Date: 2022-10-04
From: Punchbowl Shelter

To: Marble Springs Campsite
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: light rain

Due to a mix-up in my brain that Joni graciously agreed to, we set alarms last night for 6:30. That is a relatively late hour for us when we¢ve got a day like today planned. We had the James River Valley before us which meant a long downhill to the river (2500 feet in 3 miles) followed by an equally long uphill in the south side of the river. We got camp packed by 7:00 and had a hot breakfast before leaving camp a little before 8:00. The morning was especially cold and Texas Pete¢s leg was slow to warm up. The whole day was slow progress for us. A late start together with slow walking and frequent breaks made for a long day. It was, however, a beautiful day with the James River as the centerpiece. Views from Big Rocky Row cliffs on the north side of the river have us views for the upcoming 5 miles of trail. We could see the river, the railroad trestle we¢d cross close by, and the far bank that the trail followed upstream for more than a mile. We passed by (and got passed by) Camp and Crumbs, Lennon & Grazer, and met Indy - a new character- and Hidden, who we had met last night for the first time at Punchbowl Shelter. On the way down to the river, Jordan (North Star¢s dad) texted and suggested that I might try to find a physical therapist for Texas Pete in Roanoke. He and Susan are planning on meeting us near Daleville on Thursday (10/6) to spend some time with us and help us along down the trail. I didn¢t realize we were so close to Roanoke. I texted a Physical Therapy friend of mine in Dahlonega, Eric, who knew a PT in Roanoke. After some phone call ping-pong, Texas Pete has an appointment Thursday at 4:00. We are thankful for that and hopeful that we can get some answers about the pain in his leg.We took a break under the long railroad trestle that spans the James River. Lennon and Grazer were there. Lennon had just run south to the road here for the past hour in order to meet a shuttle driver who was bringing him a replacement for his Thermarest mattress. He made it in time and had a new mattress to finish the hike on. As we waited under the trestle, a CSX freight train passed overhead. We stood directly underneath the train while is lumbered along no more than 20 feet above us. The trestle doesn¢t have a solid roadbed like a bridge so we could see right into the undercarriage of the train. It was awesome and unnerving at the same time.After the train passed we walked to the nearby James River Foot Bridge. It¢s a footbridge 1000 feet long dedicated to AT foot traffic. It¢s named after a guy whose last name was ¢Foot¢. So it¢s a Foot Bridge footbridge.The next mile and a half was along the river heading upstream. It was a pleasant walk between the river and the rock cliffs to our left. The trail turned up a tributary - Matt Creek - and started climbing just after the Matt Creek Shelter. We gained 1100 feet (about halfway up) before stopping at Big Cove Branch stream for dinner. It was about 4:30 and we had 3.2 more miles to cover. Sometimes, when it¢s late in the day and we¢ve got miles to cover, it¢s best to stop for a long break and get dinner in the bellies. It fuels the last miles and saves a camp chore from happening at a late hour. Mountain House for dinner - we¢re back into them. The last 3 miles were memorable. We met Ratatouille and Lily as we gained the lip of the ridge. They had set up camp on the side of the trail. We¢ve heard of these guys but this was our first face-to-face.  Just after leaving Ratatouille and Lily, as we were side-hilling underneath the ridge it began to rain on us. Not a hard rain but an unexpected one. I suspected it wouldn¢t last long but I did don a pack cover in case it decided to intensify. A wind began, coming out of the west, soon after the rain started and pushed the shower further east, beyond the ridge to our left. About the time the wind freshened and the rain stopped, the evening light began to change. The ¢golden hour¢ was upon us! The low ceiling of clouds still stretched far to the west. A narrow band of clear sky between the clouds and the far ridges had waxed into a fiery red and orange, casting the same hues into the forest around us. As we watched, the sun slipped below the clouds, still above the horizon, and shone a rich beam of golden light onto the forested hills to our west. The clouds above, lit with colors both known and novel, became an inverted ocean of white-capped breakers rolling to some distant shore. The scene changed continually as we watched. New reds, greens, oranges, lavenders, and colors unnamed took their place on the stage and then melted into their neighbor. The sun jumped the gap between cloud and horizon in a short 5 minutes. As it set, the sky beyond the clouds appeared as a far-off lake or ocean, clear and calm. As sunsets on my life go, I can¢t remember one more beautiful.We finally reached our destination at Marble Spring shortly after the sunset. We were disappointed to find all the best tenting spots underneath dead branches - ¢widowmakers¢ they¢re sometimes called. The wind was growing in intensity. We found two places safe from falling debris and pitched tents. Fishand I threw two lines for bear hangs and hung them PCT-style. We all nestled into our warm bags and prepared for a cold night in this very windy gap. I talked with Jordan on the phone before crawling into the tent and we laid off our rendezvous until Thursday lunchtime. That will allow us to get in about 10 miles Thursday morning and make it to Texas Pete¢s PT appointment at 4:00. We¢re excited about seeing them, eating out, slackpacking, and the Super 8!