Date: 2017-06-14
From: Harpers Creek Shelter Tent Site

To: Reeds Gap/Devil's Backbone Brewery 
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

6/14Harpers Creek Shelter Tent Site to Reeds Gap/Devil's Backbone Brewery 7.9 miles Total miles:  842.8Note:  I was able to upload photos from 6/11 through 6/14 today.Today was a special day both on and off the trail that leaves me full of joy and contentment  (although, admittedly, with sore feet).  Stopping at Devil's Backbone Brewery was always part of my plan, and today was the day.  From reading and you tube videos, I knew that the brewery was very hiker friendly, offering free camping, a wonderful restaurant, award-winning beers, a hiker breakfast, and a shuttle back to the trail.  I slept in a bit this morning, because it was "only" a 7.9 mile hike to Reeds Gap and VA  664, the road where the brewery is located.  I was on the trail by 7:30 and, after a minor bit of confusion about where the trail headed out (will I ever  learm?), I was ready to tackle Three Ridges Mountain. Or, rather, it was set to tackle me. I know there must have been tougher climbs, but I don't remember when.  There were numerous rock scrambles, some of them extremely steep, as well as lots of loose rocks strewn by the thousands on the trail.  Still, I was rewarded by several beautiful views, and I actually enjoyed the challenge of most of the ascent (with the exception, as always, of the loose-rocks-trying-to-twist-your-ankle part).  One cool thing about following the white blazes is that if you stick with it, you'll get through it.  In time, I reached the summit, and found that the descent was not nearly as rugged as the ascent, another example of Virginia's "roller coaster" mountains. Over the past few days, I have made some new trail friends.  U-Turn and Colonel are a daughter/father team that is thru hiking together.  I had the pleasure of talking with both of them today.  Colonel is convinced that all of Virginia seems to be "up."  Their relationship with each other is obviously special, and it is a joy to see them together.  Having hiked a section of the trail with my son, Stephen, and looking forward to doing the same in Vermont with my daughter, Becky, it makes me realize what a lucky father I am.  My son, Greg, lives in England, so he won't be hiking with me, but I know he is following along with my adventures and misadventures.  I also had a nice chat with Brooke today, who is combining a love of biology and walking by doing a thru hike.  He was fortunate enough to see a huge rattlesnake the other day and shared his video with me.  It took awhile, but I finally made it to Reeds Gap, and Gravity was soon there as well.  We faced the dilemma of how to travel the five miles from the Gap to the Brewery.  For the first time on the trip, I stuck out my thumb and hitch hiked.  In less than a minute, a car pulled over to give us a ride. A wonderfully friendly and outgoing man named Hurt was more than happy to take us to the Brewery.  I offered to buy him a beer, and he said he would probably be back at the pub that evening.  After good-naturely agreeing to a photo opp, he left us at our destination.  The next thought in my mind was as always now, food and how to get it. Gravity and I went into the restaurant, where I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, fries, and a Backpackin' Brown Ale.  All were first rate.  After eating, we headed over to the tentsite area.  Just in time, it turns out, because within minutes of setting up our tents and getting our gear situated, the now daily thunderstorm began.  Gravity stayed in his tent while I walked back to the Brewery in the rain.  As I was relaxing under the pavilion, I noticed that a staff meeting of some sort was going on.  As soon as it ended, I approached Tony to personally thank him for everything that Devil's Backbone was doing for us hikers.  We started up a spirited conversation about brewing beer, and he offered me my own personal tour of their brewing facility and threw in a complimentary pint as well. I found that all the Devil's Backbone employees I met today are like Tony; friendly, outgoing, and passionate about their products.  Elizabeth took a photo of Tony and me before explaining everything the brewery offered hikers, and then took a selfie with me.  Tony came back to escort me to my tour guide, Carrie.  She showed me their system at this facility, which is used for experimenting with recipes, while their main production occurs at their facility in Lexington. The system here is of German design but was actually manufactured and originally used in Japan.  The system had to be completely disassembled for shipping and, upon arrival, it was discovered that all of the instructions and control information were in Japanese. Their head brewer had quite a challenge figuring out which control did what, and the original Japanese lettering is still on the system (with English translations added above).  Carrie told me about the brewery's "Family Beer" program.  Once a year, all Devil's Backbone employees are involved in a meeting where they are randomly assigned to a team with one brewer per team and challenged to come up with a new beer.  The best of these collaboration beers are then produced for sale. Backpackin' Brown Ale, Apricot Jam, and Shroom Ale, are all such family beers.  Carrie's team came up with Apricot Jam and, while I am not usually a fan of fruit beers, I found it subtle and delicious.  After the tour, I sat at the bar to enjoy my free pint, and was soon joined by Hurt and his husband, Peter.  We had a wonderful conversation covering everything from beer, Virginia, education, and what is truly important in life. While discussing the difficulty of the trail over Three Ridges Mountain, I asked Peter if he had ever considered a thru hike.  He said he was still in the forty year training plan for his hike.  We had a great time and, again, I continue to be amazed and humbled by all of the tremendous people I am meeting.  After Hurt and Peter left, it was time to eat again. I went back to my old standard of a bacon cheeseburger and fries.  The food was again delicious.  Hiker midnight approached, and Gravity and I headed for our tents.  The hiker breakfast tomorrow is at 7:00 and the shuttle is at 10:00.  The plan is to go fourteen miles tommorow, which will then get us to Waynesboro early on Friday.  The trail appears to be reasonably easy, but only time will tell.  Mike, a good friend and hiking buddy from back home, will be in Waynesboro and I am excited about sharing this adventure with an old friend along with my new ones.