4/26 Day 54 Bryant Ridge Shelter to Thunder Ridge Overlook (Blue Ridge Parkway) - 11.6 miles
We were up early and excited for our visitors. We stopped for a break at Cornelius Creek Shelter and decided to rest a while ad kill some time, otherwise we would arrive at our meeting point way too early. We took another short break at Apple Orchard Mountain and then continued on under "the guillotine" and beyond.
When I arrived at Thunder Ridge Overlook, where we had planned to meet our parents, they weren't there but Nomad was. I had walked the road to get there not knowing if the trail came close but Cassandra informed me the trail came out right there and I had skipped a small part so I dropped my pack and took off running to cover that section. As I finished my short trail run I noticed my parents and Cassandra's mom had arrived. They greeted me with hugs and they began to unload the food and drinks from the car. They brought a feast for any passing hikers which included pulled pork, pasta salad, chips, drinks, brownies, fruit salad, and cookies. Most of our group was there so we were excited for our family to meet the people they've been reading and hearing about. Everyone hung out for a couple of hours putting a pretty good dent in the food but they were unable to finish it so they packed out some of the leftovers for later. We were sad to see our friends go knowing it may be a while before we would see them again.
After cleaning up and packing all of Nomad's tables and gear back in the van we were on our way to Lexington, VA where we would take a zero the next day. After a couple of hours we were ready to eat again so we ordered some pizzas and just hung out for the evening catching up and telling trail stories.
4/27 Day 55 Zero in Lexington, VA
We started the day with breakfast at the hotel and tried to put together a plan for the day. We didn't really know what to do to entertain our family for the day but we knew we needed to do laundry so we headed to town to start with that. Lexington looked like a pretty nice place so we decided after starting our laundry we would just walk around and kill some time. We checked out the outfitter and some other shops while keeping our eyes peeled for something good to eat. We ate at a restaurant that I didn't even pay attention to the name of but the food was good and we got to sit outside. After lunch we found an ice cream shop with homemade ice cream and had to check that out.
While we were in town Nomad caught word of a brewery that was releasing a new beer so Dad, Nomad, and I headed to Devil's Backbone Brewery to check it out and Cassandra went to the grocery store with our moms. We hung out at the brewery for a while and then hopped in Vanimal (Nomad's van) and headed back to the hotel. At the hotel, Cassandra and I sorted and repackaged our food and it was time for dinner before we knew it. We went to dinner and then came back to the hotel to hang out with our family and Nomad for the rest of the evening.
4/28 Day 56 Thunder Ridge Overlook to Johns Hollow Shelter - 14.9 miles
Up early trying to learn how to pack our packs again. We had sent home some winter gear and traded out our bulky, heavy, winter sleeping bags for small, light sleeping bags causing us to rework our packing strategy. We weren't in any particular hurry to get back to the trail but we knew our parents had to get on the road and we had a lot of miles between us and our friends. After breakfast at the hotel we packed in the car to drive back to the trail and Nomad headed south. It was cool and rainy which made it even more difficult to get moving. It was a sad morning as we said goodbye to our family knowing that we would also be without our trail family. We hiked on just the two of us.
We had gotten a late start but the hiking was easy. We were making good time and the rain continued. We crossed the James River via the longest foot traffic only bridge on the trail and before we knew it we had arrived at Johns Hollow Shelter. It seemed too early to stop so we were talking about going on. We didn't think we could make it an additional nine miles to Punchbowl Shelter but we thought we would eat dinner and move on to a campsite. There were some southbound section hikers at the shelter telling us there was absolutely no camping between the two shelters so we decided to call it a day. We tented near the shelter getting a break from the rain just long enough to set up and cook dinner. We plan to get an early start tomorrow to try to close the gap between us and our buddies.
4/29 Day 57 Johns Hollow Shelter to Hog Camp Gap - 26.6 miles
It rained all night and a section hiker had decided the best place to set up his tent was so close to us that we could feel the vibrations from his snoring all night. We had planned a marathon day as there was a possibility Fresh Ground would be at our stopping point. We began with the climb that the southbound sectioners told us was terrible. It wasn't. There were also dozens of places we could have camped. When will I learn? Anyway, the rain had stopped but it was so foggy and misty we couldn't see any of the views. We hiked passed the Ottie Cline Powell monument which, as I understand, was the location they had found the body of the young boy who had wandered off collecting firewood.
We planned to have lunch at Punchbowl Shelter but later decided to move on to the road just beyond thinking maybe we would be there as Passover was getting back on trail. Passover had taken a day off with her family and we knew at some point she would be getting back on at this location. Just as we arrived at the road we saw Passover with her family. We met her parents and her sister and they gave us some delicious chocolate fudge cake. We told Passover our plan and that Fresh Ground may be there and she was in.
We hiked the rest of the afternoon with Passover. The miles seemed longer and more difficult than they actually were, the last five especially. I hiked motivated by the possibility of trail magic at the end of the long day. As we came down the hill we saw Fresh Ground's set up. We were thrilled. He gave us hot dogs, corn, beans, potatoes, and even cooked some pancakes. He encouraged us to camp there with him telling us he would cook breakfast in the morning. We hadn't seen Fresh Ground since the day we left the Smokies; his set up had grown. He told us he hopes to continue what he's doing all the way to Maine if the donations continue. He started his trail magic in Georgia and when his funds ran out hikers started donating to his cause. He runs 100% off of donations at this point. We had hoped the rest of the guys would be here with Fresh Ground but he told us they had gone on trying to cover the miles to be able to hitch to the brewery near trail tomorrow.
4/30 Day 58 Hog Camp Gap Shelter to Harpers Creek Shelter - 21.9 miles
Good start to the day thanks to Fresh Ground. He cooked plate-sized banana pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We ate until we could eat no more and had to throw in the towel. Passover left early planning to do 28 miles to catch the rest of the gang and join them at the brewery. We didn't feel we could do another day that long so we let her go.
The day was a rough one for us. I was tired and a bit sore from yesterday and I just didn't feel great overall. It was so foggy and misty we could barely see ten feet ahead of us. We arrived at the priest shelter and I was beat, I didn't want to go on but we couldn't stop after just 14 miles. The decent from the priest was rocky and seemed to be never ending. The rocks felt like they were stabbing through me feet with each step. We finally hobbled into the shelter to find three section hikers but there was still room for us. We took advantage of the shelter space as rain seemed inevitable at this point. I wish we had it in us to go on to the next shelter. Hopefully we'll catch up tomorrow.
5/1 Day 59 Harpers Creek Shelter to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter - 22 miles
Today was another tough day for me both mentally and physically. My feet have really been hurting and I'm not sure if it's from the new shoes, the rockier terrain, the longer days or a combination of the three. Not being able to catch our friends was also getting to me. It seemed they had increased their mileage so much we would never catch them.
The first few miles weren't bad. We climbed to a place called Three Ridges which normally has some good views but, for the third day in a row, we could barely see each other due to heavy fog. After passing Maupin Field Shelter our pace began to slow. My feet were hurting more than ever as I trudged to Paul C. Wolfe Shelter. I hoped we would see our friends friends here as they had been to the brewery last night but it turns out they couldn't resist hiking the last five miles into town. We did find Blue Moon who we hadn't seen since before our family visit and we met Kevin and Rat both section hikers. Larry Boy rolled in just before dark in true Larry Boy fashion. Tomorrow we will hike five miles into Waynesboro where I'm certain we'll finally catch up to our group.
Hope you were able to meet up with your bubble. Reading your story has been inspiring, wish I had the half the energy as you all each day.
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