Date: 2006-09-16
From: Atkins, Virginia

To: Damascus, Virginia
Miles today: 75.3
Weather: clear sky

We walked into Atkins on a very rainy morning that was less than desirable for a town stop. Immediately upon entering the crossroads I gave my dad a quick call to let them know that everything was going fine and to have them send a box of extra cloths to Roanoke, VA or Bivy's. After the call we wandered across the street to The Barn Restaurant with the hopes of a southern breakfast. Much to our chagrine they were out of sausage gravy and we were forced to settle with more traditional items. We sat in that wonderfully warm environment and drank coffee till the rain stopped. What a relief. Just down the road we resupplied at a very expensive Shell gas station, but it was food.    The afternoon was very pleasant walking as we hiked through farm fields before again entering the woods. The miles flew by and as we approached the partnership shelter we unexpectedly came across a very nice National Forest Visitor Center. They had a free telephone outside that we used to make more phone calls and a very reasonably priced pop machine. The shelter was a two story affair with a sink and hot shower. It was however to cold to drip dry after a shower so we both passed. Hard to believe, I know.    The next morning we woke up early with the intention of doing a 30 mile day. The weather was very cold for early september and that makes for a difficult morning. To help with that problem it is easiest to start walking fast and not stop till the sun is shining on you. By 9:45 we had hiked 8 relatively easy flat to downhill miles. Pushing on another 8 miles I took a lunch break by Comers Creek falls. The falls was very nice, but it kept blowing a cold breeze on me. Jon had pushed on another mile to find a warmer spot to dine. After lunch it was a series of large hills that raised us up to the level of the Grayson Highlands. On the way to the old Orchard Shelter we passed a section hiker named Adrienne that had been keeping up with us for some time. She had apparently caught a ride south with another hiker and was going to go back and finish a 30 mile northern piece in a few days. After the shelter we began to hit grassy mountaintop balds and walk through birch/fir/spruce forests that we haven't seen since New England. As the sun began to drop lower in the sky we caught a glimpse of wild ponies that the National Park Service has released in the area to graze/preserve the bald regions. The air was getting very cold at this point being up at 4400 feet and it was nice to get into camp and layer up. We finished the day and had succeeded in hiking 30.6 miles. YeeHaw. Our third day we also planned on doing a big day to position us for an early day in Damascus the following morning. To do this we got up early again and began climbing towards Mount Rogers. As we crested the ridge we got a few minutes of excellent views before a cold wind blew in cloud cover that obstructed views until we dropped lower in elevation. As we neared Mount Rodgers we had the pleasure of petting a young pony that wandered up to us in search of a free meal. The pony was denied. At the side trail to Mount Rodgers a past teacher of ours and her husband had left us a treasure. With the help of their treasure hints we found ourselves two pleasantly chilled Yuengling Black & Tans which we enjoyed on the spot. It was a great surprise and gave us something to look forward to. Thank you Tooles. The rest of the morning was a long descent down to normal elevations of between 2000 and 4000 feet. We took lunch in a sunny cow pasture with a nice view. It was the most comfortable I had been in terms of body temperature for quite some time. Our afternoon was completed under mostly sunny skies through moist forest settings. Halfway through the afternoon we crossed the Virginia Creeper bike trail and then made a long ascent up Straight Mountain before finding a nice campsite at the bottom next to a cold trout stream. One of the best campsites we have run into in a long time. It is a luxury to camp next to a beautiful strongly flowing mountain stream. The next morning we headed off early to catch the post office before its closure for the weekend at 11AM. One of the few aspects of normal workday life that it is important to keep in mind while walking on the trail. It can really cause a big inconvenience if you get stuck in a town when the PO is not open and won't be for a few days. The morning was beautiful and I could tell that our day in Damascus was going to be enjoyable. SauceDog signing off