Date: 2006-08-31
From: Glasgow, Virginia

To: Catawba, Virginia
Miles today: 76.5

After Glasgow we camped 2 miles into the woods. In the morning we started off with a 2.7 mile uphill that really got the blood pumping. After that we had a very relaxed walk along the side of a long winding ridge. At marble spring we ran into the SOBO named Kirk whom we had run into the day before. He had shin splints and was taking it easy although we may meet him again since we are taking these three days off from the trail. Perhaps some others will have a chance to catch up as well. We took it easy that morning and had a good time climbing up High Cock Knob and Thunder Ridge. At the top of the ridge we stopped for lunch by an overlook and talked with a very peppy group of middle aged women who had completed or were working on AT thru-hikes(section hikers). Around that same time we also began to pass large groups of college students on an orientation backpacking trip from Washington Lee University. Good group of kids, but it amazes me how clueless their leadership seems to be. Luck the AT isn't an extreme wilderness setting. The afternoon of that first day we hiked over Apple Orchard Mountain which is one of the taller peaks in Virginia at 4,225 feet. On top there was a huge radar tower operated by one of the military branches. From there it was a mostly downhill jaunt to the Bryant Ridge shelter which was a beautiful structure of lumber cut 4 times as thick as it needed to be. The forest in that area had a nice open understory with lots of deer. It looked like rain for much of the day, but again we managed to escape mother nature's wrath. Thank You. In the morning we proceeded up and over a small hillock down to Jennings Creek. By the creek we bathed and met another group of college students. From there it was another long and winding climb up to Cove Mountain. That afternoon passed pleasantly and we made it to the shelter with plenty of daylight to spare after crossing BRP many many times. Sadly, the shelter had no water and I had to make a 45 minute sidehike to get some. Waking up we had 10 miles into Troutville, where we went to the post office. Feels like the south now and we are getting into some pretty strong accents down here. We then hiked another 1.5 miles to a major highway intersection and the accompanying sprawl. After narrowly crossing an insane intersection with our lives we went to McDonalds. The first fast food of the trail and it was surprisingly satisfying. Out of town we climbed a steep ridge and then made a nice traverse with good views around a fairly large reservoir. That night we camped in Lambert meadow on wonderfully soft ground. On a down note we found a huge number of ticks on our bodies. I found at least 17 that had already bitten me and The General found that and many more. Kind of freaked us out. Luckily, we are getting out of Lyme's disease territory. Rocky Mountain Spotted fever becomes a bigger problem down south though. That night a big cold front swept in and brought a long steady rain with it. First rain that we have gotten in over a month. Since we only had 10 miles to cover the next day before chad picked us up in Catawba we slept in. We didn't evacuate the tent till 11:30. The rain never let up though and we booked it over some fairly large hills and on down to VA 311. Passing by Mcafee Knob and other areas known for their excellent views. This was not the day for sweeping panoramas though and we didn't even slow down. At 311 we hiked down the highway and waited around the local General store till Chad could pick us up, but the Blacksburg installment will have to wait till later.