.November 9, 2006
For the first time during this two week trek I will have a net elevation loss. Basically that means I will have more downhill than uphill today, although there will still be plenty of uphill.
Lynn and I had a beautiful drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way to the trailhead today. We arrived at Thunder Ridge Overlook just a couple of minutes after 7:00.
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The weather had cleared but it was windy and cold.
The morning fog was still lifting, but I got a much better view from here than I did yesterday.
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Lynn walked with me until the AT crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway. She took the parkway back to the car. Madison stayed with me today. She is doing so well off the leash.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Madison carried a lot of today's load. I kept my eye on her all day. If she started to slow her pace I figured she was carrying too much. (This never happened.) Today's first stop was Thunder Ridge Shelter located right on the trail.
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The trail crossed the parkway again and went through a field.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Next I crossed under "the Guillotine". I don't think I need to explain how this rock formation got its name.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I reached the summit of Apple Orchard Mountain. Although a 4,000 footer, it wasn't too big of a climb. I did most of the climbing yesterday making my way up to Thunder Ridge.
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At the summit was some type of radio tower with a giant white ball on the top. With the morning fog around it, it looked kind of eerie. I thought it looked like something out of 'Close Encounters'.
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Madison thought so too.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ With the leaves off the trees, I would watch this 'ball' get smaller and smaller for the rest of the day.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Madison and I made good time
coming down the south side of Apple Orchard Mountain.
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Cornelius Creek Shelter must be kind of far off the trail. Even with the leaves off the trees, I couldn't see it from the trail so I decided to bypass it. Although most of today would be at a fairly high elevation there were not too many views so I took this short side trail.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I climbed up this rock...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ... and got a great view.
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Madison has been doing well off the leash but I have been nervous how she would react to wildlife. Well, I'm not sure what she saw, but she took off after something. I yelled, "Madison, come back" and then added "You have my lunch." It took a couple of minutes of calling and whistling but she came back. She's learning.
The Bryant Ridge Shelter is perhaps the nicest shelter I have seen so far on the AT(excluding the White Mountain Huts) and I had the place to myself. In fact, I had the whole woods to myself since I wouldn't see any hikers today. This would have been a good picture of the shelter but someone grew a tree in the way.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Here it is from another angle.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Here's the inside. It also had a loft but I didn't take a picture of that.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ As I started off again, I missed the trail. I was on the trail that went to the privy. I decided to check it out and look for funny signs that sometimes are posted in privies. I did learn that another name for toilet paper is 'mountain money'. I then retraced my steps and found the AT. It turned out to be a gorgeous day so I stripped down to my shorts and t-shirt while Madison 'patiently' waited.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After climbing Fork Mountain, I worked my way back down to the valley where the trail briefly follows VA 614 before going over a bridge.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Jennings Creek from the bridge
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ VA 43 is my goal for the day. Just six more miles too go.
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While heading up the next mountain, I realized Madison needed some water. I found a nice spot next to a tree and decided to sit for a few minutes. I sat on the ground with my legs crossed and began to 'fish' through Madison's pack. I heard a cracking sound. There are so many dead trees on the ground, but it is rare to actually see one when it falls. Then I heard the cracking sound again only it was much louder. I tilted my head up and back to find out the top half of the tree I was sitting next to was coming my way. I only had a second or two to decide what to do. I had no time to get up and figured the best I could do was to try to roll to the side if it was about to hit me. With my head up and back it was hard to decide where exactly it was going. I felt like the coyote who tries to catch the roadrunner and always has large objects fall on him. I didn't know which way to go and felt like holding up a little tiny umbrella. Fortunately it missed both me and Madison. It landed only about 5 or 6 feet away. There is an old question: "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a noise?" Well, I'm not sure about that but let me tell you, when a tree falls and lands right next to you it is VERY LOUD. Madison jumped straight up and I nearly had to change my underwear. This was one close call. Here's a picture of the fallen tree. I put my pack next to it to give it some scale. I was sitting just about where Madison is standing in the picture. The log was about 1 foot in diameter and about 12-15 feet
long. I couldn't even get the whole thing in the picture. It broke when it hit the ground. You can see part of the piece that broke off on the far left. This could really have ruined my day.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After this close call, I continued up the mountain. A little while later I realized Madison wasn't with me. I was still a little shaken over what just happened and hadn't realized she wandered off. I called for her but heard nothing. I then could hear her dog tags. I walked back down the trail to the brook I had just crossed. There she was. This gal loves the water.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After continuing up the mountain, Madison decided it was time for another break.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I had been hiking for hours and had covered a lot of miles, but I could still see all the way back to the white 'ball' on Apple Orchard Mountain.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Another scenic view at an unnamed overlook.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Cove Mountain Shelter was just a little off the trail so I made a quick stop.
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Stealing a view through the trees.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Closing in. Less than 2 miles to go.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I made my way down to Bearwallow Gap where Lynn was waiting for me.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Tomorrow I will head part way up this road before ducking back into the woods on the left.
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