Date: 2009-05-24
From: Bryant Ridge Shelter

To: Marble Spring
Miles today: 17.2

May 24--It wasn't a long day, I arrived here at Marble Spring around 19:00 with a long 8oz cheddar cheese block lunch at a picnic table at the Thunder Ridge Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway mp 74.7 for those of us keeping track of things like that, and a liesurely couple of miles of good conversation with Squirrel Nuts and Pyro, father/daughter locals out for 2 nights, but there were several climbs, the first from ~1320' to 3560', Floyd Mtn, in the light rain and later, Apple Orchard Mtn, 4225', in humid air and finishing the day with a 700' straight up and down High Cock Knob, and overall the day was tiring. And the bugs were out in full force. The no-see-ums were killing me this morning and I thought I had walked out of the flesh eating gnats zone, bu they were thick today. To go back to May 23 entry, I met a small group of 2 families day hiking and in 20 question small talk I asked if they had a phone, this since I was desparate to straighten out the next mail drop with the holiday on Monday. I had to leave a message with Soni in the NH house, but I was grateful to have the call and we parted. Still unsure, I decided to check a commercial campground near Jennings Creek, about 8m further along the trail, about 1 1/4m off the trail. I arrived at Jennings Creek, a popular swimming hole with a parking lot, dropped my pack and studying the map I saw a park ranger stop his pickup on the other side of the bridge, get out and walk into the woods, so I walked over and asked him if there was a pay phone at the campground, he said he thought yes, and told me the road to take. I repeated his instructions and he started to repeat them and said, "I don't usually do this, but I'll give you a ride there." Bam, I was there in 15 minutes, he took me to where the phone used to be in front of the general store. I asked the young girl in the store about it, she said they just recently removed it. Well, where is the nearest phone? and then she offered me her cell phone and I got through. The store had my favorite pig food, cheese, Fritos, 1440 cal bag, a Klondike bar and brocolli slaw, home made, a pint, delicious! I had to walk back to the trail, it didn't matter, I was stuffed. The other day, when I was walking back to the trail after the T&A breakfast, a guy pulled over and gave me a short ride back to the trail, about 1/2m, but a dangerous walk on busy US220. He had thru-hiked last year and was glad to help out. Anyway, as I was coming down the hill to Petites Gap, there he was, Indian Summer, taking a break, he called me by name. And this morning when starting out, I ran into the cell phone guy and his son from yesterday, they decided to do another section. The trail has been crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway many times since yesterday and because of the holiday weekend many people are out on the trail, Thunder Ridge Overlook was a nice, popular spot. While decending Thunder Ridge in the deep shaded woods, the floor knee high with fresh perenial foliage and mixed wild flowers, the sky cleared, and the sun occasionally reached through the high trees to illuminate small patches of green, and the birds all impatiently competing for time, their songs overlapping like the pet shops of old, the trail and I were alive, a huge botanical garden, perfect, with the sounds of nature blending, and me, traversing the path in a whirl of sights and sounds, a place like no where else.