Date: 2005-05-11
From: Parkers Gap Road, USFS 812

To: Petites Gap, USFS 35
Miles today: 7.3

Parkers Gap Road, USFS 812 to  Thunder Ridge Overlook, BRP Mile 74.7 S 4.0   Thunder Ridge Overlook, BRP Mile 74.7 to  Petites Gap, USFS 35  N 3.3miles  Today is Wednesday May eleventh. We spent last night again back at Daleville at the Econo-lodge for the fourth night in a row. I got another king size bed for the same price, stayed up and watched Amazing Race finale, and slept in. got up about eight o'clock. Let you know the usual, left the place a little before nine, filled up both cars with gas at $1.99 a gallon. Now we get on the interstate came on up. And came on up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove, left one car at USFS 812 where we were yesterday, and drove around to Thunder Ridge Overlook.  Now we walk, it's a 4.0 mile hike we're going south. And we went by the Thunder Hill shelter and then we came up and went through the Guillotine.  Oh yeah we met everybody, we met Skeeter Feeder to talk to him for a few minutes. He was in a better mood. We talked to Razz and Foxy. Between the two were Throw and Fetch. Fetch was just barking away, she wanted to just get down trail, and then Razz and Foxy right behind them. And we kept on going on and then right at the road we met Biscuit and Heeled with their two dogs. He had the big brown retriever and she has the little foo foo dog. Yeah he is coming from Maine but he was heading north again and she started in Springer. we met all these people yesterday coming over Fork Mt and everybody says, hey we saw you yesterday. and then just before we got to the top here of Apple Orchard Mountain we ran into, Vapor, which now we realize is the third time we'd seen him. Yardsale was right there with him and we had a nice talk with them. Oh yeah everybody¢s getting off today and they're headed back with Razz, taking them to Damascus. So we won't be seeing these guys after today. Then we get up here to Apple Orchard Mt. and there's a big soccer ball that's how many feet in diameter. It's huge; it's a really big radar thing, probably given off radiation. And a fantastic view of course. it's hazy today, I guess humidity is up and who knows what else. And they're playing music out of their one truck up here, loud rock music. And just a beautiful day, warm but now we're going downhill to our car, so it's great. Got on trail at ten thirty and by eleven fifteen we're at the shelter. and then twelve o'clock I think we're at the guillotine. And at 12:15 we¢re up here at the top.  We passed the guy that we saw crossing the bridge down at Jennings creek we had talked to yesterday, and told him he has almost at the top. And then we ran into the two guys that we saw yesterday at the creek, and found out their trail names were Steady Step and Old Yeller, and we talked about dogs because the guy had a yellow lab that couldn't be with him. And that older guy, talking about going to trail days, meeting up with his wife, going for a day. Then we came on down and we were out of the woods to our car on USFS 812 at one o'clock.We reshuttle our cars. We got on the trail from Thunder Ridge overlook at 1:50. Ran into Biscuit and Healed with their dogs. They were just enjoying the flowers. They were unbelievable whole Woods of trillium pink trillium. And they were just lollygagging along and then we told them about all the people that are already down at the Petite Gap. Oh that's so and so on and so and so on, let's get down there, so then they went ahead and they hurried on along. Was that a hawk? No, turkey vulture. And so then we got over the little mountain and came on down, we heard some thunder which put a little speed in us. We ran into a group of three I think coming back up and that was the group that had just pulled into the parking lot down there when we left. So they're doing a little Hiking between cars, but they're doing it the hard way, up. So then we came on down and finally at 3:25 came out of the woods at Petites Gap, USFS 35 ,and someone had already done what we always talk about doing, they had oranges and bananas and donuts and water jugs. There was a whole group of people there waiting.  A bunch of guys we don¢t know, with Razz and Bisquit and Healed. Now we're going back to get the other car. We said do you need anything? They said they could use some water but there was that water jug there. Finally after joking around, Razz joking around, how about a Pabst. OK, we will go get the other car, come right back and stop. We did and stayed there a half hour and Terry gave them diet Pepsi and wine. We took pictures and asked their trail names. There were 3 guys there and Terry figured it out. They were sitting at the Wonderful Camp ground Yesterday. We had stopped there. I asked them Their trail names. Just Shawn, English Bob and Bam Bam, and afterwards we find out that Biscuits dog is named Cola. Healed dog's name was The Wonder Dog. She was twelve years old and she has hiked more than any of them. And they all had stories about Healed, but I will ask terry about that. And now I'm taking a back road, whatever this road is, USFS 35 out of Petites gap. Down to hit Va130 and Glasgow, and look for a motel tonight.