Date: 2009-05-09
From: Pearisburg, VA 

To: Dismal Branch, VA
Miles today: 20.7

Cell noneOG notesIt was difficult to leave the motel this morning. Last night we were safe and sound while a huge storm went through. Then this morning it was still raining hard when we woke up. We initially intended to start hiking at 7:00 am but waited another 40 minutes for the rain to stop.We started hiking with a break from the rain. That lasted about an hour and then we were hiking in rain once again. The rain lasted a short time and then we hiked without having to wear rain gear.The excitement for the day was every stream, or creek, we crossed was overflowing and made each crossing a real adventure. Red Leg was a Godsend today. He waited for us at each and every crossing to assist us. He hikes a lot faster than us, so by the time we reached the water crossing he had figured what would be the best and safest place to cross. C6 has done an excellent job at these crossings, she hasn't panicked and crossed them all sucessfully.Right now we're camping in someone's yard. We arrived at our intended shelter only to find it totally crowded and not many good options to set up a tent. Someone mentioned this place because it's mentioned in one of the handbooks. It's about a mile further down the trail. The directions tell you to follow the trail until you find a zip line over the creek. The owner is also an AT hiker and welcomes other hikers to stay here. He isn't even home; he's out hiking the AT right now. The people down the road are watching the place and told us we're welcome to stay here. I'm going to let C6 say more about that.I mentioned the creeks are overflowing and difficult to cross. We tried to follow the instructions to this place and were soon stopped by an impossible crossing. Fortunately I remembered something from my 2006 hike and we found a safe alternate. The last time the AT came out on the road and DieHard and I took a high water alternative because the bridge was out. We didn't have high water then but we do now. The AT doesn't go to the road anymore due to a reroute. Thanks to my recollection of going to the road we did just that today and avoided a creek crossing. We're safe and dry and we'll road walk to meet the AT in the morning without having to go near the creek. Oh yes, thank you "Captain" for allowing us to use your yard!C6 notesAnother amazing day!! The water crossings were scary and dangerous. The news last evening and this morning gave tornado and flash flood warnings. The water is extremely high in all the creeks we are seeing. What would normally be a rock hop (just easily stepping from rock to rock to get to the other side) is impossible now. The creeks are raging rivers! We crossed two of them by walking on downed trees. The trees are very slippery, so it's a challenge. Red Leg was so helpful. He's a fabulous guy! I'm so thankful and happy we've been hiking with him. And I love hiking with OG.As for where we are camped tonight...WOW! When we arrived at the shelter we were aiming for and found it full we were disappointed. There is very little flat ground around the shelter, so what few places tents could be put up were already taken. Someone mentioned that there was a note about this person ("The Captain") letting hikers tent in his yard, and he's only about a mile from the shelter, so we decided we'd leave the shelter area and look for a place to tent. This yard would be our last resort.We had to cross the creek one more time, but at the bottom of the mountain it's no longer a creek...it's a huge raging river and impossible to cross safely. Thank goodness OG remembered this area from his 2006 hike. We were able to follow the old AT and cross the river on a very safe road bridge! Whew!So once we got to the road, we walked a while and suddenly saw the address of "The Captain's" house, so we decided to see if we could tent here. He's out hiking, so we took our chance and set up our tents in his yard. Shortly after we set up the tents, a lady (Carrie Dolinger) came walking down the driveway with a dog. Turns out she's a neighbor who watches The Captain's house when he's hiking. She confirmed we could camp here. We asked if we could use his garden hose to get water and she said his water is turned off when he's away, but we were welcome to get water from her house. So OG went with her to fill our water containers. A short while later a car pulls into the driveway, and out comes OG with all the water and a paper grocery bag. Dinner!!Carrie's husband, Avery, had cooked beef stew and fresh cornbread for dinner because their son was going to come over for dinner, but he didn't get there so they had extra food. Avery asked OG how many of us were here and put enough for all 3 of us in a container...with fresh warm cornbread and a stick of butter!!! What a delicious and lovely surprise!!!! We can't thank you enough, Avery and Carrie. Our day ended on such a high note because of your kindness and generosity. Thank you so much!!It's been quite a day. One for the record books! We need a reprieve from the rain so the creeks can go back down for safe crossings. We were a little concerned about camping in this yard because the creek is so high, but Carrie assured us that the creek was higher and is going down now. So even if it rains tonight, we can be confident we'll not float away. Red Leg asked if she'll call for help if she sees us floating by and she assured us she will. So, again, what a day it has been! I'm happy to be in our tent for the night. There was a lot of excitement and a fabulous ending. The hiking in the middle was challenging, but we did 21 miles!Old Goat & Check Six