Date: 2017-09-08
From: War spur shelter

To: Rice Field shelter
Miles today: 25.3
Weather: clear sky

It was another cold night, and it was another cold morning. I got up around 6:30 when I heard Stewart moving around. I put on my puppy jacket and my rain gear for warmth. Then I made. Oatmeal and hot coffee for breakfast, & I completed a normal morning routine. After putting away my warm clothes, I was on the trail headed south about 8 a.m., dressed in my running shorts and a t-shirt.Yesterday evening when I had set my sweaty shoes and socks out to dry off, I noticed that the soul of my shoes under the heels were disintegrating. I would need to order new shoes soon. I still had no phone signal, so I couldn't do it now.As I arrived at free top of the first 1800 foot climb for the day, by cat up with Wesleyan Stewart, who were talking to a northbound hiker. He had stayed at the angels rest Austell in Pearisburg, and he gave us tips on the trail as well as in update on the weather. It like hurricane Irma was bigger and stronger than any hurricane yet recorded. It also look like we would have significant rain about Tuesday. This meant we might want to rethink our plan for stopping in Pearisburg on Saturday, and we might want to try to get to the lickhollow hostel, about 30 miles further.From there to the Bailey gap shelter, the trailer and mainly across a very uneven Rocky Ridgeline. This was difficult hiking. I reach the Bailey gap shelter at sometime between 11 and 11:30 a.m., & I stopped there to have lunch. Was Lee was also there. After lunch we headed south again. Just as we were getting on the trail Stewart showed up. We hiked South together for a while, and eventually separated as we hiked at different paces. As I was going down the trail I saw a call tree that reminded me of a conversation I had head with Stewart this morning. He had explained that the previous afternoon where we had seen small trees bent over to the ground, this was because Bears were bending these sassafras trees in order to eat the berries which grow at the top. I asked him how to identify the sassafras, and he showed me one with a distinctive leaf with three lobes. Picture. He also showed me that the route has a distinct to smell. Apparently it is often used in tea although recent wisdom indicates it might be carcinogenic.Sometime between 12:30 and 1 p.m. I passed the pine swamped branch shelter. It was closed due to the danger of standing dead trees, killed by gypsy months. About a mile further kept the trail, I saw Wesley had stopped to eat lunch. He was near a good water source, so I stopped too, and I filled a second and third liter are of water and treated them. I've been continued South. It was just before 1:30 p.m. I talked to Wesley briefly. I estimated that we were a little more than halfway to our intended destination. It had taken about 5 hours of hiking to get this far. Therefore I estimated we might make our destination around 6 p.m., if the conditions ahead were similar to those behind.I kept hiking all afternoon on a long ridgeline. It was rocky at first, then it got easier. Along the way I met nobo hiker Marlin. He warned me there was a rattle snake about a mile further up the trail. I continued carefully, but I did not find the snake. (Just as well). About 5p.m., I saw two backpacks by a tree. Then I noticed two lady hikers in their 60s, down the hill to the left. I also saw a sign that said, "water" so i went down to look at what they said was a slow supply. It was in fact just a trickle coming from a small black pipe. I had not filled water since 10 miles back, but I still had almost 3 full liters of water. So, I continued hiking. About 5:30, I caught up with another sobo hiker who was singing as she hiked. As I passed her, we introduced ourselves. She was Andwyn (elvish twist on her own name, Anna). She was headed for the same shelter, so we would meet again there. I reached the top of Peters Mountain and Rice field shelter about 600pm. Wesley showed up next. Then Andwyn a bit later. Then the other two ladies (Story Collector = Andwyn's mom, and Dusk, a friend of theirs).After, it was a normal evening, and a nice sunset. Pictures.