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WEEK 8 - May 11 to May 17, 1981 |
May 11, 1981
Picked up my mail drop in Cloverdale. Not much in Cloverdale in the way of supplies. After three different stops I finally had everything I wanted for lunches but produced only one can of tuna towards dinner supplies. Meanwhile, Pete has caught up again and we are at the Fulhardt knob shelter. The Mill Hunky and Carol were in Cloverdale but have not been seen since.
May 12, 1981
Passed the 1/3 of the trail mark today with a 28+ mile day. I had intended to go only 21 miles but the shelter I was going to has been relocated. Darkness caught me about two miles short of the next one, Cornelius Creek. The day was quite easy (except for the length of the hike) and scenic. The trail in this area follows the Blue Ridge Parkway for several miles. The only problem is that the ridge is very narow in places so the trail runs along the steep sides to avoid the road. More pictures taken today - all flowers.
May 13, 1981
Stopped today at Matt's Creek shelter after a fairly easy day of about 20 miles. There was only one steep uphill stretch and the rest was either level or moderately downhill. Tomorrow will be a different story. Have overtaken "Rosebud and Scroth" who I have seen in the registers since Springer Mountain.
May 14, 1981 (morning)
Theme for the shelter last night was "Attack of the Caterpillars".
May 14, 1981 (evening)
Caught up with "Biscuit" Pete again, this time at Brown Mt. Creek shelter. Put in more than 20 miles again and swore I would not do it again tomorrow until I noticed the shelter spacing - eight miles and twenty miles. Unless I can get some food at the upcoming "country store", I will have supply problems as I hit Rockfish Gap on a Sunday not matter what pace I travel. Some sections of the trail today were quite nice with rhodedendrons in full force on both sides of the trail. Good views of the James River were to be had in several places. Saw two more black snakes and several lizards.
May 15, 1981
Got a good thunderstorm last night and it looked grim this morning. It never did really rain today though - just a few sprinkles. Spent most of the day in the fog - no views! Heard some veeries and saw two indigo buntings. This may well be the last day that I see Pete unless he stops a couple of days in Harper's Ferry. I took a picture of him engaged in his new favorite activity - making biscuits. Pete is a computer science major from Boston. He is what Rosebud and Scroth refer to as a "megamiler". He was introduced to trail biscuit making at Glade Mountain Shelter by a scout troop and now, along with twenty mile plus days, biscuits are a necessity. My name for him, "the amazing biscuitman" has stuck and he is now signing the trail registers with it. Just as I got near Fish Hatchery Road, the thunderstorm that I had been keeping a wary eye upon suddenly got close and lightning struck somewhere very nearby. I got down to the road (in a gap) and sat until I could hear no more thunder. It turns out that Pete had been at the road at the time the bolt struck and said that it struck the top of Maintop, about a mile from me and about a half mile from him. The storm missed both of us, skirting off to the northeast.
May 17, 1981
Camped at Mill Run shelter last night. Went into Waynesboro today where I restocked to eight days food. I'm hoping that will get me to Harpers Ferry. It also gave me a chance to mail a note home to advance my Harpers Ferry mail drop. I may be there as early as the 25th. Started the Shenandoah National Park today, discovering at entrance that an itinerary must be planned in advance. I chose a six day stay which is about 16 miles a day. I found out after filling out the permit that the itinerary is by zone, not site, but the one I chose seems OK anyway. There have been some good views of the Shenandoah Valley but otherwise the last few days have been uneventful. Had some passable wild strawberries yesterday. Have noted garlic mustard in this area.