After two years of absence, I decided to go back and hike the next section of the Appalachian Trail.  Ying brought me to Vallejo where I took a bus to SFO for the redeye flight to Charlotte, NC.  Transferring to a commuter flight, I arrived in Charlottesville, VA at 10:30AM where I had arranged for Trail Shuttler Pam Bennett to pick me up and drive me to the trailhead at Rockfish Gap where I left off in 2013.  I started hiking at 11:45AM and had completed the first five miles to the Paul C. Wolfe Shelter by 2:30PM.  Not wanting to push too hard on my first day back, I planned to stay here at this shelter tonight.  A couple of locals stopped by whom I spoke with for a while.  Both were members of the Old Dominion Hiking Club which built this shelter and maintains this section of the trail.  Three additional southbound hikers showed up in the late afternoon that stayed at the shelter tonight.  All three were flip-flopping, meaning they has started hiking the AT somewhere in the middle and hiked north to Maine, then got a ride back to their original starting point and are completing the second half by hiking south to Georgia.  Hikers sometimes do this because the Forest Service closes Mt. Kataden on October 15^th due to snow and if you don’t get to the mountain before that, you cannot complete your hike.  These guys were all in great shape though and I cannot imagine them not making Maine by mid-October.

After getting little sleep on the airplane Saturday night, I got no sleep my first night in the woods.  At 5:30AM I decided it was useless to keep laying in my sleeping bag so I got up, packed in the dark and went down to the stream to fill my water bottles.  At 6:10AM it was light enough to see the trail so I headed out on my 7-mile ascent of 2,000-ft Humpback Mountain.  Climbing was much more difficult than my relatively easy flat hike yesterday.  Furthermore I had planned to hike 13.6 miles today so it turned into a very long day.  In the early afternoon the three guys I had spent last night with passed me on their way to “The Priest” – a 4,000-ft mountain I will need to climb in a couple days.  At 3:30PM, I reached my goal…the Three Ridges Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I had arranged for Keith, the proprietor of the Royal Oaks Cabins in nearby Love, VA to pick me up here and take me to his facility for the night.  I was able to wash my clothes, all of which I had worn and were dripping with sweat, and buy a sandwich and a bottle of orange juice from his camp store.

I slept very well Monday night and although I had considered the possibility of taking a second day off to recuperate, I woke up Tuesday refreshed and decided to push on.  Keith’s cousin Frank (who delivers 5^th wheel trailers all over the country for a living) gave a ride back out to the trail where I had stopped yesterday and I continued south.  Today was supposed to be an easy 8.4-mile hike to Harper’s Creek Shelter, but I had to get over the North Ridge of the Three Ridges and the trail was steep and rocky.  I took my time resting in several places and finally reached the shelter around 4:30PM.  Since I had not started until 10:00AM today, I guess that is not too bad.   There were five people at the shelter when I arrived, all of whom had passed me during the day.  Three Through-Hikers who had hiked from Maine only stopped for dinner and were planning to conquer “The Priest” before they rested for the night.  The other two were staying nearby in a tent, but they had a dog which was nice as it would alert us to any bears that might come by while we slept.  Water has been difficult to find so far.  Three springs where I had planned to get water yesterday were dry.  I saved the half-gallon orange juice container I got the other day and will fill it, along with my usual two one-liter containers.  There is a good stream here at this campsite so I should have enough water to climb “The Priest” tomorrow.

Wednesday I was up early, packed and on the trail by 6:45AM.  I did not sleep very well last night either but managed to get in a couple hours sleep before dawn.  Today I have a mile uphill, two miles downhill followed by the four mile ascent of “The Priest”, a 4,000-ft mountain, 3,000-ft of which I must climb.  By 8:00AM I had reach the base of the mountain and crossed a suspension bridge over Harper’s Creek.  At 8:15AM I started the ascent.  I estimated it would take me four hours so I rested every hour.  It got difficult as the morning wore on, but by 1:00PM, I had reached the summit.  Cell phone service is poor in this area, but atop the mountain I had a good signal and made several calls planning out my next few days.

I continued on another mile where I spread out my gear at The Priest Shelter where I planned to spend Wednesday night.  I gathered some wood to make a fire, but it was not dry enough to burn so I decided I would do without a fire and leave the wood for another hiker.  No other hikers joined me this evening.  I had another restless night, but seem to be getting used to the sounds of the forest at night.  Falling tree limbs make the most noise, followed by falling acorns and cicadas.  I always wonder if a bear might be close.  I have not seen any, but have no doubts that they have seen me.  I sleep with my headlamp on and my hiking poles nearby, but so far all is well.

Thursday I planned to be a short day.  I had made a reservation at the Montebello Camping and Fishing Resort in Montebello, VA which was only four miles south on the AT, but required an additional four mile detour (two miles each way) down a steep ravine to reach. I passed the Virginia State Fish Hatchery on my way down the mountain to the resort.  I had originally asked for an efficiency cabin, but when I learned it did not have a bathroom, I upgraded to a bigger cabin.

Arriving at 11:00AM, I went to the country store to check in and bought some food.  My cabin has a full kitchen so I was able to purchase food that required cooking.  One of the maintenance men gave me a ride up to my cabin where I unpacked.  What a great place this is.  The cabin is only a year old and made of knotty pine.  There is a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, loft with two additional beds and a large veranda.  The porch looks out over a large grassy area.  People usually come here to fish in the resort’s private lake.  No license is required and it is free to fish, however, you must keep everything you catch and pay $4.29/pound for the fish.  I washed my clothes and had noodles and a chicken sandwich for lunch.  There is no cell service here and no cable TV, but they do have DVD’s for rent.

So far in five days I have hiked 40 miles.  Not too impressive, but it is taking some time to get my ‘hiking legs’ back.  Rain is expected in this area on Sunday in which case I’d like to be in a motel somewhere.  I think if I increase my mileage to 15 miles per day for the next two days, I can get to Route 607 where I might be able to get a ride to Buena Vista where there is food and lodging.

Friday, August 28^th I packed my gear after a restful night at The Montebello Camping and Fishing Resort and headed over to the office to check out.  I returned the DVD I rented last night and had a cup of coffee while I waited to see if someone would come in who might be able to give me a ride back up as far as the fish hatchery.  After 20 minutes no one showed up, so I decided to walk.  It is a 2-mile hike just to get back up to the trail where I left off yesterday, but the good night’s sleep was worth the extra effort.  I had planned to be back on the AT by 10:00AM, but actually got there an hour earlier.  Today I will hike 12.5 miles to the Cow Camp Shelter, but with the extra side trails, it will be almost 15 total.

Today’s hike is not too steep.  There are no elevation gains or losses more than 700-feet, but there are a lot of them.  In the afternoon I reached a series of small mountains which had been cleared of forest and were now pastures which had recently been mowed.  There were also old apple trees along the way which made me think this used to be an orchard at one time.  I stopped and picked six apples which were bitter but juicy.  I arrived at the blue-blazed trail down to the shelter at 4:15 and still had a half-mile to hike to the shelter itself.  I stopped at a stream to get water and then unpacked my gear and spread out my sleeping bag.  I had purchased a sandwich at the country store this morning which became a luxurious dinner along with stream water flavored with berry flavoring.  No one else is in the shelter tonight although it is still early and there could be weekenders who come out later.

After settling in for the night at 7:00PM, I heard footsteps and met Andrea and Milo who had just hiked up from Route 60 and are heading north for a couple weeks.  We spoke for 15 minutes and I discovered that Andrea works as a camp counselor for a non-profit organization in North Carolina.  It will be good to have her and Milo (her dog) in the camp tonight.

I was up early Saturday and hiking by 6:30AM.  After retracing the half-mile walk back up to the trail, I still had to climb Bald Knob before the 5-mile descent to Route 60.  Today I planned to hike 14.6 miles and there were some steep ascents in the afternoon.  I had made arrangements for a local taxi service to pick me up at 3:30PM so I kept going most of the day to meet the deadline.  My legs really started hurting the last few miles but I made it to the pickup location by 3:00PM.  I waited 40 minutes but the taxi never showed up.  I was on a fire road deep in the forest so when a pickup truck pulled up and asked me directions to Buena Vista, I was more than happy to show them.  The couple was looking for a place to go rafting and had all kinds of camping and rafting gear in the back of the truck.  I nestled myself amongst the supplies and we took off down the mountain at a frightening speed for a dirt road.  After 20 minutes, we came to an abrupt stop.  Here, in the middle of nowhere, were six police cars with lights flashing.  They had just arrested a DUI and impounded his vehicle.  As we waited for the road to clear, the police decided they should check the drivers ID and gun permit.  Fortunately he passed their tests and we continued another few miles where he dropped me off at the Budget Inn where I wanted to stay.  I gave him $20 gas money which pleased him very much.

Buena Vista is a run-down town and the Budget Inn fits here perfectly.  But having Internet access, TV, a shower and food is all I really need.  I showered, did some laundry and ate dinner at Subway.  The Exxon station across the street sells gas for $1.99/gallon.  The forecast was for rain on Sunday so I decided to take a zero-day and stay in Buena Vista for two nights.  I found a card of another shuttle service at the front desk and called to see if he could give me a lift back to the trail on Monday morning.  His name was Gary Serra (GaryDHiker@gmail.com) and would turn out to be one of my best contacts in Central Virginia.  I walked into the center of Buena Vista Sunday and had a disappointing lunch at a Chinese restaurant.  Probably half the commercial buildings in Buena Vista are boarded up and for sale.

Monday morning I had breakfast at Burger King.  Gary picked me up at 7:15AM and took me back to the trail where I had stopped on Saturday.  He charged me $15 for the 20 mile, one-way ride.  I hiked uphill for two miles to Bluff Mountain and the rest of my day followed a ridge line to Big Rocky Row and then downhill to the James River.  The James is a couple hundred yards wide at this point and the Appalachian Trail Conservatory has built a private footbridge which crosses the river.  I continued on the opposite shore parallel to the river looking for an easy place to take a dip in the river.  Eventually, however, the trail ascended away from the water and I arrived at Matts Creek Shelter at 3:00PM where I would spend the night.

At 4:00PM, a group of 15 hikers arrived for the night.  They are from Washington and Lee University and this is a freshman orientation trip involving four nights of camping.  They selected a group campsite somewhat removed from the shelter where I was staying and set up their tents and cooked dinner.  About 8:00PM, one of the campers came to the shelter and asked if they could store all their food in the shelter to protect it from bears.  Since I was sleeping in the shelter and did not want their food to attract bears I told them I did not want them to store it here and they should hang if from trees.  She grumbled that there were no suitable trees available and went away.  I slept OK, but woke up at 4:30AM.  I packed and waited two hours for it to be light enough to hike.  Just before leaving I went up to the latrine and found it full of food.  The door had been locked from the outside, but even a small bear could easily have ripped the door off the privy had there been one in the area last night.

Tuesday I had a big all-day hike uphill.  I hiked up 3,700 feet over 12.7 miles.  Along the way I encountered a hunting dog that began to follow me.  Assuming I would encounter its owner sooner or later, I kept hiking with the dog in tow.  The dog had two radio collars and when I checked closely I saw a phone number.  I called the owner and made arrangements to meet a couple miles up the trail at a fire road to return the dog.

I reached Blue Ridge Parkway mile marker 76.3 where I had arranged to meet Gary Serra and get a ride back to Buena Vista for the night.  I checked back into the Budget Inn, did my laundry and was eating at Subway when it started to rain.  I have had perfect weather until now.  The rain, however, was short lived, but I was glad to be off the trail tonight.

Gary picked me up again Wednesday, September 2^nd at 7:30AM and drove me 40 minutes back to the trailhead.  By 8:15AM I was southbound again, hiking uphill for the first mile and then continuing for nine more miles to Bryant Ridge Shelter.  The possibility of rain continues today so I want to be at the shelter by early afternoon.  I arrived at 1:45PM, changed my clothes and went down to the stream where I struggled to get water from a very small trickle.

In the afternoon, another group of freshmen from Washington & Lee University came to the shelter for the night.  This is the third group I have met and I learned that there are actually ten groups of 12-15 campers who are on 4-night hikes on the AT this week before school starts.  Thunder started at 4:30PM so the group quickly cooked dinner and then came into the shelter for the evening.  This shelter is much larger than most and with three levels, can easily accommodate 20 people.  They played a game called “Never have I ever…” followed by something they have never done.  Most of the responses were sexual and it seemed like a quick way for a group of freshmen to get to know one another.

I slept on and off during the night, but awoke at 4:30AM and decided to pack and leave.  I had a little difficulty finding the southbound trail and had to retrace yesterday’s route in the dark for a couple hundred yards until I was sure I had not missed the turn, but eventually found my way.  I hiked with my headlamp for the first half hour until it was light enough to see.  There are several thousand-foot climbs today but I only planned to hike 10 miles so I completed the hike by 12:30PM.  I planned to hitchhike down Route 43 to Buchannan, VA and spend the night at the Wattstull Inn.  Fortunately, when I reached the road and stuck out my thumb, the second car stopped and took me directly to the Inn, even though it was somewhat out of their way.

The Wattstull Inn is quite far from the AT crossing on Route 43.  It is perched up on a hill with a nice view of the valley and mountains.  The owner checked me in, I did some laundry and then since the inn’s restaurant is currently closed, the owner lent me his truck to drive into town to get something to eat.

I watched some of the US Open and planned the remainder of my trip when I returned from dinner.  It looks like I will hike for four more days, averaging 10-miles per day and then stop at Route 311 where I will ask Gary Serra to pick me up and take me to Roanoke, from where I will fly home.

Friday, September 4^th I awoke very early and went to the office to get some coffee.  The hotel proprietor had promised to take me back up to the trailhead, but he did not come in until 9:30AM.  I waited around the office for a couple hours to see if I could entice a ride out of someone else, but no one came by whom I could ask for a ride.  At 9:45AM the owner took me back up Route 43 to the trailhead.  There was a large group of Washington and Lee hikers there, some of whom I knew so we spoke for a few minutes before I started hiking.  Then as I ascended the switchbacks up the mountain, I immediately ran into the guy who had picked me up hitchhiking yesterday who was out for a day hike.

The trail is quite gentle today but there is a 40% chance of thundershowers starting at 2:00PM.  I was upset that I could not have started today earlier and was sure I would be caught in the rain before I reached Wilson Creek Shelter.  Hiking as quickly as I could, I was able to cover the 10 miles in five hours arriving at the shelter at 3:00PM.  The rain had held off…for the moment.

There was one other couple at the shelter with a big German Shepard when I arrived.  Within an hour, a second hiker, also with a big German Shepard arrived and the dogs went crazy.  But after their owners separated them, things calmed down and the dogs were quiet.  I am sure the altercation cleared out any bears within several miles of the shelter.  The sky was darkening and several more hikers came to the shelter and suddenly lightening lit up the sky followed immediately by ear-piercing thunder.  Torrential rain poured down and lightening continued all around us.  Since I was one of the first to the shelter, I had a dry position in my sleeping bag away from the rain.  The storm lasted less than an hour.

I awoke early Saturday, packed up and headed out before anyone else was awake.  There are a couple of big climbs today but the hike is only 11 miles so I was able to reach Route 220 by 1:30PM where I checked into the Howard Johnson’s motel.  I swam in the pool, did some laundry and walked across the street for lunch at Pizza Hut.  The motel has a computer so I checked email and learned that my Aunt Jen had passed away this morning in upstate New York.  I last visited here several years ago when Ying and my parents were on a trip back East.

I also used the Internet to arrange my flight home.  When I had looked a few days ago, there was a flight that would take me from Roanoke to Sacramento for $270 one-way.  However, I did not book it at that time and now, to my amazement, the cheapest flight is $800 one-way and it requires changing planes twice.  I called Gary Serra and arranged for him to pick me up at Route 311 at 2:30PM on Monday and take me down to a motel near the airport in Roanoke where I will spend the night and then fly home on Tuesday.

Sunday I was up at 5:30AM and watched TV for a half-hour before going down to breakfast.  It was still early and I was the only one at breakfast where I finished reading by book as I ate.  Back in the room, I slowly packed and left to start hiking at 9:15AM.  The trail goes right by the Howard Johnson’s so I was immediately in the woods.  After an hour, I reached the summit of Tinker Mountain where three different power lines converge.  From here there is a good view of Daleville, VA in the valley below.  A recent fire has scorched the summit of Tinker Mountain, but only about an acre or two.  The trail continues along Tinker Ridge for most of the day.  There are very large unusual sandstone formations here, one of which hangs 40 feet above the trail.  The foliage is beginning to change colors and I think in another two or three weeks the mountains will be red and orange instead of green.  This is quite a difference from the brown color of mountains back in California.

I reached Lamberts Mountain Shelter by 3:00PM where I planned to spend the night.  There were three other hikers here when I arrived, but they were just taking a break and planned to hike an additional six miles south to Campbell Shelter.  Signs posted at Lamberts Shelter indicate recent bear activity so I took what food, toothpaste and other items bears might find interesting and slung them from a high branch of a nearby tree.  I found a deck of cards in the shelter and played solitaire until it started to get dark and then turned in for the night.  An hour later, another hiker arrived who planned to sleep here and we spoke for a while he unpacked and ate dinner.

Monday, September 7^th is Labor Day and my last day on the trail.  I was up and hiking by 6:30AM.  Today there are two big climbs; the first up Tinker Cliffs with a great view of surrounding valleys and the second up McAfee Knob, a steep thousand foot ascent.  At the summit of McAfee Knob, I called Gary and moved our pick-up time up by an hour.  As it was a holiday, there were hundreds of people climbing up McAfee Knob from the south, meaning I would pass them all on my way down.  Many folks were not carrying water for this 8-mile round trip which I thought unusual or even dumb as I was easily consuming two gallons a day.  I reached the parking lot at Route 311 at exactly 1:00PM where Gary, as reliable as ever, was waiting to take me to town.  I went to the Airport Lodge, a somewhat sleazy motel, but several rungs better than a shelter in the woods.  I swam, did laundry and then walked a mile to a local steakhouse where I had the best meal I have eaten in two weeks.

Tuesday I took a series of flights from Roanoke, VA to Charlotte, NC to Washington, DC to San Francisco, CA, arriving home at 10:30PM.  I have completed all but the final 700 miles of the AT and plan to complete that during the next few years.

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