Date: 2004-05-11
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Dickey Gap - Troutdale Baptist Hostel
Miles today: 21.2

Today has been a great day. It began at Thomas Knob Shelter very early - at 5:45. I did not feel good yesterday, and felt queasy overnight in the shelter, so when first light came I got up to visit the privy and just quietly got everything ready to leave. I was on the trail at 6:30 and very quickly entered the Grayson Highlands section, a very high part of the trail traversing high grasslands with rugged rock outcroppings on high mounds scattered around the tops of the bald mountains. The most exciting part of the Grayson Highlands is the wild feral ponies that live and graze there. They are very small horses that roam freely in these high pastures. I was disappointed at first because as I climbed the first rugged rock outcrop I spotted the herd about a mile away in a far pasture on a distant mountainside. It looked like I would miss seeing them up close. For several miles I crossed open grassland between climbs to the high rocky jagged outcrops, and I came across four different small bands of the ponies. They are beautiful and not especially afraid of hikers. I could get very close to some of them and took lots of pictures. The Grayson Highlands themselves are a must see. They seem so wild and untamed and you feel like a tiny speck crossing the open pastures between climbs over the rocks. I also passed through Fatman Squeeze, where the trail goes through a narrow crevice in the rocks at one of the exposed rocky outcrops. Fatman Squeeze is unique, but not really a tight squeeze; there is room to get through, but you hop across and around large rocks as you do it. I was looking forward to hiking this section specifically, and it did not disappoint. My original plan for today was to hike to Old Orchard Shelter, about 11 miles from Thomas Knob Shelter. I knew I wanted to go further so that I could hike past tomorrow's original plan (which was Trimpi Shelter - for Wednesday night), thereby making Thursday's hike to Partnership Shelter less than the original 10.6 miles and I could get there earlier and try to shower. Well, I was at the Old Orchard Shelter by 12:30 today - all 11 miles completed. I cooked lunch and rested awhile, then started hiking, knowing whatever I completed extra today would allow me to shorten the hike Thursday, if tomorrow (Wednesday) went well. This afternoon I was a "hiking machine". Every time I checked I was further along than expected. There were few views and lots of side hill walking in the deep woods with the mountainside dropping off on a slant below the trail. I planned to hike until 5:00 and then look for a campsite. Around 4:45 I came to a powerline clearing cut through the forest and checked my location. It was 3.3 miles to Dickey Gap at Virginia Highway 16, then less than 3 miles to the small town of Troutdale. I decided to hike to the road and hitch a ride to town. I hit the highway at 6:00, got a ride at 6:20 and was here by 6:30. The Baptist Church has a hiker hostel and I am here with Kat, K2, and Mayagues. I immediately showered, then the four of us walked about 1/2 mile to a restaurant for supper. I am now doing laundry and trying to make phone calls, calling collect, but no one is at home. I think Marlene and Zac are at a basketball meeting. I'll try again later. (No cell phone service in this area). So, today has been my longest hiking day - over 21 miles. I have a little over 14 miles left to reach Partnership Shelter tomorrow, my original destination for Thursday. I will try to hike there and hitch a ride back to Damascus. If I cannot get a ride, I'll stay at the shelter overnight and let Bill Ponder, Vicky MacDonald's brother-in-law from Erwin TN, pick me up as planned. So the hike is nearly completed for another year. This hike has been great, and I have done well. It is hard to start over each year and break in all over again, and as usual, I can tell I'm getting my hiking stamina up just as it's time to stop. But I am well satisfied with my section hikes. Today I passed the 500 mile mark from Springer Mountain in Georgia, where I started in 2002. So that was a good milestone reached. I'll see how I feel and how tomorrow goes. Today is Zac's 17th birthday and I hope I can call home and talk with him and his mother. I'll try again in a few minutes. It has been a good, long, day and my feet can feel the miles. But I am very happy and satisfied with the trip so far. When I can call home and my clothes finish in the dryer, I will head over to the men's bunkhouse and probably turn in fairly quickly. It's 9:15 local time and I am beat. Goodnight Sweetheart.