Date: 2018-06-20
From: Glasgow

To: Pedlar's River bridge
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I tossed and turned again last night in the humidity. I don't wake til almost seven. There's a hiker shelter in the park I didn't see last night. It's got bunks stacked three high and electrical outlets. It's bustling now with the first wave of hikers looking to leave town. A guy named Matthew Friedberger is hanging out with his black lab. He's here to shuttle hikers to the trail for free whenever, filling in for "Phil" who has a sign posted regarding shuttling.I feel better than yesterday and the morning starts cooler but I'm uncertain how quickly I want to hit the trail so I skip the first shuttle. Instead I head to Dollar General and Grocery Express to resupply. But I buy more ice teas than food. My food bag is still quite full since I've been too tired or in a hurry to have a full lunch or dinner on trail.After drinking an OJ, two teas, water, and a Busch beer handed me by another local visiting the shelter I begin to feel almost normal. I'm ready to hit the trail but it's like herding cats. Everyone is going about the business of laundry, resupply, showers (there was actually hot water!), breaking camp, drying dew-laden tents, etc. Eventually Matthew drives me and another hiker out at noon. Everyone else is napping, getting lunch, or waiting out the upcoming thunderstorm.The thunderstorm turns out to be one of the best parts of the day, in a good way. There's a 2300 foot climb out of the James River valley that is fairly steep. I pace myself, putting it in low gear to keep moving steadily. The humidity and heat are building though and I feel it enervating me. As I pause to sit on a boulder at an overlook I snap a picture of the western hills and gray sky. I check AccuWeather to see where the storm is. It thinks I'm in Lynchburg to the east and tells me rain starts in 95 minutes. But on the radar it shows a mass of red and yellow nearly upon my actual position! Sure enough, rain drops start on cue and I quickly don my poncho. Soon it is pouring and thunder is rumbling all around. The temperature and humidity drop quickly and cool winds blow. The emergency poncho keeps me and the pack mostly dry, however. It's pleasant walking in the cooler air and I finish the ascent as the storm calms about 20 minutes later. Of course my shoes and socks are soaked, but all else came through unscathed. I'm planning only fifteen miles so I take my time and go much slower than yesterday. But on the last big climb I pass two girls who took the earlier shuttle, so I guess I'm still going a good clip. Bluff Mountain at elevation 3372 is today's high point. The James River is at 679. Bluff is a narrow peak with the foundation of an old fire tower and a memorial to a four year old boy who wandered out of school and perished here on the mountain. This was way back in 1891. Bluff also has great views to both east and west from the same spot. I dry my poncho out in the sun until the biting gnats drive me back into the forest.Heading downhill the humidity is building again and the sun has returned. I fantasize about getting a hitch into Buena Vista from the gravel road ahead. It seems unlikely, but having missed an air-conditioned bed last night and missed town breakfast and lunch today I am tempted to try. I decide to let fate determine it. I cross the Blue Ridge Parkway at an "overlook" that is covered in trees, then reach the gravel road, VA 607. Three-digit roads in Virginia seem to be seldom-used backcountry affairs. Most people stick to the two-digit roads. Sure enough, no cars are parked here. Not a popular dayhiking trailhead. But there is a fantastic flowing spring, first I've seen in days, and I eagerly top off my water. While I'm filtering water, a Forest Service truck passes. He doesn't slow down and I don't wave him down. So fate has dealt my hand. I don't really want town enough to walk the six miles down the road.Instead I head five miles down trail to Pedlar's River Bridge. The main road to Buena Vista, US 60, is an easy seven miles in the morning so I can pop in for lunch. My guide says there is camping near the bridge, but it's little more than a flat access path to the creek. But there's no shelter or campsite for another five miles and it's already after seven so I pitch my tent near another hiker. The bridge itself is a well-constructed floating suspension footbridge hanging well above flood stage. I think back and there have been no creeks or streams that required fording in Virginia so far (except after major storms). This week, the water has been low everywhere.I force myself to eat dinner. The hiking and humidity sap my appetite, at least until I'm in town. But I haven't figured out yet how to pack a stromboli or Chinese buffet in my food bag! I did, however, consume snacks all day, including five Slim Jims which have become my go-to energy booster before a big climb. Something about the fat, salt, and juice is satisfying. I try not to think about what's in it. Tonight I have the sound of rushing water from the creek 20 yards away and some evening bird calls to lull me to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow is less humid. For now, I'm safe, warm, and way too damp on the Appalachian Trail.