Date: 2007-06-15
From: Blue Ridge Parkway 51.7 - Punchbowl X

To: Salt Log Gap/USFS 63
Miles today: 19.4

We are at the Natural Bridge Hotel. We got up at 6:00 AM and we were on the road at 6:45. Got to the trail at 7:50. Liz is hiking south from Salt Log Gap, USFR 63 to the Blue Ridge Parkway. She is hiking 19.4 miles today. The computer was a necessity in finding the trail. The gravel forest roads are not on the maps we have but they are on MSFT Streets and maps. With the GPS set up, it was pretty easy to find. The AT is 7.1 miles off the beaten path.After we dropped Liz, we went to Monticello and it was most interesting. Jefferson¢s home is beautiful and the gardens remarkable. Jefferson documented everything he did and the documentation still exists today. He used a copy machine (picture a pen attached to a parallel rule) that duplicated his writing. He designed his own gardens while he was in Richmond and Washington sending the designs back to Monticello. These designs exist today providing a way to accurately replicate the gardens and arbors. (Two trees still are alive today from Jefferson¢s plantings.) The second owner of Monticello used the land for farming; as a result, the gardens and walkways were completely obliterated. This Jewish family owned Monticello from Jefferson¢s death until 1923. They did keep many things in the house as Jefferson had them because of their admiration of a person that fought for their religious freedoms.The day has been cool (low sixties) and spitting rain all day. We did find an outfitters store in Charlottesville to pick up some supplies (fuel and water treatment) for Liz.It is 5:00 and we are on the Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 51.7 waiting for Liz to come out. She is not expected until 6:00.The terrain Liz is hiking today is very much up and down. Going north to the south did give her some advantage in that she will have a little more down than up. She started at an elevation of 3,257. Over the first 5 miles she climbed to 4,000¢, down to 3100, back to 4100¢. The next 10 miles she went down to 990 then over 5 miles climbing back to 2170. (If these points formed a straight line it would not be bad, but they do not.)At 6:00, I hiked in for .2 mile and heard, ¢Hi, Mom¢. She is very good at estimating her time. She said the day was great and was very enthusiastic. Again she got to see many fellow hikers since she was going against the tide, so to speak. She met Sweetwater near the end of the day. She had not seen him for a long time. He had been hiking with Rosie (Liz hiked with Rosie in NC), and Rosie had stopped at the previous shelter. They had been reading Liz¢s journal at the shelters of which Liz apparantly writes of playing cards. So they bought some cards and then realized neither knew any card games. So, they are both about one day behind Liz and they better catch up if they want to learn a game a two. Liz hopes they will be catching up soon.We ate dinner at the Pink Cadillac Diner. After returning to the Hotel, Liz got her full pack all ready for the big departure in the morning since we were heading back to RI.As far as her feet are concerned, Liz said that she no longer feels like cutting them off. What an endorsement!The weather was again overcast, showers, and cool.