Date: 2005-04-19
From: Va 635, Stoney Creek Valley

To: Va. 641, Clendennin Rd
Miles today: 17.6

Today is Tuesday April 19th. We got up at 6:20AM. We left our hotel at 6:47 and dropped off the first car at Va641. Didn't have much trouble. We went down to Cherokee Flats day use area and had breakfast. And then Terry went and took picture of the damaged bridges from yesterdays hike. Then we drive up VA635 2 miles and parked the car at Peters Mt Wilderness area. We got ready and we're on the trail at 8:10am. We started right up on a nice old road. We went by the Pine Swamp shelter and there were three people there. One guy we had seen at the Cherokee flats trailhead. He had skipped the trail at the collapsed bridge and took the 2 mile road walk. After the shelter there were some switchbacks and some following of the creek. Parts of the trail were steep but you were following an old road. We crossed the stream and then really started switch backing. Turns out the trail has been relocated here to improve it. At about 9:10 a.m. we took a break for 10 minutes. And then up and up over the crest of the first Hill at 9:45 a.m. And then down a ways to a bog which we walked around. We reach the intersection of the Allegheny Trail at 9:55 a.m. And we're taking another little break. We reached another Crest at about 10:45 a.m. and there were some views but blocked by trees. Then we started to go down. We met a thru hiker named 4 Cheese, originally from North Carolina. He said he's doing a trail Journal but it only has one entry so far. A little later we ran across another through hiker name the Scarecrow. He says he's doing a very elaborate Trail Journal of his hike. He asked us to get on the journal site and give him some love for his journal. Born in Elgin, Illinois but they moved very shortly after to Delaware. 4 cheese Started on the trail March 3rd. So now its 11:25 a.m. and we've stopped for a snack. I've been forgetting to say the weather today was fantastic, it started out cold but now it's great. A beautiful sky, not a cloud in it. During I break a hiker came by Trail name Orphan with a Boston baseball cap on. He used to be Kiddo and Daddy-O but now Orphan. Because his father had to get off the trail for medical reasons. Another guy walks up as we're sitting there he's on a one-week section hike, day one. He hikes 1 week every year for 16 years. He said he was from Memphis. He was mid-forties age. But now we have to get going, it's time to move on. We are only at the 5.2 mile mark with 12 miles to go. We met Rob on the trail; he had let his cell phone go dead and can't communicate with his father, so we recorded a message for his father. We will call to his father at the end of our hike, telling him that Rob is all right. At 1:25 p.m. we came to a nice Campground. In a place called The Orchard with fantastic views of West Virginia. So it's become overcast which helps keep it cooler, because we are a little tired and the feet are feeling it a little bit. We believe we're 7.8 miles into the hike. It's called Symms Gap here. At 1:55 p.m. we left Symms Gap. The next Hiker we met was called Doc Holliday; he's a college teacher from Maine. He already thru hiked back in 72 and now he's doing another thru-hike. So from there it was just walking and more walking and everything seemed the same, just kept walking. Finally at about 4 p.m. we came to the power lines so we knew where we were. We walked along the power lines and kept going, went over a stile walk through a meadow came down to a gap. We had some fantastic views of Paris Mountain. At 4:35 p.m. we got to the Rice Field shelter. We hope to take only a 15-minute break.  we left there at 4:55 p.m. We headed back into the woods with 13 miles under our belts. We were on a good trail and make good time, about two and a half miles, in the next hour. Then finally you start down and at about 7 p.m. we could hear the sounds of Pearisburg. We get on some switchbacks in the last mile. We got down to a creek and had to cross it about 4 times before we finally came out at 7:25 p.m. And we are happy, happy, happy. We jumped in our car and went back to get the other car. By 8:00pm we were taking care of business and making a call for Rob.