Date: 2006-06-06
From: Holiday Motor Lodge - Pearisburg, Va

To: 1 1/2 mi N of Bailey Gap Shelter, Va 
Miles today: 24.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up at 6am and made some coffee. I finished journaling, then sent the entry in and checked my email. At 8am I walked over to the Food Lion and resupplied, then walked to Hardees and got a couple bacon, egg and cheese biscuits. I took them back to my room and ate there so I could have some more Starbuck's. :-)) I packed all my food into my backpack, then checked out. I saw Wild Bill and Grim Reaper out by the pool, so I went over to see how Wild Bill made out at the doctor's office. It turns out he has an inflamed tendon, so he was taking today off too. I walked back over to Hardees on my way back to the trail and picked up 4 more bacon, egg and cheese biscuits. Two were for lunch and two for dinner. Pickle Toes and Waterfall walked in while I was waiting on my sandwiches. Pickle Toes dad was there too. It was her birthday yesterday, so I guess they kind of celebrated. They were heading back out on the trail today though. I was walking down towards the trail and Neville (Tilley Woods granddaughter) saw me and pulled over. She took me to the trailhead and dropped me off. I got started walking on the trail at 10:35am. I saw a deer about 20 yards away from me that bounded off when he saw me. He was only 1/4 mile from the trailhead. I walked by Pearis Cemetery without stopping. I walked across the New River on Rt 460, then headed back into the woods again. I passed by 6 Pack and Doc Gnarly just as I started climbing the big hill out of Pearisburg. 6 Pack's tent was still up, so I guess he's not in a hurry today. :-))) I stopped at a spring at 12:30pm to eat lunch and get some water. The spring was just a trickle, so I sat a 1 litre bottle under it and when I was done eating my two bacon, egg and cheese biscuits, the bottle was full. I got to the side trail to Rice Field Shelter. Gator was standing out there enjoying the views back towards Pearisburg. I stopped and talked to him for a few minutes before walking on. It started raining at 2:15, so I stopped and put on my pack cover and rain coat. It only lasted about 15 minutes before the sun came out again. I was getting close to Symms Gap when I saw two ladies coming south on the trail. It was the Singing Sisters who I had met this year on the trail down in Tennessee. We talked a while, then as I walked on, they started singing Happy Trails. Not long after I left them, I saw a good size deer off to my right take off running. I stopped at 4:20pm and had an early dinner of a couple bacon, egg and cheese biscuits. Tomorrow, I go back to real trail food again. :-))) I saw the first orange newt today that I've seen on this hike. He was just sitting in the middle of the trail. I walked down off Peter's Mountain and there were lots of switchbacks. That makes it easier on the ol' knees. I stopped at Pine Swamp Branch Shelter and signed the register and talked to the hikers that were there...Tree Frog, Show Me, Tree Beard, Pippin, Forest, and A. T. There were two others already in their tents. I walked on and after rock hopping across Stoney Creek, I started a long climb up to Bailey Gap Shelter. I stopped and got water at a spring .2 miles before the shelter and I also tanked up with about 1 1/2 litres of water. When I got to the shelter, Ann and Hard Chargin' were sitting there. I talked to them while I signed the register, then walked on. I was hoping to find a flat spot in about half a mile because it was already a little past 8pm. That didn't work out because the trail was side hill trail and very rocky. I kept walking and it got dark and I was still in lots of rocks. Finally, about an hour later, I found a spot in the rocks that had just enough of a flat spot for me to lay my body. It had started raining about 15 minutes before I found my tent site tonight. I set up, but it was hard getting my tent stakes in the ground because of all the rocks. I finally got set up and got in out of the rain. Today was a fantastic day for a walk. It was cool and mostly sunny. It just rained a little a few times during the day. The hardest rain was right when I was looking for a tent site after the sun had set. I cut a little more of my right insole, so I could try to get the danged heel to stop hurting all day. It seemed a little better for a while today, but then started hurting again. :-(((