down my hiking poles and felt like I was about to explode. I calmed down, told myself that Flora and the other thru hikers probably went on to Rice Field Shelter, and set my alarm clock to 2 am. I fully expected myself to wake up and night hike to that shelter, which was 12 miles away. When my alarm woke me up at 2 am, it was of course freezing outside, so of course I went back to sleep. In the morning I woke up late. Flora ended up walking up a half hour later, and apparently she and the other thru hikers had stayed at some dude's house on route 635, about 3/10 of a mile from where I stayed.
Oct. 8
Coming out of Pine Swamp Branch, I had a mere 19 miles into Pearisburg, Va. It was an easy 19 miles, along a ridgeline most of the day, and we were in town by around 4 pm as I recall. I got to meet Hobbit, Lonestar and Coyote for the first time that day. This crew of southbounders all stayed at the Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg that night, and it was pretty sweet to meet some new people after not seeing any new thru hikers in awhile.
Oct. 9
On the 9th, I took my first real "zero" day in awhile. No miles, just chilling in a motel room and watching t.v.. It was glorious.
Oct. 10
Flora's mom, grandma, and godmother came up on the 9th, so I slack packed for the first time this day with the other thru hikers. Slack packing basically involves doing a hike without all your gear, so its pretty enjoyable and makes your life a lot easier. I slackpacked 10 miles from Pearisburg to Sugar Run Gap, where Wood's Hole Hostel is located. Wood's Hole is an old 1800's era log cabin that has been refurbished and takes in hikers. It is basically in the middle of the woods, and you feel like you are in another century when you're at Wood's Hole. The place is basically self-sustaining, growing its own food, heating the house with a wood burning stove, etc. So Flora, Coyote, Hobbit, Abear, Peepeeopee, Kunu, and I ended up staying there the night along with Flora's family that came up. After my slack pack that day, Flora's mom took me up to Bland, Virginia to see my parents who came down for a couple hours to see me for the first time in about 4 months.
Oct. 11
Though the plan was for Flora's family to leave on the 11th, we decided that slack packing was so much fun that we did it again the next day, though this time for 20 miles. Flora's mom dropped everyone that stayed at Woods Hole that night off at route 608, and we walked back to Wood's Hole going north to stay another night. It was well worth it.
Oct. 12
The next day, we got dropped off back at 608 and headed south again. I did a 20 mile day to Laurel Creek/ Va 615. It was a pretty easy day, though it got pretty warm out considering the time of year.
Oct. 13
From Laurel Creek, I did a 24 mile day to Knot Maul Branch Shelter. It was a pretty difficult day, but I took my sweet time once I got up to Chestnut Knob Shelter, elevation 4400 feet. There were great views coming down from the shelter.
Oct. 14/15
The next day we planned on doing a 19 mile day to Chatfield shelter. It rained for awhile in the morning, and it was cold and miserable. Flora and Hobbit decided to stop when we got to the road to Atkins, Virginia, and we got a ride into town and stayed at a motel there. We resupplied the next day, and took a nero day and did the 5 miles out to Chatfield shelter.
Oct. 16
On the 16th, Hobbit decided that he was getting off trail. His back had been bothering him for awhile, and the cold was making it worse, so he headed back to Atkins. Flora, Abear and I planned on doing a 20 mile day on the 16th to a campsite right outside of Troutdale, Va. Unfortunately, there was no water at the campsite, so Abear and Flora kept on hiking until they got to the road. I ended up doing a 27 mile day to Hurricane Mtn. Shelter, and caught up to Coyote there.
Oct. 17
The 17th was a great day. Only a 16 mile day into the Grayson Highlands. The views up there are amazing, and there are wild ponies roaming the area that I got to pet. I stayed at Thomas Knob shelter that night, which is at 5500 feet and has some great views of the area.
Oct. 18th
The 18th had some great views as well from near Whitetop Mtn. The elevation dropped from 5000 feet down to 3000, and I left the Greyson Highlands area. I stayed that night at Saunders Shelter along with Flora, Abear, Coyote, Doc Geo (who caught up to us on the 17th), Kite and Sandpiper (who are doing a flip flop thru hike).
Oct. 19th
So I'm currently in Damascus, VA. I did 10 miles into town, and will most likely do 10 miles tomorrow. I'm under 500 miles, and I will definitely be done by Thanksgiving now, and probably even sooner.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Virginia
September 21
After doing a 23 mile day on the 20th, Fauna, who rejoined us in Harper's Ferry, hurt her knee and had to get off trail unfortunately on the 21st. Flora, Hitman and I did a relatively short 14 mile day, and went into Front Royal. Since I had been getting pretty annoyed by my ever growing hair length and my beard, I decided to get a haircut. The beard and long hair is gone now and I don't feel or look like I'm homeless anymore. Front Royal was a pretty awesome town, people-wise. Flora, Hitman and I got 3 offers for a hitch out of town in the grocery store.
My resupply in Front Royal, unfortunately, was going to have to be for 5 days. Because I was still on the hungry side when I went in, I got WAY to much food and ended up carrying 50 lbs worth of gear and food as I left town. Of course the few miles out of town were uphill to the next shelter, so that was a pretty brutal climb.
Sept. 22
This was my first day in the Shenandoahs. I'm pretty sure we did about 28 miles that day to #3 Byrds Nest Shelter. I really don't remember though. I do remember, as I crossed into the Shenandoahs, getting to see some deer that had no fear of humans. I was literally 3 yards away from some of them as I was walking along the trail that day. I also realized that the trail in the Shenandoahs was going to be cake compared to what I am used to. Even though there are some pretty good climbs in the Shenny's, the grades for the climbs make it pretty easy getting up the mountains. We also passed our first Wayside in the Shennys that day. The waysides are basically little stores that have a restaurant in the Shennys. They also serve cheap beer, as I quickly figured out.
Sept. 23
We did another big day the 23rd to Bearfence Mtn. Hut. 23 miles, with some pretty decent climbs. I went and checked out another Wayside that day at the Harry F. Bird Sr. Visitor center.
Sept. 24
The 22nd, 23rd, and 24th were very humid days, and even though the miles were not that tough, with the weather and lack of water, they were pretty brutal. On the 24th I pulled my biggest day on the trail besides the 4 state challenge--33 miles. I began the day around 8 am and didn't pull into Blackrock Hut until 10 pm. The heat and humidity were so bad by 2 pm that I had to pass out for an hour at the ranger station at Simmons Gap. By the end of the night, my feet were getting pretty eaten up. My shoes began breaking over my toes, so it made it painful to step every time a was bending my toes. To make matters worse that night, I came 6 inches away from stepping on a copperhead. To make matters even worse, I had to smell people cooking what smelled like the most delicious dinners at Loft Mtn. Campground as I went by around 8 0r 9 at night. By that point I was absolutely starving. When I got to Blackrock Hut I just set up my sleeping pad and bag and passed out on the ground. I was woken up at 2am by rain so I crawled inside the hut as everyone scrambled to get there things inside before it got wet.
Sept. 25
Flora and I left pretty early on the 25th so we could get into Waynesboro as early as possible to eat. I had such bad chafage that day from the previous day I could barely walk the last few hours. We went to a Chinese buffet in Waynesboro which was absolutely amazing. We stayed in town at the Colony House Motel that night.
Sept. 26
The next day out of Waynesboro it poured cats and dogs. We were planning on a 20 mile day, but when we got the first shelter at 5 miles we decided to stay. That night we met Abear, another thru hiker, who we have been hiking with as of today (Oct. 4). I slept all day in the shelter the 26th. I probably got about 20 hours worth of sleep after getting around 6 the past two nights.
Sept. 27
The next day the rain cleared and I had an awesome day going over some pretty cool central Virginia Mountains. Three Ridges offered some amazing views of the Priest and other surrounding mountains. That night I stayed at Harpers Creek Shelter after a 22 mile day.
Sept. 28
Rain. All day. 24 miles. I was freezing cold even in my rain jacket. he shelter that night (cow camp gap), which was made for 8 people, had 11 people in it when I got there. I was able to crawl into a corner that night in a ball and got some sleep as it rained all night.
Sept. 29
It rained until noon on the 29th. Flora, Abear and I decided to wait it out until it stopped, and hitched into Buena Vista to resupply and get dryed out. We stayed in a motel in Buena Vista and did out laundry which was soaked. We did a mere 5 miles that day.
Sept. 30
The 30th we pulled 24 miles on a nice, cool, fall day. There were some awesome views from the ridges we crossed and it was a pretty easy day without much climbing. We stayed at Matts Creek Shelter that night after crossing the James River that day.
Oct. 1
Though we only did 23 miles, the 1st was a brutal day. The climb up to Apple Orchard Mtn and through the Gullotine were pretty tough. We stayed at Bryant Ridge Shelter that night, and the weather was pretty nice throughout the day.
Oct. 2
We pulled a 27 mile day from Bryant Ridge to Fullhardt Knob. I was super tired from the previous two days and struggled as I got into camp in 11 hours. It was super cold that night as its been for the past week or so.
Oct. 3
Well I missed a day somewhere, this should have been the 4th, which is today. Oh well, I'll figure it out some time. We are doing a 15 mile day today, resupplying, and eating at a buffet. Thats all for now.
After doing a 23 mile day on the 20th, Fauna, who rejoined us in Harper's Ferry, hurt her knee and had to get off trail unfortunately on the 21st. Flora, Hitman and I did a relatively short 14 mile day, and went into Front Royal. Since I had been getting pretty annoyed by my ever growing hair length and my beard, I decided to get a haircut. The beard and long hair is gone now and I don't feel or look like I'm homeless anymore. Front Royal was a pretty awesome town, people-wise. Flora, Hitman and I got 3 offers for a hitch out of town in the grocery store.
My resupply in Front Royal, unfortunately, was going to have to be for 5 days. Because I was still on the hungry side when I went in, I got WAY to much food and ended up carrying 50 lbs worth of gear and food as I left town. Of course the few miles out of town were uphill to the next shelter, so that was a pretty brutal climb.
Sept. 22
This was my first day in the Shenandoahs. I'm pretty sure we did about 28 miles that day to #3 Byrds Nest Shelter. I really don't remember though. I do remember, as I crossed into the Shenandoahs, getting to see some deer that had no fear of humans. I was literally 3 yards away from some of them as I was walking along the trail that day. I also realized that the trail in the Shenandoahs was going to be cake compared to what I am used to. Even though there are some pretty good climbs in the Shenny's, the grades for the climbs make it pretty easy getting up the mountains. We also passed our first Wayside in the Shennys that day. The waysides are basically little stores that have a restaurant in the Shennys. They also serve cheap beer, as I quickly figured out.
Sept. 23
We did another big day the 23rd to Bearfence Mtn. Hut. 23 miles, with some pretty decent climbs. I went and checked out another Wayside that day at the Harry F. Bird Sr. Visitor center.
Sept. 24
The 22nd, 23rd, and 24th were very humid days, and even though the miles were not that tough, with the weather and lack of water, they were pretty brutal. On the 24th I pulled my biggest day on the trail besides the 4 state challenge--33 miles. I began the day around 8 am and didn't pull into Blackrock Hut until 10 pm. The heat and humidity were so bad by 2 pm that I had to pass out for an hour at the ranger station at Simmons Gap. By the end of the night, my feet were getting pretty eaten up. My shoes began breaking over my toes, so it made it painful to step every time a was bending my toes. To make matters worse that night, I came 6 inches away from stepping on a copperhead. To make matters even worse, I had to smell people cooking what smelled like the most delicious dinners at Loft Mtn. Campground as I went by around 8 0r 9 at night. By that point I was absolutely starving. When I got to Blackrock Hut I just set up my sleeping pad and bag and passed out on the ground. I was woken up at 2am by rain so I crawled inside the hut as everyone scrambled to get there things inside before it got wet.
Sept. 25
Flora and I left pretty early on the 25th so we could get into Waynesboro as early as possible to eat. I had such bad chafage that day from the previous day I could barely walk the last few hours. We went to a Chinese buffet in Waynesboro which was absolutely amazing. We stayed in town at the Colony House Motel that night.
Sept. 26
The next day out of Waynesboro it poured cats and dogs. We were planning on a 20 mile day, but when we got the first shelter at 5 miles we decided to stay. That night we met Abear, another thru hiker, who we have been hiking with as of today (Oct. 4). I slept all day in the shelter the 26th. I probably got about 20 hours worth of sleep after getting around 6 the past two nights.
Sept. 27
The next day the rain cleared and I had an awesome day going over some pretty cool central Virginia Mountains. Three Ridges offered some amazing views of the Priest and other surrounding mountains. That night I stayed at Harpers Creek Shelter after a 22 mile day.
Sept. 28
Rain. All day. 24 miles. I was freezing cold even in my rain jacket. he shelter that night (cow camp gap), which was made for 8 people, had 11 people in it when I got there. I was able to crawl into a corner that night in a ball and got some sleep as it rained all night.
Sept. 29
It rained until noon on the 29th. Flora, Abear and I decided to wait it out until it stopped, and hitched into Buena Vista to resupply and get dryed out. We stayed in a motel in Buena Vista and did out laundry which was soaked. We did a mere 5 miles that day.
Sept. 30
The 30th we pulled 24 miles on a nice, cool, fall day. There were some awesome views from the ridges we crossed and it was a pretty easy day without much climbing. We stayed at Matts Creek Shelter that night after crossing the James River that day.
Oct. 1
Though we only did 23 miles, the 1st was a brutal day. The climb up to Apple Orchard Mtn and through the Gullotine were pretty tough. We stayed at Bryant Ridge Shelter that night, and the weather was pretty nice throughout the day.
Oct. 2
We pulled a 27 mile day from Bryant Ridge to Fullhardt Knob. I was super tired from the previous two days and struggled as I got into camp in 11 hours. It was super cold that night as its been for the past week or so.
Oct. 3
Well I missed a day somewhere, this should have been the 4th, which is today. Oh well, I'll figure it out some time. We are doing a 15 mile day today, resupplying, and eating at a buffet. Thats all for now.
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