Date: 2008-06-02
From: Dutch Haus B&B, Montebello, VA

To: Reeds Gap (on the Trail), Dutch Haus B&B
Miles today: 19.9

I was up too late last night and was slow getting up this morning.We ate late, I journaled late, I tried to catch up on the weather coming up and I finished another chapter of one of the two books I'm reading.I woke up at 6am and got my backpack ready for the walk today.Earl was taking G-town Colonel and me out to Reeds Gap and we were walking the 20 miles back to Dutch Haus, so I packed 2 liters of water, my camera phone, my smiley face stickers and the food I was going to eat during the day.We had a really good breakfast of scrambled eggs, sweet melon and a strawberry....along with lots of coffee.We walked out the door at 7:30am and the temperature felt so much better outside. It was 58 degrees, but fairly warm inside the house.G-town Colonel and I started walking south back to Dutch Haus at 8:35am.I checked my cell phone and had data service, so I stopped and sent in yesterday's journal and pictures.I have absolutely no cell service at Dutch Haus.I got to thinking about this weekend when Rainbow Slick, Goosebump The Snow Princess, Baby Bump and Little Jack Spencer are coming out to camp with me...and maybe even walk some. I sure hope Goosebump The Snow Princess remembers that it's my birthday on Friday and brings lots of goodies! ;-)I walked by the sidetrail to Maupin Field Shelter without stopping.I started climbing up Three Ridges. That wasn't too bad, but when I looked back at my map at the end of the day, I saw I climbed over 5,000 feet total today.That's a tassel of climbing! :-)I took a few pictures looking across from Three Ridges to The Priest....today's biggest climb at over 3,000 feet.I was walking with G-town Colonel most of the day. We were descending Three Ridges, a steep descent when we ran into HiLo and Steadfast coming up.They were about out of water, so I offered them some, but they decided to keep walking till they came to a stream, since it was their fault for running out of water.I know the feeling, but it's good to go thirsty sometimes....it makes you think ahead more about water sources. :-)We had a 3,000 foot downhill walk to the Tye River and the suspension bridge that goes over it.We stopped at Harpers Creek Shelter about 2 miles before the Tye River and ate snacks and I signed the register.Smokin' Joe came walking in and sat down. I had seen him briefly yesterday at Dutch Haus when he walked in for the free lunch, then walked back to the Trail.G-town Colonel and I walked down to the Tye River. The Colonel got ahead of me when I stopped to take some pictures.There was a guy on the suspension bridge who at first I thought was fishing, but turned out he worked for the forest service and was tightening bolts.I was feeling good and started the long climb up The Priest.I saw G-town Colonel ahead of me, so when I got to a small stream flowing down the mountain, I stopped and drank some water and filled my 2 water bottles again.I tried walking slow enough to stay behind G-town Colonel, but I caught up again and passed him.I stopped at a rocky overlook about 2,000 feet up the mountain and ate more food and drank more water.I was glad I filled both water bottles because I was sweating the water out as fast as I was drinking it. :-)G-town Colonel showed up and sat down and ate too.I was cooled down, so I climbed the last 1,000 feet to the summit of The Priest.I started running into some familiar faces when I got to the top. Forecast was just starting the long descent, then came Aggie, then Bus Driver, then Kyonite and Sunkist and finally Sunbeam.They had gotten behind about a day because they walked 1.8 miles to U.S. 60 the other day and when they got to town, they stayed. That was a big mileage day! ;-)I passed by The Priest Shelter without stopping, then met a nobo by the name of Gator.We talked a bit before I walked on. I had taken a few pictures looking back to Three Ridges.I ran into the last nobo of the day by the name of Bilge Rat about half a mile south of The Priest Shelter.He was all excited because his dad is meeting him at Waynesboro and they're planning on doing a couple days of trail magic.I had about an 800 foot climb left after a dirt road called Cash Hollow Rd up to Spy Rock.I had gotten quite a ways ahead of G-town Colonel.I got to Fish Hatchery Rd at 5:20pm and sat down and waited on the Colonel before I called Earl to pick us up.We were in Earl's truck 30 minutes later and headed back to Dutch Haus.I can't believe how dirty my legs were after just one day of walking.That shower felt great and Lois said she would use extra detergent to wash my clothes. That's two days in a row that my clothes got washed in a real washing machine! :-)Mrs Gorp would be sooooooo proud of me. Ha! :-)There were four hikers at Dutch Haus and I had never met any of them before....Red, her boy friend, Mary Poppins and Professor.I guess I've been out in the woods too long because they were talking about Harry Potter books and characters in them and movies and they were all laughing out loud.....and I didn't know or recognize one thing they were saying. :-)We had another very tasty meal of baked chicken, pasta, salad and cake for dessert.I will be walking into Waynesboro tomorrow.Gourmet Dave, who I first met in the winter of '04 while hiking through Shenandoah, and his wife, Sue, have invited me to stay at their home. Really looking forward to that! :-)It's already after 10pm and I'm just now getting ready to retire for the night.Where did today go?I love living looooong days like this one! :-)Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)