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Day 7: Friday March 15th A high ridge to the east blocked the morning sun until close to 08:00. and with only 6.3 miles on today's agenda, there was no reason to rush. Just the way I like it. Today's hike marked a switch between Sox and I related to our overall hiking health. I was feeling great while Tim was counting down the remaining miles to get the hike over and done. He left 15 minutes before me but I caught him on the first climb. He passed me while I took a break along the ridgecrest but…

Day 6 - Thursday March 14th Daylight filtering through the drapes told me it was time to get up. The good news is that we had plenty of time to reload our packs, grab breakfast, and drive down to Pearisburg. One big advantage of the two-phase hike is that we had dry clothing and extra food for the last section waiting in my vehicle. I even had the forethought to bring along a pair of boots that were 1/2 size larger. Still, it was a bit of a challenge to get my swollen right foot into the larger …

Day 5 - Wednesday March 13th Today is the endpoint for the first part of this section hike. We just had to hike 11.7 miles back my car then make arrangements to pick up the hike further south. My alarm went off at 06:30 and I optimistically started getting dressed and packed. Upon emerging from my tent, I came face to face with an unexpected foe - it was freakin' cold! I took a leak in the darkness and yelled out to Tim that I was postponing my departure until the sun was up. The thermometer on …

Day 4: Tuesday March 12th There's something to be said for brushing your teeth in front of a sink and dressing blisters on a clean foot. Add in an outstanding hot breakfast and it was looking to be a golden day! Ron drove us back to the trailhead at 08:30 so we could start just another 15-mile day. First on the agenda was the ascent of Sinking Creek Mountain. I thought that the combination of sleep, hydration and calories would put me in good shape for the climb. Nope. I was struggling. And it w…

Day 3 - Monday March 11th A good night's sleep and a long day ahead had me up, fed and packed by 07:20. There was just enough daylight that I didn't need my headlamp to head out into a three-mile section reported to be a precursor to the dreaded Rocks of PA. It was a rocky section, but not like the sharp, tilted rocks found in the Keystone State. Someone actually made the effort to issue a dispersion order that apparently had gone unheeded. appalachiantrailcafe.net/index…ed65060f40251917d3ddc355…

Day 2: Sunday Marth 10th Today was the first day of Daylight Savings Time but jumping ahead by one hour is moot when you're focused on daylight hours vs. actual time. Going to bed at 20:00 helped as well. Tonight's goal was the Bailey Gap shelter - a healthy 16.4 miles up the trail. It was 37 degrees in the shelter but the windchill was going to be brutal. Sox made a privy trip before departure and suffered mightily on the exposed throne. Glad I took care of business last night. One humorous thi…

The recent post on fake outlets in AT shelters got me looking back at an old hike that was completed before the dawn of the AT Cafe. It was a pretty interesting hike so I figured I'd post a retro report. The Plan Smoking Sox will fly from Boston to Dulles. I'll pick him up there, drive to the road crossing just below Dragon's Tooth, grab a shuttle to Pearisburg, then hike back to my vehicle. If all goes well, we'll drive to Pearisburg and get another shuttle down to VA Route 606 and hike back to…

Quote from Astro: “Quote from dmperkins74: “Quote from Astro: “When I saw the thread name I thought it would be about where to charge your electronics. ” Same I guess I'll just keep trying to plug my phone into trees and see if that works! ” Watch out for shelters that have "electrical outlets" that are actually connected to nothing. ” Bailey Gap Shelter in VA. The Romex wire was sticking outside the wall by a foot. Funny. appalachiantrailcafe.net/index…ed65060f40251917d3ddc3556

Quote from IMScotty: “Triple Crowner dies in the White Mountains... boston.com/news/local-news/202…ns/?p1=recirc_mostpopular ” Just sad. At least his two partners turned around and didn't suffer the same fate.

By dumb luck, I'm 2 for 2 with having a south-facing driveway. It's pretty amazing how much of a difference that makes compared to the north-facing driveways in my 'hood. And if it's cloudy, I just crack open a can of Freon. (just kidding) One last hint: if you have a reflective sun screen in your car, check to see if it is a dark color on the inside. Then place it inside-facing-out to have a sun magnet for melting snow & ice.

Quote from Wintergreen: “Nine below zero with a wind chill of -20 this morning. We still have school. We don't close for cold until it reaches a wind chill of -35. ” Back in the day, the bus stop for my Catholic school was at the neighborhood public elementary school. Didn't matter where you lived in the neighborhood - it was the one stop. There were a number of times that the custodial staff would see us shivering in the cold and allow us to wait in the heated vestibule. Not every day... just t…

I was in the Denver area last week and got the high winds Tuesday night then the frigid temperatures on Thursday. Frigid to the point that the fresh water hose hooked to my plane froze in place and delayed my departure. Came home to moderate temps in the 40's then got to re-live the high winds and plunging temps. A good weekend to hide out in my warm basement workshop.

Quote from max.patch: “And here is the Atlanta newspaper story on the sentencing: ajc.com/news/crime/5-sent-to-p…GKNWLTCBAWHOJLZJ27NJH2IE/ ” Wow. That story is... something. Reminds me of the South Harmon Institute of Technology.

Quote from IMScotty: “ I found a picture from 2020 where they were dressed in white malos. Why red this year? I have not figured that out yet. Perhaps just the fickleness of fashion ” It's the blood of Captain James Cook.

A long recovery is better than no recovery. Good on 'ya for getting out and giving it some movement. As the PT's say... "Motion is lotion."

Quote from IMScotty: “Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park: This was a place of refuge for Hawaiians sentenced to death for breaking one of the many 'Kapo' laws. Of course to live, you had to reach this place. Today it is still considered a sacred place by the Hawaiians and is a very nice park to visit. appalachiantrailcafe.net/index…ed65060f40251917d3ddc3556” BTDT appalachiantrailcafe.net/index…ed65060f40251917d3ddc3556

Do you have a geographic preference within Virginia? I section-hiked the entire state and can offer recommendations for convenient starting and stopping points.

My son and his wife honeymooned in Hawaii last year and got to see the September eruption through a telescope from HVNP. I mean literally seeing lava spurting into the air. I flew over Kilauea in 2005 and got to see lava running down to the ocean. appalachiantrailcafe.net/index…ed65060f40251917d3ddc3556appalachiantrailcafe.net/index…ed65060f40251917d3ddc3556

I'm waiting for the Alumni/Fan lawsuits against the NCAA for allowing coach and player transfers prior to the end of the season. "I spent my hard-earned cash to attend a Bowl Game and my team sucked because the head coach (or star player) transferred before the game. Someone must pay!"

The relo must have taken place after I hiked it. I definitely kept to the lake side of the knoll.