Date: 2012-05-11
From: Three Ridges Overlook Parking - BRP 13.1

To: Spy Rock Road - Fish Hatchery Road - Montebello VA
Miles today: 19.9

Day 47 - Friday, May 11thHiking Days 35 / Nero Days 9 /  Zero Days 3Start Loction: Three Ridges Overlook Parking - BRP 13.1Mile Marker: 837.7 southboundEnding Location: Spy Rock Road - Fish Hatchery Road - Montebello VA - Dutch HausMile Marker: 817.8Time: 7h 50min Miles: 19.9Weather: Perfect.  All day.  A true gift from God. Before I went to sleep, I turned the space heaters down.  The night dropped to around 35.  About 5:00am or so I realized I turned them down a bit to far and turned them back up.  Tucked back in. The day started early enough.  Up at 6:00.  Mulled around for a few minutes, up, out, over for coffee in the main house.  With breakfast at 7:00, I have 40 minutes to enjoy some (a lot) of coffee.  One of the hikers in the bunk was talking about how he could pound down a pot of coffee in just a few minutes.  So I beat him to the punch.  No one is going to outpace me to a pot of coffee.First one there.  Lois and Earl are already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.  Eggs, muffin, a second muffin with sausage, gravy, small amount of fresh fruit.  Nice start to the day. Shuttled to the start of the slack.  This will be the third time I did this slack.  Although it is only 20 miles, the elevation  change is something like 7000-8000 feet.  Earl stated that this type of day only comes around a handful of times before the cooler weather sets in during September.  The cold front that came in yesterday and certainly last night, has brought the clear cold air with it.  The tread coming down the Three Ridges was as I remembered it.  Hard, rocky and way overgrown.  Still that way today.  The big difference with this hike is that I could actually see further the five feet ahead of me.  The views were outstanding.  After I started the climb up the Priest, I began running into the north-bounders.  Of course they all gave me crap for slacking.  And yes, I do deserve it but I will still GLADLY do it again.  I even ran into Stinger.  I came off Springer Mountain the same day as him.  He should be much much further then me.  He is enjoying the social aspect of the AT.  I also ran into Mouse.  As we crossed paths she asked me what I was doing.  I acted puzzled and asked her what she was doing.  I said I was hiking to Maine.  Why was she headed back to Springer?  She got all serious as I started to walk away.  I kept this up for a bit.  As it turns out, even after goong the wrong direction in Daleville, she indicated that she had lost her focus and has becomes turned around several more times.  I think she eventually got the humor out of it.  I got back for her "you don't stop when climbing up a hill" comment the day a was entering heat exhaustion.  I hear she is getting off at Front Royal for a bit. I should still pass her again somewhere in the Shennies.  The day was simply fantastic all day.  In-fact, over the last three days, I have been getting more happy everyday.  Today was like the wonders of life and the realization of how great it is to be a thru hiker just crashed into my head.  It has been a very long time since I have felt this way ... this happy ... This full of life.  At the end of today's hike there is a local site called Spy Rock.  With the bad weather the last two hikes, there was no reason to go off trail to see what it was all about.  But with today begin what it is, I decided to go to it. It's not far off the trail, maybe a couple hundred yards.  I looked up at it and it. Seemed to be a very, very steep rock climb. Odd for such a hot spot.  I figured well if the locals can get up it, I could as well.  So I started my climb.  Hand over hand.  If I slipped, I would be hurt ... Badly.  Going up is always easier then going down.  I actually was thinking how would I ever get down this rock face.  Once on top I had a 360 degree view of the area, thus the name Spy Rock.  I took my pictures and then started to think about the climb down.  It just did not make any sense about how dangerous it is to get up.  So I started to look around to see if there was some other way up, or in my case, down.  And of course I found it.  There was a path that was not only a gradual path, it even had a rope line tied up to what was viewed as the steep places, that actually we're not even all that steep.  Can you say Da?  Da.  The day had been so great.  I met the Dutchman at the parking lot.  The ride back to the Dutch Haus was supposed to be there in about 10 minutes so I may as well wait.  Earl came and drove us back to the B&B.  Once there, I sat around with the other hikers in the living room.  Showered, and dinner.  Lasagna tonight.  Yum.  Again, a great meal.  My items all got moved to the semi private room while I was hiking.  Was in it with the Dutchman.  He was there the night before so I ended up on the top bunk.  With my climbing experience of Spy Rock today, I now had the confidence that I could make it up the stairs to the bunk. Went to bed at 9:30.  I did not want to the day to end but I know it needed to.  Fell asleep rather quickly.  I cannot say enough about my day today.  Thank you Lord.  To have even one of these in your life is a true blessing.