Date: 2018-04-29
From: Stealth Site - Mile 581

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: scattered clouds

If you were wondering how today could ever follow yesterday, it couldn¢t. Except on the calendar, of course. Nonetheless, any day on the AT is a great day. Each comes with its own challenges and rewards. Such is life.It was a late departure at the Brimberry camp. I fell asleep early last night and slept through the night. That was a good thing, except it meant I didn¢t get started on the journal until after daylight. I hated it, because there were so many details omitted from the over-the-top experience surrounding our rendezvous to the Burke¢s Garden Store. Anyway, several hikers coming up from Jenkins Shelter passed by our little stealth site before we even stepped out of the tent. Some commented on what a nice spot it was. They were right. First, it was on high ground, well above the damp bottom where the shelter sat. Next, it was just below the crest of the mountain on the leeward side. Although we could hear the wind hallowing as it raced up the other side of the mountain and over our heads, barely a breeze blew on our tent. Finally, we were positioned in a spot that would catch the morning sun, which is always a plus when it is cold.Anyway, by the time we got out of our tent, Butter Knife and Heartburn were long gone. As we were packing up, Huck and Ray, who tented at the shelter a couple of miles back also passed by. Everyone we saw was headed for the Brushy Mountain Outpost, a General Store adjacent to the AT on the outskirts of Bland. Word was that they had a grill, ice cream, and re-supply. Plus, they were open at 10AM on Sunday. Although it was nearly 9:00 before we walked away from camp and the store was over 10 miles away, the terrain was good, allowing us to cover a lot of ground quickly. We walked along a ridge for the first couple of miles before descending to Laurel Creek. There was a good signal at the top, so I paused before heading down to upload yesterday¢s journal and photos. By the time I arrived at the sturdy footbridge and crossed the creek Which Way had already finished her morning stretches. I would just have to get mine in later. Arriving at the small General Store, a little before 12:30, Heartburn, Butter Knife, Huck and Ray had saved us a seat. The store/grill was being operated by a husband-wife team. Overwhelmed by the influx of hungry hikers, orders were backed up a bit. The husband ran the register while the wife (who didn¢t seem too amused by the situation) prepared the food. Never mind though, she cooked up the best burger (other than the ones we made in Hot Springs) and chili dogs we have had so far on the trail. We also had a big order of fries and Which Way had a peach shake. We grabbed a few food items off the shelf and ordered BLTs to go. The six of us that sat together would all depart around 2PM. As we were finishing up, the Los Jalape±os Gang arrived, as jovial as ever.The trail followed VA 612 for about a mile, crossing over US 52 and I-77. The stretch was windy, cold, and noisy and we were happy to be back in the woods. The terrain in the afternoon was similar to what we had this morning, so we were able to cover the 11 miles to Jenny Knob Shelter in pretty good time. Which Way and I only took a break to worship and made it to camp before 7PM. By the way, we passed the 600 mile mark along the way today! Huck and Ray stopped there for the night, while the rest of us pressed on for a few more hard miles. Although we did not have any single ascents or descents over 600¢ today, our total ups and downs over the 21 miles exceeded 4,000¢, so we were pretty spent when we got to the shelter. By the time we set up camp, took care of our hiker work, and ate our BLTs, it was dusk. Sleep will soon follow on this cool night, under a full moon, with the faint sound of a nearby spring trickling down the mountain.We are anticipating another big day tomorrow (really today now). The good news, it is 5AM as I am finishing this journal entry, so we should get an early start. Hopefully I can get another hour of sleep before the sun rises on another promising AT day.Peace & Blessings - Next StepElevation Data:               Weather:Ascent ~ 4,250                  Day ¢ 55 degrees / SunnyDescent ~ 4,590                Night ¢ 34 degrees / ClearGrade ~ 7.9Over the Horizon: McAfee¢s Knob