Date: 2006-04-21
From: Ivey Creek Overlook SD 77.5

To: Swift Run Gap US 33
Miles today: 9.9

Ivey Creek Overlook SD 77.5 to Pinefield Gap Skyline Drive Mile 75.2  N 1.8 MilesPinefield Gap Skyline Drive Mile 75.2 to Simmons Gap SD 63.2  N 1.9 MilesSimmons Gap SD 63.2 to Powell Gap SD 69.9  S 3.3 MilesPowell Gap SD 69.9 to Smith Roach Gap SD68.6  S 1.6 MilesHigh top Mt Parking SD 66.7 to Swift Run Gap US 33  N 1.3 MilesSplit hikes allow you to carry less and rest more and take better care of your feet. My God, 5 separate shuttles.Today is Friday April twenty first. We spent last night down in Swift Run at the Misty Mountain motel, forty five dollars, it was OK. It did what we needed. Had a fantastic nice shower warm water and powerful. We got there just a few minutes after 8:00pm and I started watching Survivor. We cleaned up and then at nine o'clock we headed down to Elkton and had a nice little Subway sandwich. We found the Food Lion at about ten o'clock. We wanted cereal and milk and a half gallon of ice cream, or fifty six ounces. Went back to the motel ate all the ice cream. And then, we couldn't go to sleep. We finally did after eleven o'clock or so because we stayed up to watch weather. This morning we got up here on Skyline drive, we get on the trail from Ivy Creek overlook to Pine Field Gap. And that was a very nice trail, just up over a little mountain, gentle. It was actually shorter than the road, and it was all very nice. Its overcast today, it rained a little bit during the night. we didn't get rained on yet today, and then we left the Ivy Creek overlook at nine am and got to our car at Pinefield Gap right about nine forty eight. At nine forty we were at the side trail to the shelter, but decided not to go. We could see it through the woods, but didn't feel like taking that extra little trip. OK we have shuttled the cars and we started from Pine field gap at 10:25 am. Got up to the top of Weaver mountain around the 11:00 am, and on the way down decided that we'd probably reached our Thousand mile mark on the A/T, and had a little kiss, and picture taking. That trail wasn't too bad either, just nice and gentle, almost like you're going through old orchard or pasture land. And then you get up on the mountain, and no good views. you can see through the woods because it's so early in the year, the leaves aren't pushed out yet. And then we get back to the car at Simmons Gap SD 63.2 at eleven twenty five. Repositioned and now we're taking a little rest before we do our next hike. At twelve fifteen we got ready to go out of Powell Gap heading south toward Simmons Gap. There was a truck pulled up next our car, and he got out and he had a little bucket, and we said "What are you looking for? He said Morel mushrooms, hadn't been too successful yet, but he took off through woods. We Started in this trail, and looking for morels kind of took our mind off going uphill. Then we finally turned, you get on this old road and it went up fairly steeply. And finally you make a ninety degree turn and get off the road and you get up by some rock outcropping or flat stone ledge, looking out over a valley. We think, might have been Bacon Hollow. Just nice views and then it flattens out but you still kind of slowly going uphill. At one o'clock we decided to take a rest. We rested for twenty minutes, got back on the trail. At one thirty five we finally had hit the very top of the mountain and started down. Oh yeah it started just barely sprinkling during our break, so we got done with our break and over the top. And so we headed down and finally we come to an old road that goes along a little creek. And just kept going on and on, it was nice and gentle. And finally we saw the ranger station through the trees and heard the cars and came on out to Simmons Gap at two eighteen. And then we went to reposition the Cars again. When we were shuttling the car, Terry yells, what is that? I look up and there's this bear looking at us. we figure he was a year old, but he had just come up from below, up to the shoulder, and stopped and he saw our car. and then he finally decided to turn around and take off. so he was really cute. We started the next hike at Smith Roach gap and hiked back to Powell Gap. At 3:50 we got on the trail. And what do you remember about that hike? Just a little bit of up, it was like you're on an old road the whole time, nice and wide. Finally you get up to the top, and you barely get up there, and you start right down. Finally you come to this old orchard, then pasture land. Next thing you know there¢s a road next to you, and they come out to total grassy area and at four thirty we're back at the car at Powell Gap. We reshuttle the cars. We were trying to get one more hike, and at five o'clock we took off from High Top parking area at SD 66.7 and we hiked north. And that one was very similar to the last one, they were both very nice; we hiked up an old road and they just kind of take you up and over. And then you start down and it's like open pasture land again. I remember that it was just all nice and then finally you kind of turn, and you come around, you start seeing a road, you realize its Hwy 33. That's when you hear the cars and we came out of the there at 5:30 and then Two minutes later we were across the bridge and back to our car. And just right then, it started raining, we got in the car and then it started really pouring. And we started driving and we went to Lewis Mountain campground, decided not to stay there, we decided to drive on to the Big Meadows and that's where we spent the night. Paid couple of dollars for showers each. Ate at the Lodge, because it was a special day for us, being the thousand mile mark. Got real foggy. We come out of the lodge it was so foggy we had trouble finding our way back to our campsite, but we finally did.