Date: 2006-10-06
From: Va. 605

To: Ashby Gap, US 50
Miles today: 7.3

Ashby Gap, US 50 to Va. 605    S 7.3 MilesToday is Friday October sixth. We got up from spending the night at the Front Royal Motel and met David down at Big K in Front Royal. I went in and got some milk and we decide to go to Burger King for breakfast. It was raining and we are trying to kill time and do some hike planning. David bought a USA Today, and we sat there and read it. We were there for two hours.  Eventually we drove out of Front Royal and up to the Sky Meadows State Park and found out that the primitive campground was a walk-in site. That wouldnt work for us tonight. Came up to the trailhead at the Ashby gap, US 50/17, and we finally found the trailhead parking, and we left Davids truck there. Drove north on 601 and then you drive down 605. A steep gravel road and you go alongside this 10 ft chain link fence, finally there were some goats and cows and stuff inside the fence. So we were out in the middle of nowhere and you finally find the trail head and parked our car, and we headed off at 1:25. And it just stopped raining, we said, this is perfect. Then it drizzled as we did some ups and downs. And then finally it rained a little bit harder and we kept going and looking for that Rod Hollow shelter. We finally got to the trail to the shelter at 3.7 miles and David went down a little ways, but it's too far, so we're going to keep going. That was at two hours. We kept going and there was a side trail to the Myron Glaser Cabin. And David asked me if I want to go down there. No I don¢t. I thought he would run down there and come right back, and he left and he went down to the cabin. So 20 minutes later Terry's getting cold, he said, "I¢m walking on down the AT trail". I go, "oh no, I gotta wait for David". And I waited 10 minutes and here I am all by myself. So then finally I said, what am I going to do, I¢m getting scared, so I start walking down the A-T. But I'm so worried David might go the wrong way. And I'm walking, I'm getting mad at everybody including myself, and then finally, I get to where Terry stopped. And we talked and we discussed things and finally, Terry agreed we better go back. No point in finishing ahead of David. Its raining and we dont have a key to his van. We then started back, hardly at all, and here comes David. He says it¢s like a half mile trail the cabin, but it was neat and he took pictures and stuff. So we turn around and start to walk again. It rained heavier, we had a bunch of creek crossings. None of them were terrible, but they're full, are running pretty full. And just boulder hopping and stuff. But the trail did get better, less up and down and some level stretches and a lot better after the shelter trail. But we were ready to finish, I had never rested during all the rain, hadn¢t had a drink of water or anything. And then finally you could hear the highway, but never could get to the trailhead. It was just like teasing you, you hear these cars, but finally at 5:45, we came out to Ashby Gap, and then we drove back down here to Va 605. And we each parked our vehicle and were camping here tonight. We had a nice supper in David's Sprinter and just a nice evening, nice quiet evening, we hope we¢re going to sleep real well.