Friday, June 9, 2017
I had worried that Virginia would be a lot of the same thing. The same ups and downs, the same green tunnel, day after day.
In fact, I worried about it so much at one point I even questioned if I wanted to really go through with a complete thru-hike.
I can’t believe now I once thought that way, even if it was only for an hour or two.
| Weather | Mostly sunny, warming to low 70s |
| Trail Conditions | Well-maintained, with signs of recent work |
| Today's Miles | 14.0 miles |
| Trip Miles | 770.3 miles |
Each day is different. Each day has a mix of interesting terrain and sights. This has made Virginia more enjoyable than I could have imagined.
More than just terrain and sights make it so, however. I’m continuing to meet new hikers, while also seeing again hikers I haven’t seen in days or weeks. That’s what makes the trail fun.
Today would be no different. I walked past different geologic features and enjoyed distant views, and I met new people and saw friends I had not seen in a couple days.
This is the way the trail is supposed to be.
If it’s true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then we were off to a good start today.
Stick and I had to wait until after 8 a.m. for the camp store to open, but by the time it did we were packed up and ready to order breakfast.
For $4.50 we enjoyed a full plate of eggs, hash browns, sausage, and a big biscuit smothered in sausage gravy.
That’s hiker fuel.
We didn’t have to share our breakfast with the camp dogs, but we did have to share the sunny parts of the porch with them as we ate.
At 9:00 we shared with RedEye a ride back to the trail. She’s a fun and independent young woman from Montreal, Quebec. As she hiked on ahead of us I wondered if we would see her again.
Unlike the first days of my hike, when I was able to stay on pace with younger hikers, they’re now passing me by with regularity. I’m not slowing down, they’re just getting faster as they get their trail legs.
Accordingly, RedEye headed straight up the first climb of the day, Fork Mountain, and we didn’t see her again today.
The climb was 1,000 feet in 1.7 miles.
Near the top I met two hikers. Neptune had just recently joined Namaste on the trail. He got a late start after graduating from Harvard, while she had been hiking since Georgia.
About an hour later I again saw Yung Gandalf and Summer. They were at Bryant Ridge Shelter, an unusually large and towering shelter.
It was apparently built to be so large because it’s a popular overnight stop for weekenders.
From the shelter the trail made another climb, this time more than twice as high as the last.
There were a few pleasant diversions from the taxing walk. The first was a small patch of columbine flowers, the first I had seen in several days. Considering this is the first time the trail has climbed above 3,000 feet in several days, I guess that’s not a surprise there haven’t been columbine for several days. They prefer higher elevations.
Another interesting bit of nature I saw was a colorful millipede. Though small and slow, I often stop for a moment to watch these fascinating creatures. In fact, they are one of the oldest known land animals.
The higher I climbed, the more lush the forest grew. The trail was littered with leaves, the result of recent pruning by a trail maintainer.
Before long, I was walking through a thicket of cow parsnips, towering six or seven feet tall.
The flowers on top were lacy white. They were somewhat reminiscent of a carrot top, but these plants are also known as Indian celery.
They may look nice, but you don’t want to touch them because they can cause painful skin irritations, including blistering.
If that wasn’t enough, the show put on by the forest continued as I walked up the mountain. This time it was a canopy of rhododendron blooms.
Soon after passing under them, the trail finally began to make a descent and I arrived at another shelter.
Cornelius Creek Shelter was much smaller and less interesting than the last one, but the creek was nearby and it was a good place to stop for lunch.
Continuing on from the shelter, I walked a couple more miles, crossing a small footbridge along the way, before reaching a junction with another trail.
This trail led to Apple Orchard Falls. When I reached it, Stick was leaving a note for me, thinking I was farther behind than I was. He wanted me to know he was walking to the falls.
Though the falls were a little more than a mile off trail, I agreed this seemed like a worthwhile side trip to take. We dropped our packs near the trail junction, but kept our trekking poles with us as we headed down the side trail.
Along the way the trail followed a creek. Then we passed an interesting waterfall, but that wasn’t the main event.
We also got a nice view from an opening in the trees. The trail was making a steep drop here, so we were glad we had brought along our trekking poles.
At the falls, a wooden footbridge was provided to make it safer to get a better view of the falls.
The falls were a tall cascade with a 200-foot drop, and definitely worth the hour or so round trip from the trail.
On the walk back to the Appalachian Trail, Stick and I commented to each other how nice it was to walk without a pack. We didn’t expect feeling how good that was, though, until we put our packs back on.
Even though my pack was no heavier than any other time on the trail, it felt as though someone had put a large rock inside.
Shortly after we began hiking again we ran into Speedy. This was the first time we had seen him since leaving Daleville.
After nearly a mile-and-a-half climb up Apple Orchard Mountain, a large, white dome came into view. It was a Federal Aviation Administration radar.
At one time this facility was used by the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War, but has been used only for civilian and commercial air navigation since 1975.
Apple Orchard Mountain is called the most topographically prominent mountain in the state, and offers some wide open views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and valleys below.
Namaste and Neptune were there, setting up their tent and planning to stay overnight on the mountaintop. That seemed like a good idea because I’m certain some outstanding sunsets and sunrises can be seen from there.
I didn’t stay because there was no water source nearby.
The trail made a steep and rocky descent from the top. Stick was waiting for me at the bottom of the three-tenths-of-a-mile rocky path.
This was the location of The Guillotine, a favorite photo spot for hikers.
Stick took my picture and I took his. We didn’t stay long, though, and it wasn’t because a large boulder was hanging over our heads. It was because the time was already 7 p.m. and we still hadn’t reached a good spot to camp.
Thunder Hill Shelter wasn’t far from here, so we pushed on. In about 10 minutes of walking we crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time since yesterday morning. We reached the shelter about five minutes later.
This shelter has had a reputation of receiving frequent visits by bears and being a reliable host for mice. When we arrived, we saw a bear box placed about 50 yards from the shelter, the first we had seen so far on the trail.
It was a new addition and no doubt put here because of the bear problem.
We found flat spots to pitch our tents about thirty yards on the other side of the shelter. In short order we were able to get set up, collect water, cook dinner, and put away our food in the bear box, all before dark.
It was helpful tonight to have the few extra minutes of daylight we’re getting now as we move closer to the summer solstice.
Once I had a dream, that worried me
Like a drunken guillotine
Lingering just above my head
Why, why, why, why?
Why was I born "The Nine"
Cursed repeatedly
Who would know if I should die.
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