Date: 2011-06-23
From: Harpers Creek Tent Pad-near shelter

To: Rockfish Gap entry three of the day
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: light rain

Fraser Fir-Section Hiker-north bounder from Georgia to Maine 06/23/2011 my third entry of this exciting day!As I had stated in journal entry two of this day, I had a quick chat with Stephanie. After climbing a little bit of an ¢up¢, I find myself hiking alongside a dad and his young daughter. I engage in a conversation with dad, as I have two junior hikers myself.As we are hiking parallel to the Blue Ridge Parkway and near Reeds Gap, ¢dad¢ asks me a favor:He asks me to give ¢mom¢ a quick message. They are about ten minutes behind. (Dad and older sister)I catch up to mom and another young lady.Like dad, mom has on a backpack and is carrying a fair share of the load.Both parents and both children seem absorbed in the beauty of the landscape and the bountiful opportunities to grab black berries! 8---) big smiley face!I follow up in giving mom the great news and press onto Reeds Gap.Some of the thru hikers that I have seen out on the trail are taking a lunch break at the Three Ridges Overlook. I cross the parkway and head towards the absolutely beautiful Cedar Cliffs and Dripping Rocks. The trail is fairly flat and I make great time as I stay below the parkway, while hiking parallel to the road, all the while being far enough away to not hear any automobile noise.I fill up my water bottles and make up some of my final Gatorade mix for this trip.Cedar Cliffs and the Dripping Rocks are awesome! 8--))I stop and have a snack and drink Gatorade and take in the awesome views of the area.After a snack, the skies start to darken and it cools off into the mid 70 F range.The humidity level is near 100 percent.I have a slight bald spot on my head with kinky hear otherwise when the humidity kicks in!I commit a sin that requires confession at the Priest Shelter.I blue blaze around Humpback Rocks. I opt for the Blue Ridge Parkway and hike around four miles per hour.My umbrella is open as the rain starts to come down.I feel kinda like a cheapskate for blue blazin on the Blue Ridge parkway.      8---((   bad boy!My umbrella does the trick as the rain starts to really start coming down.I average around four miles per hour along the asphalt of one of the most amazing wonders in America: the Blue Ridge Parkway.The blue blaze backfires when I get to the Humpback Rocks Parking Area.I am trying to figure out which blue blaze trail will take me to the A.T. and eventually onto Paul C. Wolfe Shelter and Mill Creek.The bad news is that I have adult ADHD and sometimes I cannot handle really detailed complicated maps. Kinda scary that I am a hiker, whatcha think?Well, I decide to head south on the Humpback trail thinking that it will quickly hook up with the A.T.1,000 feet of elevation increase and 1.5 miles later, I run into a family that is descending to the parking lot.Obviously, I ask if they know where the A.T. intersects with this trail.I can tell by Dad¢s response that they were not looking for the A.T. and are not quite sure where it would be.Decisions, decisions, decisions. I opt to turn around and go back down to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Humpback Parking area.This time, God blesses me with a new perspective on the parking area and additional trail intersections that I did not see the first time.I find a blue blazer that quickly intersects with the A.T and gets me headed in the right direction towards the last shelter before Rockfish Gap and the conclusion of my 2012 northbound section hike.It is time to get out the phone and call my shuttle driver, Bill, from Front Royal and give him the scoop.Thank you for reading my journal. I pray that I can make it to Maine someday with my children.For my close friends, you will get formal invitations to meet in Millinocket and hike to the top of Katahdin with me at a date and time to be determined in the far out future.That is the goal! Take care! One more hiking entry to go on this section of the Appalachian Trail. It will be sad to conclude!