Date: 2008-09-07
From: Rt. 11 Shell Station

To: VA Rt. 16 Mt. Rogers HQ
Miles today: 11.3

I was up and showered before the other three ¢boys¢ (ages 72, 40 and 3) began to stir. But it wasn¢t long before we were all loaded in Tom¢s car and off to the Trail via McDonald¢s.Yesterday when I was finishing up I noticed that there was a county road that the AT crossed just one mile from its junction with Route 11. The terrain between the two was extremely benign yet varied and quite scenic. Walking in a northerly direction it climbed gradually up a slight slope through a meadow then curved around into woods, down a pine needle trail to a wooden footbridge across a small stream with little fish in it, across more meadows then some more woods ¢ a perfect section for three generations of Rogers to share an AT hiking experience together.I dropped the three of them off, and then went to look for a pick-up spot further to the south where Bill and little Jack could later meet Tom and me before returning to the spot where I would meet them. After about an hour or so they appeared, none too worse for the wear. Jack had hiked the entire distance, fascinated by every blade of grass, butterfly, flower and stick along the way. He was particularly enthralled by the big groundhog who he observed was sunning on the wooden bridge and was loathe yielding his comfortable spot to the oncoming band until Tom was almost within a hiker¢s poles length away. Reluctantly he did yield to the hikers so they could pass. Their sojourn complete, Bill dropped Tom and me off at the Trailhead on Rt. 11 to take Jack back to the camper to make some mid-morning sandwiches while Tom and I enjoyed a three mile hike to where the Trail passes through the Settler¢s Museum and Farm. You may recall that it was Tom who had accompanied me on my first four days on the Trail from Springer to Neel¢s Gap back in March, 2004 and we reminisced about that time together and shared tales of hiking experiences since then (Tom had been on Blood Mountain with an old Army buddy the day before the woman was abducted and murdered there last Spring and they had actually had a strange encounter with the murderer in the parking lot when they were returning to their car ¢ something Tom ended up reporting to the FBI when the case was still unfolding!)After a quick bite to eat we said our goodbyes and I continued on south thoroughly enjoying the sunshine and solitude of the cool, late-summer day. I walked steadily and reached the pick-up spot at the entrance to the Mt. Rogers Park Rangers¢ Headquarters at 5:00 pm¢a full hour and a half earlier than originally estimated. Fortunately I had some cell coverage along the way and was able to get hold of Bill who arrived a few minutes after I did. We were hardly turned around and on our way back to the camper (with an interim stop at the local ice cream shop we just happened to pass!) before the decision was jointly made to pack up the trailer and return to New Market that evening rather than wait until morning. Bill is even more of a ¢night owl¢ than I am so traveling at night played to our natural diurnal tendencies.Once we were on the road we stopped for a steak dinner and some gas but otherwise made it back to Bill¢s place in good time, arriving around 11:30 pm. Even though we were less than 300 miles from New Market, we had put nearly 2,500 miles on the car during our trip jockeying me around from trail head to trail head, shopping for necessities (Bill had become intimately familiar with at least a half-dozen Walmart¢s in the southern tip of Virginia!) and looking for campsites, going out for dinners, movies doing laundry and the such.In all, I had hiked 120 miles and spent one night on the trail and the remaining 13 in the relative comfort of Bill¢s camper. But still, the notion of curling up in a real bed has great appeal.