Date: 2006-04-25
From: Stony Man Parking, Service Road North

To:  Thornton Gap US 211 SD 31.5
Miles today: 9.5

Stony Man Parking, Service Road North to Hughes River Gap SD 38.6  N 2.0 MilesHughes River Gap SD 38.6 to  Pinnicles Picnic Area SD 36.7  S 2.2 MilesPinnicles Picnic Area SD 36.7 to  Thornton Gap US 211 SD 31.5  N 5.3 MilesToday is Tuesday April twenty fifth. We spent last night at a Big Meadows campground. That was very nice sleeping, mild, Stars were out everywhere. And we woke up at seven this morning, and we're out of there, I think, seven thirty five. Dropped off a car at Hughes gap went back up the Skyline Service, Stony Man parking and started hiking and at 8:55. And first you are on a nature trail which Terry didn't understand. This was an area where they had rerouted the AT, we don't know why or anything. But it was a nice gentle trail. Then it started down and, just before nine thirty we get to this nice big overlook. Part of Stony Mans face I guess. And looking out over the Shenandoah Valley again. Go down through the woods near the Skyline road. And we get to the parking lot it was just a little side trail, up hundred feet, and we got there at 10:05. We don't know for sure, it was somewhere around two miles. And then we reposition the cars again. And this time we leave the car down there at the Stony Man mountain overlook and we come up to the Pinnacles picnic area. And there the Appalachian Trail is right at the picnic grounds and goes right past the bathroom. So we started hiking there. At 10:50 am. Mostly down. Again, just a walk in woods, of course my foot been killing me, so I did this section of the trail in tennis shoes. And again we think it was roughly around two miles. After one mile we met Taco who was a guy we had met the day before. Had a nice talk with him and , all he could talk about was how much food he ate, how much food he'd ate hiking with Mark. How much food Mark ate this morning. But he was on his way to Elk wallow for some blackberry shakes, twenty four miles. So then we kept going. And then on one of the up sections we run across Mark, and another guy we had passed three times yesterday in the car, walking the road. Hunter was his name, and had a nice conversation with them. We could hear Hunter for quite a ways coming down the trail, so he seems to be quite the talker. Stood there ten minutes talking to him. I don't even know what all about, but it's a lot of different things, and it turns out we told Hunter that we were going to be finishing up Shenandoah Friday around noon. And he says all he needs is to get a ride back to Waynesboro, and his car, so he can reposition it. So we said, well if we see you there, you know we'll give you ride. We left, and it wasn¢t twenty more minutes, and we're at the car, and I'm thinking 12:05 pm. Like an hour and fifteen minutes to do around two miles. And then we decide to go ahead and take the rental car down to Thornton gap, park it at Panorama. And come back up to the Pinnacles picnic area and have lunch. Well we get back up there and there's Hunter and Mark having lunch break. So we are talking quite a bit more with them. After more talking with Hunter, we are given him a ride Friday, and got the maps out and everything. He¢s retired from the Army and then also he was a Forest Ranger. And sounds like he had worked at Myrtle Beach state park. So we stayed there longer than we planned to but it had a real nice time and now at 1:45 pm. We're finally back on the trail to do a little over five miles. It¢s still a beautiful day. Hopefully everything will stay that way for the next three or four hours while we hike. We left the Pinnacles picnic area at one forty five. Two thirty we're at the pinnacle and two forty we left there. And it was very nice. Overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. What you want to say about the trail? Terry says it¢s been a rough warm day. Ten minutes at Pinnacles just looking out over the valley. So then at 3:10 pm we were at the Birdsnest shelter number three. just stayed there like eight minutes. Going up to Mary's rock, god the sun was beating down on us,  there's no wind, and I just started complaining because it wasn't any fun. Then finally, at four o'clock we get to the side trail to Mary's Rock and we walk up here, got up here at 4:10pm and there was Mark and Hunter.So we had a nice talk with them, took our shoes off, and you can see a great view of the interchange down here at Thornton gap, can almost see our car. Now its 4:40 and we're heading off, and hopefully it won't be too bad. It¢s should be all down but steep probably.  But still a lot of sun, and hopefully it is cooling off with the clouds, and it's getting later in the day.  And it was just down down down, Rocky, hard, saw a couple of cottontail rabbits up there, they weren't afraid of us at all. Terry took some pictures of them. But we just slowly kept going. We did pass one guy;  a runner, I'll call him, he didn't have anything but his shorts, and he was just  charging up that mt. But we kept going, feet kept hurting more and more. Finally it clouded totally up and we were starting to wonder if it was going to rain or not. And we kept going on, and finally you see the interchange again, and then they finally take you and they turn you around the mountain. And finally they bring you out there at the old panorama Visitor Center, which is closed now permanently, and we came out. Back up to the car at 5:50 ,and went up and picked up the other car at the pinnacles picnic area, and decided to hotel it. So we came back down, dropped the rental car back off At the panorama, and then came out. Down into Luray, Va. We are spending the night it Cardinal Inn, in a extra big size room that has like a little kitchen area. A little dressing area and nice King size bed for 54 dollars. And we're looking at the map for tomorrow. And who knows what that will bring.