Knot Maul

It rained all night, but I still got up and moving at 7am. I regretted my decision to sleep in my tent, as rain has a way of bringing me down out here. I started out for a 4.5 mile hike to the road, but even with full rain gear on my socks got wet.
The trail dropped me off directly at a Shell gas station, so I used their outlet and my weak Edge network signal.
Shenanigans caught up with me at around the same time as Nick and Mr. Fantastic, so we all walked over to The Barn to get fed.
We were told upon sitting that it was 20 minutes until lunch if we wanted to wait, so we all ordered breakfast, ate, and then ordered lunch. The food was good and very cheap, plus the waitress offered up the bathroom for anyone to wash up in. Very hiker friendly.
During breakfast/lunch I was deciding if I wanted to get a room and get clean and dry, or stick to the plan and hike another 14 miles to the next shelter.
We didn't have time to hitch into Atkins, so we resupplied at the Shell station. Thankfully it only has to last 2 days to get to Bland, VA. Where we can eat at the Bland Restaurant, and resupply at the Bland grocery. After finishing up in the gas station the sun had started to come out, so I decided to stick to the plan.
The following 14 miles were dry, but much harder than we had anticipated. Mr. Fantastic and I passed the time talking philosophy, and eventually we made it to Knot Maul shelter. When still 3 miles away I was coming to a big climb I was dreading, but another dose of Jesus magic found me one PB&J and Mountain Dew richer. It gave me the energy I needed to easily finish that last push.
Thankfully there was still room at the shelter, because I'm not taking any more chances with the rain today. A lot of people have showed up to stay here, which is nice since there are bear warning posted. Strength in numbers is always a positive at a shelter. As is a fire to dry my soggy shoes by. Supposedly it's going to get sunny for a few days, long enough to get us to a planned zero at a hostel on Sunday. Here's hoping.

Bad News Bears

I enjoyed my breakfast in my sleeping bag this morning, since it was still rather chilly out. As Meta, Stonechair, Dick Flap, Wendigo, and Mr. Fantastic all put their breakfasts together I watched, munching away, from the warmth of my cocoon.
Throughout the night I had heard the scraping sounds of mice coming from somewhere in the shelter. Thoughts came, unbidden, of mice running amuck in my pack as I tried to sleep. By the morning light we learned that it was Dick Flap's pack that had been burrowed into. As he opened it up for breakfast a mouse scurried out, and he found the hole that had been eaten through the hard plastic frame sheet and trash bag within. That's the real reason hikers hang their food and packs out here, not bears, but it doesn't always do the trick.
After a very familial feeling breakfast, I set off. It wasn't very long before I came across some more Jesus magic left by a local church, and enjoyed an orange soda. I was just finishing up when Meta, Stonechair, and Dick Flap caught up, so we chatted for a couple minutes before I continued on.
I climbed up about a mile of trail before I heard a massive rustling ahead of me, and looked up in time to see a black bear taking off away from me like a bat outta hell. It was at this point that I decided to be cautious for a while and whistle to scare away any prospective startled bears. This turned out to be a good idea, as just another half mile up I scared away another bigger black bear with my tinny rendition of Don't Stop Believing. They may be big, but they're more frightened of people than the deer are out here. Of course seeing them run away is good, but seeing how fast they run away makes you realize how quickly they could catch a person. I also stumbled across a couple of snakes, but that's becoming so commonplace that I don't usually mention it.
A few more miles brought me to one of the most popular shelters on the trail. It has a built-in hot shower, and is right next to a visitors center where you can order pizza delivered. While that all sounded fantastic, it wasn't piquing my interest right then, so after a brief lunch and banter with Shenanigans I continued on. Of course I did stop at the visitors center to grab a Dr. Pepper first.
I didn't see anyone else for the rest of the days hike. I walked across some easy terrain and took a long break overlooking a spectacular vista. After sitting there for maybe 45 minutes I started down the last 1.5 miles to the shelter.
Tonight I'm tenting it. I need a few nights to not think about mice so I can get a good nights sleep. We're only 4 miles from the road to town, so it'll be an early lunch tomorrow. We don't really know what we'll find in Atkins other than a 1lb burger place. I may finish tomorrow with clean clothes and a shower, or maybe just a full belly and resupply. I'm really hoping the local grocery store isn't in the local gas station, but hope in one hand and all that. Regardless of what Atkins holds for us, though, we're making good miles lately and plan to continue doing so. Though I am hoping for wifi somewhere in town.. I need to watch the GoT finale after all!

Trail Magicians

The shelter was empty last night but for the two of us. I don't remember the last time we stayed in a shelter that wasn't full, so it was a wild departure from the norm.
It was a nice easy 10 miles to the road. It was also uneventful, save for a run in with a fawn. I came across mother and baby on the trail. The mother took off, while the baby slowly laid down in the trail and let me get right next to it. What a great way to start the day!
At the road Mr. Fantastic saw a sign declaring the restaurant and grocery store in Troutdale as closed. Apparently it was the same shop, and couldn't survive the off season. We still hitched, but into Sugar Grove instead. There we found the center of town and commerce to be a gas station with a food store. We immediately got some fast food and sat out front to gorge.
We had time to kill here because we had a plan to bring a little trail magic up to our co-hikers.
Yesterday Mr. Fantastic had bumped into Meta, who told him that Dick Flap, Stonechair, and he would be doing a 20 miler today and ending up at the same shelter as us. They were skipping this town, so we decided to bring up some hot dogs, chips, and beer to celebrate 500 miles and hiking together again.
We relaxed there for about 3 hours before hitching back with a guy on his way to work. Our packs weighed a good deal more from the beer and food weight, so our last 4 miles were a little more tiring than normal. Thankfully it was more easy terrain.
When we made it to the shelter we found that Stonechair and Meta were already there, so we set about getting everything ready for the fire. Dick Flap rolled in a bit later, and others followed including Miles and Wendigo among others.
It was a good night, and it's looking like some good high mile days ahead. So long as this trend continues we will really burn some miles in Virginia, and that will certainly help our time table. Everyone seems eager to start moving faster, so it's good to be on the same page.

But I would walk 500 miles

Today was a milestone of a day that began with shivering. We were both slow to get up due to the cold, but today we were scheduled to cross the 500 mile point on our journey, so the trail beckoned.
Knit cap and long underwear donned, I set off at 8:30am toward my first break at a shelter 6.6 miles away. This first stretch was cloudy and cold, and by the time I made it I was starving for lunch. I chatted with a couple of weekenders as they munched on potato chips, regaling them with stories of trail life. Mr. Fantastic caught up just as I was finishing my lunch, and after a moment to let my food digest, I continued on.
It drizzled for a few minutes before the sun finally came out, and it was perfect timing. This second stretch took me over Mt. Rogers and through the Grayson Highlands, the most spectacular bit of hiking to date.
The terrain was absolutely stunning to behold, trekking through groves of flowering trees, squeezing between rocks in shallow caves, and coming out on a bald that wouldn't quit. It was the wild ponies that kept the trees from growing by grazing all along the mountaintop. I had read that they were around in Virginia, but didn't realize how impossible they are to miss.
Climbing up out of the trees and clouds to a sunny sprawling mountaintop covered with flowers and ponies is a pretty crazy experience. I found myself laughing hysterically from time to time just from the sheer beauty of the place.
After descending away from all that joy, I crossed the 500 mile point (no marker or fanfare) and found my way to the next shelter for another break. This time I just took a power nap, and kept pushing on.
My last section of trail for the day was beautiful as well, but couldn't quite match the grandeur of the Grayson Highlands. The last couple of miles truly beat on my feet and I was very happy to hobble down to the final shelter for the day.
It was a staggeringly beautiful day, quite literally as it's hard to watch your feet and the views. That also made it a very slow paced, difficult, and painful day. Regardless of all the challenge this has been my favorite hike of the trip to date. But honestly, how do you beat wild ponies on a mountaintop? If you said with a baseball bat, your head goes to the same twisted places as mine.