Date: 2014-06-03
From: spring cÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ mpsite

To: Sarver Hollow/Pickle Branch Sheleter
Miles today: 33.2
Weather: light rain

There is a nasty rumor on the Trail that Virginia is flat. They say its easy. It is neither of these. True there are parts that resemble "flat" but one must climb a long steep way to get to these areas. With 14 state borders to cross it is easy to get lost in counting these crossing as land marks. The problem in doing so is that not all state borders are evenly spaced. With more than 500 miles in Virginia alone(most of any state) it is a long way to the next state line. If one measures thier success by the number of states crossed then you are in for what some have dubed "Virginia Blues". If however, one enjoys each day for what it is and the reward is in the journey and not the destination then each day can be a success. After leaving our wonderful camp at Wind Roack we followed a ridge line for some time. We carry a guide book that shows profile of elevation gain and loss of the Trail. What this topo fails to show is all the rocks and obstacles in a given area. True our ridge was "flat" but the way was barred with rocks, fallen trees and other hazards. It was evedent that this section of trail had not been cleared in some time. We picked our way along the ridge line and finally found our way down to a shelter where a long break was had. The days are becoming longer so we are not in as much of a rush to make our daily miles as in the past. We only had one significant climb for the day. After a long rest and consuming extra calories it wasnt that big a deal. Much of Virginia's Trail passes through open pastures and farm land. Today was no different. We exited the woods and promptly came into a large open area. After being in the woods for so long these open areas can be quite lovely. The sun met us and we walked in the open for a bit. We passed the Keffer Oak. At more than 18' round and over 300 years old this majestic tree has seen a lot. OK said how he would like to climb it. I guess he is still a kid at heart. The day's end found us at Sarvr Hallow Shelter. The shelter was 1/2 mile off Trail and down a steep hill. The idea of hiking back up in the morning tempted neither of us. So we slept on Trail at the turn off to the shelter. Glad we did too. It is rumored that the shelter is haunted. A man moved his family up to the mountain and carved out a living from the land. Sadly he lost two children early on. The remnants of a homestead can still be seen. Hikers have reported hearing footsteps in the night and even cases of being shacken awake. I was sleeping cowboy style and admitt I moved my bedroll closer to dad's tent.A light rain came in the morning. I was under a large maple tree and desppite being out in the open with no tent I stayed dry! I thought this might be a good day. The next days hike had us once again following the ridge. This time it was over sheer rock slaps angled at ankle wrenching sharp degrees. However the views were excellenct. We happened apon a turtle. I thought to myself what a long way to Maine at his pace. Glad we could move faster, we snapped a picture and moved on. The guide book showed a stream not far from our location. However, once there it was dry. Not even mud remained. Now we have been lucky with missing rain but at the same time no rain means dry creeks and other water sources. We had good cloud coverage and each had extra water so no real concerns of dehyration loomed. We made the next shelter and took a break. It started to rain. Luckily we were in no hurry and waited the storm out. Sometimes you get lucky sometime you get wet. This time we stayed dry. This had makings of a good day. Leaving the comforts of the shelter we once again struck out on the Trail. The elevation was gentle and the tread under foot was excellent. Mostly pine needles. We came to a river. By this point in our hike we were both a bit smelly. So the opotunity to rinse off could not be missed. We promptly stripped to shorts, wet our bandanas and took trail baths. Once "clean" and back on trail we proceeded to climb 1500feet. The climb wasnt too bad. Lots of switch backs and again nice tread underfoot. We heard a large movement up the mountain side and the sound of tree limbs snapping. We stopped in our tracks and looked up Trail to see a bear! Awesome!! We gave the bear a decent amount of space, searched to see that there were no others in the area and went on our way. Once to the top of the climb we came apon the Audie Murphy Monument. Murphy was the most decorated American off World War II. Can you believe he almost wasn't allowed in because he was too small? He proved its not the size of the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog. He later went on to star in many western adventures and even played himself in his own life story. I felt a bit humbled to say the least. We took a short rest before continuing on. Again we came to a creek and decided another "bath" was in order. I jumped right in clothes and all. It was threatening rain so we made quick work of it before heading to the shelter were we would camp for the night. The rain held off long enough to not only get to camp and set up but to also enjoy an evening fire. So ended my favorite day on Trail, thus far. Miles and Smiles         Salty