Date: 2013-05-09
From: US-220, Daleville VA

To: Cove Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.0
Weather: light rain

After cold, rainy weather up here in Virginia the last couple days, the morning sees some clouds and light rain, with predictions of clearing skies as the day progresses. The weather has been nasty up there the last 2-3 days.   Anyways, I'm packed, leave the HOJO Express and back on the trail heading north from the US-220 highway crossing by 0815 Thursday morning, leaving my car at the HOJO Express parking area for section hikers in the front of the motel. The trail north from town eventually crosses a couple roads, the railroad tracks, then up and down across some local farms with some cows out in the nice morning sun. I really like hiking thru these Virginia farms with the rolling hills, and the cows out grazing in the fields. Eventually the trail goes back into the woods and starts a lot of gently rolling up and downs, crossing several creeks and fence stiles.   It's amazing, it's been 3 weeks since I was up here on the trail, and now the long green tunnel is alive, the trees in this elevation have all their leaves out, the wildflowers are blooming, and the woods is alive with songbirds. It's really a beautiful day for hiking.This section sees some beautiful creeks and waterfalls. I stop briefly at one large creek trail crossing, and 2 sobo local section hikers stop for lunch. They are using the Platypus gravity filter, you see all kinds of water filter and treatment out here. Eventually I stop for a short break at Wilson Creek Shelter, where I see a couple familiar names in the shelter logbook, including Moxie who was here last nite. I only see a couple southbound section hikers all morning, and one northbound thru hiker arrives at the shelter as I'm leaving north.Later in the afternoon, around 3 pm, I get to Boblets Gap Shelter, around 18.5 miles, this was my original plan to stop here for the night. It's a long downhill 0.5 miles to the shelter. Many of the shelters in Virginia are long downhill hikes to get to them. Some are right on the trail, others are way off the trail. I ususlly don't take the time to hike this far off the trail to get to a shelter, but I'm out of water, and the guidebook shows no easy water for several miles. There are 2 other section hikers already here, two older guys from southern Indiana, they are staying here for the nite. I suspect a lot of other northbound thru hikers coming out of Daleville will get here tonite, so after a short break and getting some water from the creek, I decide to push on north. There are 5-6 hours more daylight, sunset is not til after 8:30 pm now.   I'm thinking of going aother couple miles and tenting along the trail. But the trail is not too bad, so I decide to push on to the next shelter, Cove Mountain Shelter, at 25 miles, where I arrive around 6:30 pm. This is probably a mistake to do 25 miles the first day back on the trail.   There are 4 other northbound thru hikers staying here already.   Moxie is here, she is from Colorado and has a Trail Journal. A couple young guys, one from Vermont, one from Virginia Tech, and an older guy from Maine.   A little later another younger guy from New York City arrives. I decide to setup my tent, its only supposed to get down to the low 50s tonite, it should be a good nite for tenting.   This shelter has no water available, one of the few AT shelters with no water nearby.During the night I can hear lots of sounds, the wind in the trees, and in the morning I hear wild turkey in the distance and the sound of songbirds at sunrise. It's a good nite for sleeping.