Date: 2007-10-24
From: Waynesboro

To: Dutch Haus, Montebello
Miles today: 57.0

First let me give out a big THANK YOU to all the trail angles who are leaving jugs of water at trail heads on this drought stricken AT. Without this water, I am sure many people would be in trouble. For myself, I have been forced to cary 3.5 liters of water just in case a listed spring is dry. Most are dry. And the up trail information is spotty. Thanks everyone!Bill (trail angle) gave me a ride back to the trail from Waynesboro Saturday morning at 11AM 10/20. I started south down the trail and then discovered my glasses were not in my breast pocket. I returned to the highway and found them. Phew! Then it was an easy 5 mile hike in to Paul C. Wolfe shelter. It is a beautifully built shelter. From this point I headed over Humpback Mountain. This was the beginning of three days of hard, rugged hiking. The six mile climb to the top took its toll on me. I finally stopped at Cedar Clifts at 5:15PM. I was low on water and didn't cook. In the morning I was treated to a beautiful view of the mountains to the south. The early sun's angle defined the peaks. There was a man sitting enjoying the view too who told me about a picnic ground at the bottom of Humpback with a bathroom and water. It turned out to be a wonderful area with cement tables and a large clean bathroom -- all well maintained. I was able to cook a meal of rice and several vegetables that I added fresh garlic, spike, and parmesan cheese to. I took a b.m. in a real toilet, cleaned up, brushed my teeth, gathered water and headed out thanking God and the man on the clifts.Three Ridges Mountain came next and it about did me in. A steep steep climb up to 4000 feet and then a steep tricky decent. I stopped at Harpers Creek shelter at 5:30PM. I always set my tent up first and then went and ate the rest of the rice dish I made earlier. I got into my tent as darkness decended. Another rugged hiking day and I was tired. I slept with just a wool shirt on because of the heat and humidity.Monday morning I awoke to the stillness and heat and humidity again. I was able to make cowboy coffee before I ran out of fuel. Then more decending until I arrived at the Tye River suspention bridge VA56. The Priest Stood in front of me and up I went the five miles to the 4000 foot top. Man, I was reduced to stopping about every 20 feet and panting. Just before the top Reggie and Doctor Doom caught up to me and they had been kicked in the butt too. I met these two south bounders my first day out of Harpers Ferry. We spent an hour sitting on some ledges looking to the west. (The views have been gorgeous.) An hour too was spent at the Priest shelter gathering some water and strength. We flipped flopped for a while after that and then they dissapeared down the trail. When I got to Fish Hatchery Road I headed down to Montebello, VA and the Dutch Haus where Lois and Earl have the best bed and breakfast hiker friendly place. Great great place. Food, charm, location -- just perfect. Yesterday I did a slack pack north from VA60 to Fish Hatchery Road. Lois went to Waynesborro and purchased me some fuel while I was on trail. It was raining and blowing a gale as I hiked up onto Bald Mountain (4000 feet) and Cold Mountain. Most of the time I couldn't see more than ten feet as I hiked over these balds leaning into the wind and rain. Some one was screeming as I reached the tolp of Cold Mountain and I figured they must be in distress. What I found was two strange men in bare feet with one wrapped in a blanket and the other just standing there beside a tarp. They seemed OK and said they had been singing loudly. They also had left their packs and shoes further up the trail. A little wierd, huh? I was able to do the 18 mile hike back to the Dutch Haus in 6 hours and 45 minutes. I met one more south bounder "Woks a lot". Glad to be back here for another night.Today I plan to slack in to VA60 from VA607 as it is raining again. Wonderful rain! Then tomorrow I'll be on my on my own heading across the James River and south.I'm having a great time by the way. I miss my hiking partner "Lucky Dog" but there are other trails. My plan now is to stop on November 20 so I can go and have Thanksgiving with my church. We shall see how far I get.