Date: 2006-12-02
From: Glasgow, Va

To: Hokey Pokey's Home - Parkers Gap Rd, Va (on Trail)
Miles today: 17.2

I woke up about 6am and walked over to the payphone here in Glasgow to send in my journal and get my email. It sure would have been nice if this $50.00 room I was staying in had had a phone. :-)))It got chilly out over night. It was warm and toasty in my room even though I didn't have the heat on.The Tired Feet Cafe opened at 7am, so I walked over and had two pancakes, two eggs, bacon, home fries and three cups of coffee.When I finished, I walked across the street to a gas station and got another cup of coffee to carry around with me this morning. :-)))Hokey Pokey sent an email and said he'd be just a little late. That was OK because I wasn't walking all that far today.This is the last little bit of Trail I have left of this walk and Hokey Pokey has offered to slack me the rest of the way. Sounds great to me!!! :-)))He showed up and drove me out to Parkers Gap Rd off the Blue ridge Parkway and dropped me off.He then drove back to where I got off Trail yesterday at Rt 501 by the James River Foot Bridge and he started walking south.The plan was for Hokey Pokey to give me his car keys when we crossed paths on the Trail today and I would drive back and pick him up at Petites Gap.It was cold when I got out of the car to start walking at 9:40am. The wind was blowing and my ears were cold. The Trail was frozen solid and yesterday's rain was sending up hoar ice in spots of the Trail after last night's freeze. I love these conditions for walking in...no bugs and views all day long through the leafless trees.My first climb was up to the summit of my last 4,000 foot mountain I have to climb on this walk. It's called Apple Orchard Mountain.I was walking along and came around a huge boulder in the Trail and was about 10 yards away from a four-point buck that was walking south on the Trail. We just looked at each other for a couple seconds because it surprised both of us, then the buck ran off.I finished climbing that mountain and was starting my descent when I saw five others coming up the Trail.They were a volunteer work crew out to clean up any downed trees from last week's ice storm. One guy was a sawyer and the others were along to help.We stood there talking for a few minutes and one of them said that I made her feel cold because I was just wearing shorts and not long pants. I said they were making me feel cold because they were all bundled up like it was really cold out. :-)))I thanked them for their labor and I walked on.I got to The Guillotine and was sorry that I had forgotten to bring my camera. It's a large rock that's stuck between two walls of stone and the Trail goes right under the stuck rock. It had long ice cycles hanging down from it and I'd have loved a few pictures of that.I crossed the Blueridge Parkway and started getting closer to Thunder Hill Shelter. I was walking along, not really thinking about anything, when I realized that it had been a while since I saw a white blaze.The Trail seemed OK, but I still wasn't seeing any blazes, so I turned around and found that I had missed the Trail when it went over some large rocks. It looked like lots of hikers have done the same thing because the path that was not the real Trail was pretty well used for about half a mile, and then it started to vanish.I walked by the Thunder Hill Shelter without stopping.I kept walking and in about 30 minutes, I came to rocky overlook called Thunder Ridge Overlook. It was another couple hundred-foot ascent to Thunder Ridge before a long two-mile descent to Petites Gap.I made a 700-foot climb up to High Cock Knob. I kept coming up to false summits on that climb.I ran into Goat Milk just as I started down that hill. We stopped and talked for about 10 minutes. I asked how he was getting along with his backpack and Nalgene and he told me he's "moved on". ;-))) I said goodbye to him and told him to have a great walk the rest of the way to Springer because I probably won't see him again.There was a steep 700-foot descent to Marble Spring, and then in another 30 minutes, I saw Hokey Pokey coming up the Trail.Hokey Pokey gave me his car keys and then he gave me a Hershey's chocolate bar. He said it was because I was a thru hiker. :-)))Thanks Hokey Pokey!!The next few miles were very pleasant side hill trail. I really love those nice side hill trails.I started a 2,000 foot descent. I was trying to hurry so Hokey Pokey wouldn't have to wait on me. There were lots of leaves in the Trail and that made it harder, but I kept up a good pace and soon crossed Big Cove Branch, then walked by Matts Creek Shelter without stopping.There were two red tents set up there, but I didn't see anyone around. I found out later from Hokey Pokey that there were two hunters that were staying there in those red tents. He had talked to them earlier.I walked along the James River for a while, and then crossed the James River Foot Bridge. When I got to the parking lot, I saw two women sitting there. I said hello and we started talking. Turns out they were from the ATC office in Blacksburg and their names were Terisa Martinez and Claudette. They had been out on a walk today and were waiting on a ride.We talked for about 10 minutes, and then I left to pick up Hokey Pokey.When I was getting close to Petites Gap, I saw Hokey Pokey walking back north along the road.He had walked an extra 2 miles to stay warm.We headed over to Peaks Of Otter and were planning on eating there, but they didn't have their normal buffet until tomorrow night, so we headed into Bedford and ate at a really good restaurant called The Station. (I think that was the name)I ordered a whole rack of baby back ribs and they were the second best I've ever had. The best were in Kansas City a few years back.I also had a sweet potato and cole slaw and some very good bread.Hokey Pokey felt like he his walk was much harder than mine today because he had to go uphill, so he ordered two dinners...a cheeseburger and fries and a grilled chicken salad. He was doing OK with all that food right up until the end of the meal. He started moving around in his seat a little trying to make just a bit more room for the last few bites. He did get it all down, but looked just a little green in the end. :-)))This has been a very nice day for a walk..blue skies, cool temperatures and a beautiful area of the Trail.We came back to Hokey Pokey's home in Roanoke and I'll be back out walking tomorrow.I set up my coffee pot so I can drive out to the Trail in the morning with a whole pot of Starbuck's all to myself. Hokey Pokey said he was sleeping in tomorrow. :-)))