Date: 2015-04-16
From: Sugar Run Rd. 

To: Pearisburg (Lane St.)
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: overcast clouds

It seems that I start each journal entry off with a weather report these days. I guess that's because the weather is such a big deal to us. If we don't plan to wear the right clothes or carry them along, we could be in trouble. And just reading the weather forecast may not be enough since the weather at the top of a 4,000 ft ridge may be considerably different than than the city down in the valley. Hiking this time of year can be challenging because of the day-to-day variations, and if a front passes through the weather can vary during the hike. One resource that we've found recently has been very helpful. It's a web-based resource from the National Weather Service that forecasts the weather for each shelter along the AT. It's at: "atweather.org". You select a shelter from a list (you can sort NoBo or SoBo) and the site provides the daily forecast for the next week at that shelter. It's a great tool for thru-hikers. Anyway, today we expected more rain like the past two days. And it was drippy when we started, but it never really rained. There was tree rain and a chilly blowing mist on the ridge tops, but we were spared from a downpour. However, it did rain overnight, so the trail was even more muddy than yesterday. We stayed for breakfast at Woods Hole (do not miss their breakfast) so it was about 9:30 when we hit the trail. The elevation profile today was not challenging and we had a short day, only 11.1 miles. The first part of the trail was more rhododendron thickets, then we climbed to a ridge and walked the ridge, and finally descended into Pearisburg. The most interesting feature of the day was Angel's Rest. This is a large rock outcropping at the end of the ridge with a good view of the valley below, although the mist prevented a clear view. We had the trail to ourselves for most of the day, but as we approached Angel's Rest Neon Mountain and Laugh Track passed us. The later as we descended from Angel's Rest, 3 more hikers who were at Woods Hole last night passed us going very fast. It was a slippery downhill for us, but youth is fearless. When we finally reached Pearisburg, Alan from MacArthur's Inn was waiting on us. The 5 hikers who passed us on the trail were resting at a roadside table. Alan had a box of doughnuts and shared them with the hikers - impromptu trail magic. We elected to stay at the MacArthur Inn in Narrows, VA, a little over 4 miles from Pearisburg. We're happy with the MacArthur and plan to stay here 3 days while we hike between here and Daleville. Narrows is smaller than Pearisburg, but there is a grocery, a laundromat and restaurant all within a "softball throw" of the inn. Also, the shuttle service with Don Raines is good in this area. We have 2 long days planned, so we won't be looking for evening entertainment. Speaking of entertainment, we had a late lunch and then dinner at Anna's Restaurant across the street. Their evening buffet has a good price point. When we came in for dinner, we found that on Thursdays, they have music. Every Thursday from 7 to 9 they have an "Old Tyme Jam" with whomever shows up. I've included a pic of the players. It looked like mostly older (but not all) local fellows who had been doing this for years. And a couple of pretty good youngsters played fiddle for a couple of tunes. They had one or two fiddlers, couple of banjos, mandolin, several guitars, bass and one fellow who played several instruments including harmonica. We were hooked when they played "You Are My Sunshine." We sing that a lot, especially when it's raining. We stayed a lot longer than we expected. So it was a good first night in Narrows. The forecast for the next couple of days is improving and we're enjoying life.