Date: 2010-06-16
From: Stony Creek Valley

To: Sinking Creek Valley, VA 42
Miles today: 18.4

Updated since. 6-11 long day, tired please read the other updates. I will update this one in the morning.Don took me to a small outfitter where I got new shoes the Inov I bought in Hot Springs are worn out and are hurting my feet. The large and small Virginia rocks are unforgiving. The new ones are Columbia hybrid trailrunners and seem to be comfortable. The test will be today, 18.5 miles, 2 large uphill climbs, 2 large downhills and many many many rocks!We begin the hike southbound through cow pastures and meadows and enter the woods uphill. After about a mile we came to an abandoned house, 2 stories, no windows and some trash left by some inconsiderate people who think someone will come miles into the woods and pick up after them. This year there is more trash than I have ever seen. We break briefly, take a few photos and move on. Laurel Creek shelter is 2.5 miles in time for a snack and check the register. It is a nice shelter real near a great creek for water. We have found water not to be very plentiful in VA. It has been very hot hiking and the streams are great to cool off we pour cold water on our heads and get refreshed.Continuing on, uphill we see our hiking friend Big R and his brother again. They are doing really well and tell us of our impending steep trail. I don't like steep trails so it doesn't make me a happy camper. We put one foot in front of the other and sweat, sweat and more sweat! I go a little slow but consistant. We reach the crest finally at Kelly's Knob. Half Left spots a side trail to the lookout so we go and get to the knob which is a few LARGE boulders perched off the cliff for a great lookout point. The only problem is, you have to jump about 3 feet to get to the best vantage point. Both of us spring out and perch ourselves on the lookout, what a view! Photos are taken and we must move forward. The trail is rocky but somewhat level for a couple of miles then 2 miles of steep downhill mostly on a rocky logging road. We pitty the hikers having to go the other way but little did we know our next climb is ridiculously worse. Half Left and I stop for lunch at a road crossing and see Utah, a hiker we met before. We picked him up a small bottle of whiskey in Marion and have been carrying it. We were glad to finally see him and of course he was pleasantly surprised to see us! Onward bound we eat and start our climb. At the 2nd shelter we spot Wild Poodle, shoes and socks off, massaging her tired feet. We were out of water again so Half Left refills our Platypus. Resting, we snack and get ready for our huge climb. Wild Poodle leaves the shelter while we finish signing the register and wait for our water to get ready. We are treating our water with Aqua Mira which takes 20 minutes at the very least to be ready for drinking. The hike begins and I begin to breath heavy but continue a steady pace. About 15 minutes in we pass a few hikers who tell us it is a long way up, so long they don't even want to say. We stop a few times to drink water but don't linger because it causes you to have to rewarm up. The top is finally visible, yay! Then a few ridge walking miles without rocks. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a fox. He is fast and I don't get a chance to let Half left see him before he's gone. We step up our pace to make up time. We plan to be finished by 6:00. The trail is easy but we are out of water again and hoping to get some soon. A spring is down a small hill and we get our water. We still have 6 miles to do and don't realize rocks are covering 4 miles of our remaining time. On we go, then the rocks start, ouch! It's 4:30 and we still have 3.3 miles to go. I say we will make it, Half Left is discouraged. Huge rocks one on top of the other and you never know which ones are the unsteady ones. We get to the 3rd shelter at 5:30 with 1.5 miles left. We leave a message for Poodle with a hiker waiting for his buddies and carry on making it to the trailhead at 5:59! I go straight to the Stony creek take my shoes off and soak them in the cold water, ahhhhhh. Wild Poodle comes in at 6:30 and our ride at 6:31. Another 18.5 for the books...