Date: 2016-05-14
From: Laurel Creek campsite

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: few clouds

It was cold last night so I stayed in my sleeping bag until 7 am. I packed up, ate a quick breakfast and was on the trail by 8 am. My objective was to get into Bland, VA to resupply, and hopefully get some people food. I even had thoughts about getting a hotel room and taking it easy for a night.The trail into Bland was relatively easy. After a 600 foot climb out of Laurel Creek the trail wrapped around a hillside and was relatively level and fast. There were a few outstanding views when there were breaks in the trees, but for the most part it was winding its way through thickly forested hillsides. As I approached Bland, I-77 came into view, or at least into hearing. The sound of the interstate was highly intrusive after a week of the quiet of the forest. It amazed me how out of place the sound was, a sound you tend to take for granted as background noise in the city. I made the 6.9 miles to the highway leading into Bland in 3.5 hours. I started walking down the road toward Bland, hoping to hitch a ride into town. After a few minutes a beautiful young couple stopped to pick me up. They offered to take me to the DQ which was also close to the Dollar General where I could resupply. As we drove they were interested in hearing about my hike and where I was from. They also told me about Bland and some of the attractions in the area. When they dropped me off at the DQ, the woman handed me a hand crocheted blue cross, and wished me luck on my journey. I hope to take that cross up Katahdin. At the DQ I indulged in a half pound hamburger, fries and a Blizzard. I called the only hotel, The Big Walker Motel and found that it was all booked for the night. That simplified my decision whether to stay in Bland or move up the trail, I would be going up the trail. It started raining hard so I hung out at DQ for a while and charged my electronics and enjoyed finally having cell service.When the rain ended I packed up and walked down the road to Dollar General to resupply. I met Chromecakes and Easy coming out of the Dollar General and on their way to the DQ for ice cream. There were several other hikers, including Braids, in the Dollar General. It was like hikers had invaded Bland. I grabbed some supplies for the next few days and headed across the street to the Subway. I got a large Sub sandwich to go that would serve as my dinner and headed for the trail. After walking about a mile I was able to catch a ride up to the trail. The trail crosses I-77 at this point and I got a nice picture of the highway slicing through the valley. I met a hiker from Australia named Down Under at the highway crossing. He had been thinking about going into Bland but it was so late in the day he was concerned about being able to make it to the next shelter before dark. He decided to go on to the shelter as well.The trail picked up again on the west side of I-77 and wound up a hillside. It was 1.8 miles up to the shelter from the interstate crossing. Along the way I passed a woman that was day hiking the trail and heading up to the shelter. She mentioned she had met a hiker named Homer earlier and was going up the trail to see if he was at the shelter. So Homer was up ahead! Down Under passed us as we took a break, and then we continued up the trail toward the shelter. When we arrived at the shelter Homer and Down Under were setting up in the shelter and preparing their dinner. Homer had been just behind me for the last couple of days but had passed on going into Bland. The woman was named Betty traveling to Buffalo and was interested in learning about the AT. She had been day hiking on the trail and sleeping in her car as she made her way north. We talked for quite a while telling her about the trail, some of our experiences and our gear. As she departed, Homer suggested she meet us at Trent's grocery where the three of us planned to meet up for dinner tomorrow. We gave her the trail name Buffalo Betty. It was just the three of us in the shelter that night with maybe half a dozen people tenting around the shelter. It was getting cold so we dove into our sleeping bags even before the sun went down. Hiker midnight came early.