Date: 2004-05-12
From: Dickey Gap - Troutdale Baptist Hostel

To: Partnership Shelter - End of Hike
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Hard to believe it, but today will be my last day out for this trip. I am at the Troutdale Baptist Church hostel to start the day. The four of us will walk down to The Trading Post restaurant for breakfast and then try to hitch a ride back up to the trailhead at Highway 16. We had breakfast as planned, good to have "real food" rather than pop tarts and tuna. A local man with a nice big pickup truck told the four of us to load our packs and ourselves into the truck, and so we were off to the trail on a cold breezy ride on a winding mountain road to the trailhead. We arrived a few minutes before 8:00 and were ready to go. The guidebook says a new shelter will be built this month (May 2004) - Hurricane Mountain Shelter. Yesterday I passed a site that had been prepared for the new shelter, and from there the trail followed a rough, bulldozed old logging road, I'm guessing, steeply down the mountain for over a mile, before the trail dropped off the sidehill road and wandered off into the forest. I assumed the dirt road led somewhere for access but did not see its ultimate destination. When I hopped out of the pickup at VA 650/16 highways there was a large flatbed truck/trailer loaded with materials for the new shelter. It was parked at the side right where the AT crosses 650. I talked with the driver who confirmed it was the shelter, so I assume they will begin construction soon. I got on the trail and quickly came to a 2 1/2 mile climb. I felt strong with the good breakfast, and motivated to hike the 14.5 miles to Partnership Shelter so I could get an early start to hitch back to Damascus. If I could not get a hitch, I planned to stay at the shelter and call Bill Ponder in Erwin to pick me up on Thursday as planned. Trimpi Shelter, my original destination for tonight, was 4 miles ahead and I arrived there before 10:00. It was a little way off the trail, but I went there for a rest and to sign the register. There I met Traveling Jack, who was there overnight I think, and Mayagues came to rest also. The trek from the shelter to the Holston River was downhill (mostly), and fairly easy. It went by quickly. The river was pretty and had a small bridge on the footpath. I like these little bridges. The next 6 miles were a climb up to and across the top of a high, narrow ridge. These hikes are deceiving because you expect to climb up to the ridge line and then level off for an easy hike across the top. For six miles I was continually climbing a little higher. Some of the ridgetop was very narrow, rocky, and full of tangled vines and small twisted and contorted trees. There were no landmarks or views, so I hiked through fairly steadily until coming finally to the expected 1 1/2 mile descent. At the bottom I came to the first of three streams and filtered some much-needed water and ate a quick lunch without cooking - granola bars, tuna, beef jerky and Slim Jims. That left almost two miles of a slightly uphill trail to Partnership Shelter. The shelter and the National Recreation Area headquarters building are at the intersection area where the trail crosses Virginia highway 16 (again). As is typical when the trail comes to a major crossing, it widened out and was well graded the closer I got. Finally Partnership Shelter came into view, and I knew this year's hike was coming to an end. Partnership Shelter is quite famous and very plush. It has a solar heated shower attached, a separate privy building and very nice overhanging roof and picnic table and beautiful setting in the pines. One tenth of a mile on the trail is the National Recrecation Area headquarters building with a pay phone where hikers can order pizza delivered to the shelter. K2 and Mayagues came in after me. We had been passing each other all day on breaks. Jeremiah and Chef were at the shelter when I arrived, along with another hiker whose name I have forgotten. Chef had ordered a pizza and it was delivered shortly after I arrived. They were really enjoying it. I had talked with Marlene and some family business had come up. I was planning to hitch back to Damascus and spend at least part of Thursday at Trail Days. When it worked out that I could get a ride to the Tri-Cities Airport instead, I decided to go there and rent a car for the return trip to Birmingham. I was tempted to stay for Trail Days, but I had pretty much seen Damascus on Friday and Saturday of last week, and it seemed the town was going to be very crowded with the expected 30,000 people planning to attend. Right then camping in my tent in the field with thousands of other hikers just did not hold that much of a draw for me, so I passed. Also, my mind was distracted with the personal/family issues. I was grateful for the ride to the airport to rent the car, and things worked out well. I am on my way. Later - Everything worked out fine and I arrived home around 10:00 Birmingham time. It was so good to see Marlene when she picked me up at the Birmingham Airport where I returned the rental car. We talked and caught up on the drive home - about 35 minutes. I left my gear in the van for overnight. I got a shower and crashed fairly quickly. Hard to believe it, but the 2004 hike was already just a fond memory. More thoughts later.