Date: 2018-05-03
From: Cross Avenue

To: Peters Mountain Ridge - Stealth Site 
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Is that bacon I smell? Yes, it is! After a good night's sleep in a comfy bed, we were treated to a delicious pancake breakfast. It was an awesome ending to a fabulous stay at the Possum Holler Farm. Although we were not ready to leave, we were pretty certain that Mount Katahdin was not in southern West Virginia and that we had to keep moving on that long slow trail to get to our final destination. Theresa continued to go above and beyond the call of ¢Trail Angel¢ duty, dropping us by a Barber Shop, Dollar General, and Post Office on our way back to the trail. As we parted ways at the trailhead on Cross Avenue (where we finished our hike on Tuesday), Theresa said it felt weird to just drive away, leaving us with just the packs on our backs. Oddly, it felt kind of normal to us. However, that doesn¢t mean it was easy to start hiking again, especially on a day when the temperature would climb into the upper 80's. But knowing that we had to keep moving, we finally walked back on the trail at around 11:00. There was a notable change to the forest over the past two days. The buds on the trees had turned to leaves and the undergrowth had taken off. There was also an abundance of wildflowers and the sounds of returning migratory birds rang through the air. After a mile or so, we crossed Narrows Road and came upon a bench sitting next to the trail. This was a perfect spot for lunch. A thrush called out from high above in a tree as we enjoyed the roast beef sandwiches that we made at Theresa¢s this morning. Yummy! Within another mile, the trail joined US 460 and then crossed a long bridge over the New River, putting us on the outskirts of the industrial town of Narrows. On one side of the bridge was a concrete company. On the other side of the river stood a petrochemical plant. Along the river was a busy rail yard. We crossed the bridge with automobiles and big trucks speeding by and a train passing below. ¢Now, this feels weird,¢ I thought to myself. I was ready to be back in the solitude of the forest. But first, we would have to endure more weirdness. As we were making the long ascent up Peters Mountain, we passed by a landfill. A bit further up the trail we crossed over VA 641, a gravel road. Here there was some construction-related activity revolving around the Mountain Valley Pipeline. There is some controversy surrounding the pipeline and evidently there are ¢Tree Sitters¢ (protesters) in the area. The trail shares the road for about a tenth of a mile. Sitting on the road was a US Forest Service SUV. As we approached the vehicle, a Forest Ranger, wearing a flak vest and body camera, dismounted the vehicle. The professional and friendly young ranger informed us that the area was closed, but that thru hikers were permitted to pass. He went on to instruct us that we must remain on the trail. Weird!After moving through the ¢construction¢ area (limited to a 100 yards on the gravel road used by construction vehicles), we were back in the woods. We never saw a pipeline, a tree sitter, or any damage to the trail. Now for the hardest part of the day, the remainder of the 1,700¢ ascent to Peters Mountain. The heat of the day was full on now and water was scarce here, so we just slugged along to the top. The combination of the previous Zero Day, heavy packs, steep grade, and heat were taking a toll on us. Eventually we came to an open ridge where the Rice Field Shelter was located. Most of the hikers we saw today were stopping there. However, there was no water source at the shelter, so we pressed on. There were some great views from the field to the bustling valley below. Off in the distance was a visible plume from another fire. After we reentered the woods we could smell smoke. Not sure where that is coming from.A couple of miles past the shelter we came to a campsite that had a spring nearby. We decided to eat dinner here, water up and continue to hike a bit longer. It was about 6:30PM when we started hiking again. We had planned to hike another hour, but when I caught up with Which Way, she indicated that she had had enough for the day. A little further, she eyed a good spot for our tent and we stopped for the day right at 7PM. As the day was winding down I noticed a lot of haze in the valley below. It was weird to see that, but it made for a colorful sunset.Peace & Blessings - Next StepElevation Data:               Weather:Ascent ~ 3,060                  Day ¢ 82 degrees / SunnyDescent ~ 1,750                Night ¢ 58 degrees / Partly CloudyGrade ~ 8.8Over the Horizon: McAfee¢s Knob