Date: 2006-12-05
From: Hokey Pokey's Home/Mill's Gap, Va (on the Trail)

To: Hokey Pokey's Home/Daleville, Va
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: clear sky

I am able to walk longer mileage these days because my heel is finally starting to feel better. Yeah, it had to wait until right near the end of this walk to do start improving, but it feels much better and the miles that were hard to walk earlier this year are now seeming real easy again.Anyway, the reason that I'm talking about this now is because I got way ahead of where I thought I'd be at to finish this walk on the 7th and I was able to take a zero yesterday and I'm planning on a zero tomorrow, so I can finish this walk when The Homeplace opens for busuness on Thursday. :-)))I think the main reason my heel is getting better is because I went back to road running shoes to walk in. I had been using trail runners all this year and I think they were just too stiff. That seems to be the main change I've made since I started seeing some improvement.I made good use of the zero yesterday and answered lots of email and uploaded the photos I had in my camera.Hokey Pokey has made the end of this walk very pleasant and convenient for me by opening up his home to me.He lives in Roanoke not too far from the Trail and he works near the Trail, so I've been able to get to the Trail, walk all day and he has been picking me up after he gets off work. Thanks tons Hokey Pokey. Can't wait to help you out when you find the time for your long walk. :-)))I drove up to Mills Gap. I had made a pot of Starbuck's for the ride there and really enjoyed that.The weather has been perfect walking weather. It was 24 degrees and sunny with about a 5 to 15 mph wind when I started walking at Mills Gap this morning.My nose would get a little cold when I was in the wind for a while, but I like it in this temperature range.I walked by the side trail to Bobblet's Gap Shelter without stopping.I criss crossed the Blueridge Parkway a few times early in today's walk. I was wearing plenty of blaze orange even though the main gun season for deer ended on Saturday.I had seen some trucks with dog boxes in the backs at some trailheads, so I figured there must be some special hunt going on.When I crossed the parkway at Taylor Mountain Gap, I saw six trucks parked there and all the guys had there hunting dogs out. One guy had an antenna and was looking for a signal, so I figured they were bear hunters and had their lead dog out looking for a bear before they put the other dogs on his trail.They seemed busy with what they were up to, so I just waved and walked on by.Walking in the woods this time of year is anything but quiet. There are so many leaves in the Trail right now, that you just hear crunch, crunch, crunch all day long.I think that's why I haven't been seeing any large animals lately.I stopped at Wilson Creek Shelter to sign the register, but it was so badly chewed on by mice, that I just looked to see who had signed in lately. I saw Marta and Mark and Twain had signed in, but not Goat Milk. He probably didn't see any need to sign a register in such bad shape either.This is a beautiful piece of Trail and I had all day to do my 20 miles. I had started at 9am, so I walked really slowly so I wouldn't get to Daleville too early.I crossed Wilson Creek, then Curry Creek before I started climbing up to Fulhardt Knob. I actually climbed one mountain first, but I didn't see a name to it in my guide or my map. It was another couple miles to Fulhardt Knob.I walked by the side trail to that shelter without stopping. I did see a note to someone called Flo-Rida to stop at the shelter, but I haven't heard of anyone around by that name. In fact, other than Goat Milk, I haven't seen another hiker in over 200 miles. The note looked like it might have been there for a little while though.I started the long descent into Daleville. It's about 5 miles of mostly downhill walking to get there from Fulhardt Shelter.The ice on the Trail never even got soft today, so it must have stayed below 32 all day.I started hearing cars and trucks near the bottom of the hill. I crossed Rt 11, then walked under I-81 and got to Rt 220 in Daleville before long.I was still on the Trail, just coming to the road and I could see the Pizza Hut sign where I was meeting Hokey Pokey at when he got off work.I still got there earlier than I wanted, even walking so slow today. I walked in at 4:45 and ordered some wings and a pizza.Hokey Pokey walked in at 5:30 and the waitress brought his pizza out that I had put a delayed order in for.I always get such strange looks from people when they see me walking around in shorts this time of year. :-)))We drove out to the Blueridge Parkway after we were done eating and picked up my truck. It was 29 degrees when I got in the truck. The leather seat was cold on my bare legs, But I turned on the seat heater and before long, I was nice and toasty. Life can be so trying at times. :-)))On the way back through Buchanon, we stopped at a bar called Big Daddy's that Hokey Pokey had said he always wanted to have a drink at.It was a local favorite. I had a draft and it tasted pretty good. I haven't had a beer in a while. That one beer filled me up though because I had just eaten a whole medium pizza all by myself.We got back to Hokey Pokey's home and I did my best to stay awake, but about 8:30pm, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, so I said goodnight and walked up stairs to me room.I have 20 miles left to walk before I'm done. That sounds like a zero tomorrow and an easy day into Catawba on Thursday. I see they are saying I might get a little snow on Thursday...that would be a great ending!! :-)))