Day 57 & 58, May 11 & 12; Damascus, VA
Remember we got into Damascus a half day earlier than expected... And we've now stayed a night longer, too. We woke this morning to rain (as forecasted--damn weather people can be wrong to their hearts' content now and seem to hit the nail on the head every damn time) and packed up to meet U-Turn and The Colonel for breakfast before heading out. While at breakfast, we got a text from Pig-Pen saying they were thinking of slack-packing (which is basically day hiking--you get ride to a location and hike either back to town which is what we did today, or to another specified location where your ride will meet you) and asking if we'd like to join. One all the arrangements were set, we jumped in Jason's truck and off we went. Side note: Jason is Sweet Tea's best friend, and he's come out to visit for a few days. He's pretty great, funny, super easy to be around and very friendly, and he easily agreed to drive us out. We walked three miles of the AT, and then picked up the Virginia Creeper Trail for the rest of the 16 miles back to town. We figured the party of The Creeper we walked and the part of the AT we'd miss are the same distance, so it's 6 and one half dozen, right? We would up walking about 12 miles total and decided we would hitch the rest of the way back to town. See, Ms. Patricia is our host tonight. She saw Pig-Pen and The Saunterers outside the other day and offered to let them sleep at her place. They took her up on it, and got us an invite for tonight. We made her dinner as a thank you. Anyhow, we were worried we'd get back too late if we walked the rest of the way. So when the trail crossed the road, we made our way to it and suck out our thumbs. In a few short minutes, a truck about to turn toward town changed their plan and came up the road to pick up some dialed-to-the-Bone hikers and took is to Damascus; thank you, Chuck! So now we're ready to sleep in her apartment. It's dry and quiet, and we couldn't have asked for better circumstances! AND! We'll be able to keep Hiking with the group!
So up and at em tomorrow, and back to the trail. And on to the PONIES!!
Day 59, May 13; Hwy 58 & AT to Deep Gap
What a nice day for hiking. The sun shone all day though the wind was a bit chilly. We're now warning up after dinner and chores in our sleeping bags. The night will likely be quite cool. My feet ache pretty badly and the cold doesn't help.
The terrain was decent. Some ups but the grade wasn't too difficult. We'll make our way up Mt. Rogers in the morning and then to Grayson Highlands and the ponies. Sweet Tea and Morning Glory called about 2 miles back from us. We were all pretty tired after a couple days off the trail and they spoke up and decided to stay put. I was very sore by this point in the day and was excited to listen to my story. I reloaded my library app on my phone and downloaded a Lord of the Rings theatrical presentation. People keep telling me I need to read this and it hasn't happened yet, so I thought now is as good a time as any! Listening during the last couple of miles helped keep my mind off my feet and just plow forward. I liked it.
We were bummed this morning when our three new friends didn't wind up hiking out with us. One of them want feeling well and they were excited to be back together themselves. We wish them well and hope to see you soon!
Ponies, Ponies, PONIES!!!!!!!
Day 60, May 14; Deep Gap to Horse Trail (just past the northern border of Grayson Highlands State Park)
We saw PONIES today! It was super neat! We liked the first group the best. Morning Glory and Sweet Tea caught up to us and had yet to see any, so we went in search. We found another small heard which included a foal and was pretty amazing. The hike itself consisted of lots of rocks (not so fun) and pretty fantastic views (definitely more fun)! **I called it a night last night and fell asleep quickly and deeply. A blessing as I don't typically sleep very well out here.
Day 61, Monday 5/15; Horse Trail (just past the northern border of Grayson Highlands State Park) to Hurricane Shelter
Only a couple of miles into it hike today, we came across two more ponies. A mom and get foal. They were amazing and we watched for a few minutes. The foal must have been born this year as it was very small and obviously still learning.
We marched on and had an uneventful day. I reloaded my library app in Damascus and borrowed the audio version of The Lord of the Rings. I've been enjoying it... Until today when it ended and I realized it was only part one of however many makes up the very long story. I was bummed.
We finished the planned 10 miles easily. Erik and I were going to go on, but learned from some SOBO hikers that there isn't any stealth camping between where we are and the next shelter. Since the next shelter is 10 miles away, we stayed put.
So here we are, hanging out by a campfire and planning to go to bed early.
Day 62, Tuesday 5/16; Hurricane Shelter to campsite at mile 526
Today was entirely uneventful. A good thing for sure. Nothing in particular to report other than fantastic weather and good friends. Though we currently have a few people we don't know eating/camping with us. We're all in tents getting ready to sleep so we can get up early and get a shuttle into town, and they're discussing the rehydrating properties of corn. Town food tomorrow!
Day 63, Wed 5/17; campsite at mile 526 to Partnership Shelter
We made it to the shelter to which pizza can be delivered! And we did order pizza...'Cause why not? We woke early today along with the rest of the crew and booked it here to catch the 11am shuttle to resupply in town. It worked perfectly! We jumped on, ate lunch (Chinese buffet), I resupplied while Erik ran to the EconoLodge in Marion to pick up our boxes. We ordered more veggies, a better fitting rain cover for my pack, and a bigger food bag so I can start carrying a little more. All with time to spare for me to download a couple of audio books using Walmart's WiFi before the shuttle came back. U-Turn made the executive decision that we'd stay at the shelter tonight so we came back and visited/chilled a bit with new faces, all of whom seem super friendly!
We did order pizza, and I got to read a very little. We're sleeping in a large shelter in the second level. There are two "windows" on each end to circulate air, and it seems to be working! Tomorrow should be a long day so we can try to get into Quarter Way Inn at a reasonable time on Fri and get all our chores done before bed.
Day 64, Thurs 5/18; Partnership Shelter to Davis Hollow Campsite
Wow, what a great day! 13 miles took us about 10 hours, but let me share what was included in those hours...
-A 30 minute snack stop
-A 1 hour lunch break (only that long because Ridge Runner Jonathan was very chatty)
-A trail magic break at the Lindamood Schoolhouse (AMAZING!! Thank you, West End UMC!!)
-Dinner at The Barn (burgers and fries)
Additionally, we walked through the Virginia countryside today which was quite pretty. And grassy, which for this chick is not so good. I want to claw my eyeballs out right now because they itch so badly. But the last couple of miles after dinner we crossed through a picturesque field full of serenely content black cows. We didn't have to go too far passed the cows to camp, so now we're laying in the tent hearing the cows moooooooo. It's a different sound and kind of fun. Though we also hear cars and dogs. But that's ok. It was a fantastic day and we will shower and wash clothes tomorrow!
Day 65 & 66, Fri & Sat 5/19 & 5/20; Davis Hollow Campsite to Quarter Way Inn (5/19) and Campsite at Mile 564 (5/20)
Friday was a pretty good day. We walked a total of about 9 miles (8 of them trail miles) to The Quarter Way Inn run by Tina (trail name "Chunky") and her husband Brett. We only met Tina, and she was just wonderful! We arrived at about 230 in the afternoon after the sky opened up and completely soaked us, and Tina met us at the door and showed us around. The house is a 1910 farm house and is beautiful! They've got a private room and bunks, tenting as well. Breakfast is offered in the morning for a fee, and laundry and coffee, shower (with a towel) are included. There's no wifi which is frustrating, but apparently it isn't available in the area. You can make domestic calls for free from the land line, though! The beds are very comfortable and like new. I had my best night sleep in weeks! Hazelnut is the hostel dog and she's ADORABLE! She follows Tina absolutely everywhere and is perfectly friendly, though very shy. She warms up after a bit and is super sweet. Breakfast was nice with fresh foods and good conversation. We highly recommend a visit! Tina is fabulous and very interesting to talk with.
Leaving this morning was hard. In fact, it was the first day I really felt like I wanted to be at home. I miss my bed and daily showers. And my family. We walked about 10 miles and decided to make camp rather than tackle the last climb in our would be 14 mile day. We're all tired and the weather is warming up. We beat the rain and hope it stays away. My shoes are still wet from yesterday and boy do they STINK!! Here's to hoping tomorrow is a little better and we dodge the rain again.
Day 67, Sun 5/21; Campsite at Mile 564 to Jenkins Shelter
What a doozy today has been! It has rained all day. We are entirely soaked and have all our clothes hanging in hopes that they'll dry some before morning, though the rain continues now so we're not hopeful. Erik is pissed because his bag was hanging from the ceiling of the shelter and dripping on me. He says that a few drops is fine... I say those drops aren't landing on you! My feet hurt terribly today. We're gonna have to see about finding me different shoes, I think. I can't keep going like this. They just ache so badly! We'll be in Pearisburg soon and will see about them then. Here's to hoping that tomorrow will be better. The weather is supposed to be pretty bad for the next week and I'm quite concerned, if I'm being honest. It's really hard to hike in this and keep morale up.
Day 68, Mom 5/22; Jenkins Shelter to Bland, VA
An unexpected night spent in town. Rain just sucks. We're working on a week straight of more nasty weather than good, and we happened upon this lovely gentleman giving rides to hikers for breakfast at his church. We accepted, and then he and another ATOM Ministry volunteer (Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry) shuttled 5 of us around town and to motels. It was so kind of them to help us out! Breakfast was just wonderful!
We stayed at the Red Roof Inn which to it surprise far surpassed our needs. I'm definitely a fan! Unfortunately, they didn't have laundry, though. Since we were getting out of the rain and all our stuff was wet and STUNK, I was in the prowl for a washer. Turns out that the Travelodge next door was beyond helpful! Dakota, the very nice young man working the desk, offered to dry anything we needed. We bird-bathed sucks and underwear in the sink and threw them in the industrial dryer. Dakota had great questions about the trail and we chatted while the dryer worked it's magic. Thanks, Dakota, for the help!!
Day 69 & 70, Tues & Wed 5/23 & 5/24; Wythville, VA to Jenny Knob Shelter & Jenny Knob Shelter to campsite at mile 614
Feet. Hurt! I've heard multiple times how Outdoor 76 outfitter in Franklin, NC was amazing, and that Rob is a genius. Well, I can't vouch for the genius yet, but he's pretty fantastic. I called this morning while waiting for our shuttle, and he invited me to take photos of my feet and he'd see what he can do to recommend the right shoe and/or insole. I'm super excited to see what we can come up with cause I'm not sure how much longer I can deal with this pain. It makes it very hard to put on boots in the mornings.
All that said, there have been good days and bad days. With the weather being so gross the last multiple days, recently I've had a pretty rough go of it. Yesterday (5/23) was very frustrating and I blew a fuse. Major meltdown over here in the woods of Virginia. In the midst of it all, though, I had a very fun experience! One that people don't often get! I was holding back tears going down a hill, willing the shelter to be around the next turn, and I freaked out a bit at the realization that I'd nearly stepped on a living forest creature. I had to do a double take to realize there were two infantile deer chilling smack in the middle of the path. I worried they were sick or hurt as the simply didn't even blink when I walked past them. I stopped and took a step back, just looking at them for a minute. It was crazy and so very neat! When I reached Erik and told him about what I'd seen, he told me he thought mama deer had put them there and just hadn't chosen a very good hiding place for them. In actuality, though, I think it was a very good hiding place as I almost stepped on them. After all, deer don't know what a trail is. I wanted so badly to reach down and love on them. But Leave No Trace principles won and I left them be. If you aren't familiar with LNT, you should check out their website. Very basically, the concept is "take only pictures, leave only footprints." In other words, leave no sign you were there because every stone you take with you and every path you make wider by stepping around the mud changes the forest. Think about it this way. If every person took one stone from a stream, imagine what that stream would look like.
It's currently Wed 5/24, and we're in our tent, everything completely wet through. Pig-Pen just called Erik to help her--apparently her tent was in a newly formed puddle-pond from all the rain. We're over it. The sun can come out any time now. Today was ok. Rain sucks, but burgers at Trent's Grocery are good! We met some locals who told us a short cut back to the trail which we took. It too us up a dirt road and to Dismal Falls. The only issue is that we then had to figure out where the trail was. We went I but further up the road, crossed quite the log to cross the stream. It was wet, very old, and it bounced a little. When you got about halfway across, looking down made you a little dizzy. We crossed one at a time.
We're now finished with dinner and trying to stay dry and warm as we sit in the tent. We'll likely fall asleep super early tonight. One more day of rain and then a decent weather day into Pearisburg for a zero. It's supposed to rain on the zero day as well. Aussie Legs, you can send us some good mojo on the rain here. It'd be much appreciated!
Day 71, Thursday 5/25; campsite at mile 614 to Doc Knob Shelter
Well, today was... Interesting. And good, overall. We got a bit of a late start at 915. Last night's rain was pretty extensive and left much of it things quite wet. Thankfully the sleeping bags and dry clothes are all still dry, and the top side of the air mattresses are also dry. The fly, ground cover, and floor of the tent, however, are soaked! We keep our food in the tent the last two nights with the torrential rains, and placed them on top of it acquired sit pads. Last night, we went a step further and squeezed our mattresses close to the sit pads in hopes that they'd act as a barrier and help keep our sleeping bags dry. It worked. All that to say that we were surprised to wake to blue skies this morning. We started slowly and walked slowly as well. Or rather, we ran into obstacle after obstacle. The rains raised the stream we slept next to by 2+ feet last night, and we have to assume it did the same to the surrounding streams. So...We forded our first streams today as a result. We came to the first and switched to Crocs in an attempt to keep our feet dry. We then left the Crocs on for a while which made climbing slow. Needles to say, the first 4 miles took over 3 hours to get through. After that, though, it got a little better. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, but the rain held off. Erik arrived at the shelter a bit before Pig-Pen and I did, and he and I had already agreed we'd sleep in the shelter if there was space. There was, and when Pig-Pen and I arrived just minutes before the rain fell, we were relieved and hungry. So we put our packs down dry and shared the excitement. Sweet Tea was a little behind us and didn't stay completely dry, though the rain was short-lived. We lost U-Turn and The Colonel yesterday. We stayed at a campsite a couple miles shy if we the shelter they made it to, and the most have gone to Woods Hole Hostel tonight. It's a bummer because they're getting off trail for the holiday weekend and it'll be a while before we see them again. It's nice and quiet tonight with Pig-Pen in her "Cinema" (aka watching a movie on her phone in her mummy bag), and the rest of the shelter sleeping or quietly reading before 7PM. We're headed into Pearisburg tomorrow for rest, laundry, and blog updates. We miss you all and hope you're well!
Day 72 & 73, Fri 5/26 & Sat 5/27; Doc Knob Shelter to Pearisburg, VA
Friday made for decent hiking. Weather held off and we got into town without any major issue. The day was uneventful though fun with Pig-Pen and Sweet Tea headed down with us. We were all ready for time off and rest, and enjoyed a leisurely day without rain. Erik and I hit our planned road crossing and started walking toward town hoping to hitch instead of walking the mile, and we did immediately. The first car to pass us stopped and dropped us at our motel next to move other than a Dairy Queen, a Mexican restaurant, a Food Lion, up the street from the post office, and a short walk around the back of Food Lion to the hostel to pick up our packages. Good choice on location, The Plaza Motel wind up being. It was dated, but clean and not than suited our needs. Ms. Linda was the person we met on arrival, and she was so friendly and helpful! We definitely recommend this place for other hikers!
Saturday was a zero day with lots of rest and tv. It was so needed! I also emailed a little with Alana--thanks for the reminders and encouragement!
Day 74, Sun 5/28; Pearisburg, VA to campsite mile 643
A day of hiking and no rain? What are we to do with ourselves?! It was a short day at only 9 miles, but the next campsite was another 9 and the next water source is past that. So we called it an early day and got the tent up just in time for a short afternoon shower. We've seen some random sprinkles otherwise, but the tent is now dry for the night (hopefully). It's been a relaxing afternoon, and we've met some new people including Air Bud, Y'all, and Fit Bit, all of whom we've seen quite a bit but have never met. They seem like a really nice group! About to read for a while and go to sleep early. We look so forward to seeing Uncle Steve in a couple of weeks!
Day 75, Mom 5/29 (Memorial Day); to campsite mile 643 to Bailey Shelter
An uneventful day, really. Easy miles until the very end. Damn a climb at the end of the day! The Captain's Place is closed because he's had surgery. He allows hikers to zip line across the Creek and camp in his yard, and many among us were excited. His place wasn't part of our plan, but we have the circumstance. I listened to Pride and Prejudice for much of the day which passed the time easily. More tomorrow.
Day 73, Tuesday 5/30; Doc Knob Shelter to Laurel Creek Shelter
14.5 today and it seemed like 20. I call the final climb and descent the mountain that wouldn't end. Sweet Tea and Morning Glory feel behind us today and stayed at the previous shelter. They weren't feeling it, and quite frankly, I can't really say I blame them. Part of me wanted to stop as well. We kept going though. Goodness knows if we stopped every time I wanted to, we'd get to Maine sometime in the next century. We hope they'll catch us soon. We haven't been just the two of us in so long it here. We'll see how this goes...
Day 73, Tuesday 5/30; Laurel Creek Shelter to Niday Shelter
What a beautiful day today was! We took our time and wandered through the day passing the Keffer Oak which is said to be the oldest oak tree in the South. We also saw the Eastern Continental Divide. We walked a rock face/ridge line with sprinkles coming down, and we willed the storm clouds to pass They did, thank goodness? I think we might have slid off the rocks and into the abyss of mountains below had they gotten wet. We then dodged more sprinkles on our way down to the shelter, but chose to sleep inside anyhow. We normally wouldn't, and it's currently pouring. I think we're happy with our choice as it means no we tent in the morning. Though walking in the rain if it keeps up is not appetizing.
Uncle Steve had to change his plans and will be meeting is a bit later which may work out even better for us. Looking forward to it either way!
Day 74, Wed 5/31; Niday Shelter to VA 620 (shuttle to Four Pines)
We were lured to a donation based hostel by way of The Home place restaurant. Bean wanted the all you can eat family style home cooking so Morning Glory called for a shuttle on the way down the mountain and asked for a 4PM ride from the road crossing. We got down the mountain in fantastic time and waited about 40 minutes to 4. Then 5, then almost 6. We finally got a phone that worked and it turns out the owner completely forgot to come get us. He sent his wife who dropped us straight at the restaurant where we are SO. MUCH. FOOD! It was tasty and the service was friendly and prompt. We had fried chicken, roast beef, bbq prob, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, green beans, warm cinnamon apple, pinto beans, Cole slaw...It was amazing!
Day 75, Thurs 6/1; VA 624 to Pig Farm Campsite
I had a bit of an emotional evening and day, but today's hike was pretty spectacular! We decided to skip Dragon's Tooth due to the fact that EVERYONE we know was going about it yesterday. With my emotions running high and still not fixed feet/shoes, we opted to come back and slack it later. Which made way for McAfee Knob today, and boy was it gorgeous! Just take a look at the photos. There are no words. Done friends took in sunset while we opted for setting up camp and cooking dinner. I think we should come back and do sunset here, though. We saw a couple get engaged while we were up there, and they were so, so nice! We really enjoyed talking with them.
We'll get up early tomorrow and be out by 8 for a 17 mile day into Troutville where we'll see Raid and Pogo! They'll be around doing trail magic since they're now both of the trail (Raid with a broken foot and Pogo with a nerve injury). We're super excited to see them! And way the brownies they promised. It's the important things friends...
Saturday 6/3; Pig Farm Campsite to Daleville, VA
Into Daleville/Troutville we go...
A very successful, not-so-zero, zero day on Sunday 6/1. Erik and I borrowed Raid's car to drive 2.5 hrs each way to the REI in Richmond, VA. I replaced my boots, and Erik replaced his failing pack. Here's to hoping that a brand new pair of beautiful, bright, blue Sportiva trail runners help my feet.
A HUGE Shoutout to Rob at Outdoor 76 in Franklin, NC for his extensive help and knowledge in selecting my new shoes. He went so far above and beyond to help me an dI can't begin to express my gratitude. If you need shoes, make the trip. He deserves every sale he makes, and I will sing his praises for the rest of time!
Side note, I think our days/dates are a little mixed up. I'll fix it tonight in the tent as it's raining and we'll make camp and stay bundled up. Nothing like hiking out with brand new gear into the rain!
As always, thank you to all our family and friends! We love and miss you more and more and are looking forward to successfully completing this goal and rejoining you all!
