Date: 2005-05-06
From: Fullhardt Knob Shelter

To: 0.2 mile North of Jennings Creek
Miles today: 23.7

Miles hiked today : 23.723.2 AT miles + 0.5 mile of side trailI woke up this morning at 7:15 a.m., packed up, had breakfast, and was on the trail at 8:00 a.m.I had planned to do a big mileage day today, so I set out hiking very quickly. When I arrived at USFS Road 191, the 2.8 mile mark, at 8:55 a.m., I couldn't believe it, as that meant I was hiking faster than 3 m.p.h. I continued along, reaching Wilson Creek, the 5.5 mile mark at 10:00 a.m. Wilson Creek is also the overall 1/3 point of the entire AT. 10 minutes later I was at Wilson Creek Shelter, having hiked 6.2 miles in 2 hours, 10 minutes.I stopped for 1 hour to rest, filter water, and eat a snack. Red Rover showed up and told me that the cistern at Fullhardt Knob Shelter had been working and that I hadn't been operating it properly. Apparently, it was necessary to not only turn the handle upward, but to push it inward. Good thing that I wasn't in dire need of water last night.After my break, I reached USFS Road 186 at 12:00 p.m. and then crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway for the firs time at 12:15 p.m. I wandered around the Taylors Mountain Overlook for 5 minutes before continuing on. I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway twice more at different overlooks before reaching Bobblets Gap Shelter at 1:55 p.m. I'd covered another 7.3 miles in 2 hours, 45 minutes.It was a moderate descent to the shelter over 0.2 miles and I might have skipped this shelter if I hadn't planned to eat lunch here. The privy on site is by far the nicest I've seen on the trail. It didn't smell bad, had a skylight, and would be spacious enough for a few people to sleep in, in the event of bad weather.I had intended to leave the shelter at 3:00 p.m., though I didn't get moving until 3:45 p.m. It was another 6.4 miles to the next shelter, though I found myself feeling tired during the initial ascent back up to the AT and the portion of trail immediately following. My fatigue didn't last long, however, and I covered 3.3 miles to VA43, arriving at 5:00 p.m. From VA43, I had a minor 490 foot climb up Cove Mountain, which was nicely graded over 1.5 miles. From the vague summit of Cove Mountain, I had a descent of 795 feet over 1.8 miles to Cove Mountain Shelter. Upon arriving at 6:10 p.m., I found a Southbound section hiker who struck me as a little bit creepy. Before reaching the shelter, I had thought about continuing on for 3.1 miles to Jennings Creek and the presence of the SOBO section hiker sealed the deal. I stayed for 10 minutes, just long enough to read and sign the register, and then headed out.The next section began with a small climb, though it soon began to descend. I reached the Buchanan Trail intersection at 6:55 p.m. and descended further to Jennings Creek, arriving at 7:20 p.m. To my dismay, there were no campsites, as the creek is right next to VA614. I saw signs for a private campground, though I would rather not pay to tent when all I have to do is walk a short distance into the woods and find a level clearing.I crossed VA614 and after walking uphill for less than a minute, I saw that there were actually some campsites down in a clearing next to the road. I prefer not to camp next to noisy roads and decided to scout out the immediate area. At 7:30 p.m., I had walked 0.1 mile up the hill when I found a spot to pitch my tent and went to work.Just as I was finishing inflating my sleeping pad and laying out my sleeping bag, I had the living daylights scared out of me by the arrival of Frenchie, as I hadn't expected to see her. Earlier at Bobblets Gap Shelter, I'd proposed that we hike to this location, though she'd said "no way," as it was too far. Apparently, she'd also been unnerved by the SOBO section hiker, read my register entry, and decided to continue on as well. I was happy to see her and, after she pitched her tent, she joined me for dinner.Tomorrow looks to be a day of big climbs. As such, I'm glad I did a big mileage day today, as it'll make tomorrow easier.Bedtime at 10:00 p.m.