Mountains Under Foot

From Hazard’s notes:
Day 47: June 25, 2009
Travel:
From: Punchbowl Shelter, VA
To: Seeley-Woodworth Shelter, VA
Beginning: 8:20am
Ending: 7:15pm
Number of miles hiked:
a) Trail – 25.3
b) other – .2 out of Punchbowl to AT
c) AT Mile Marker – 811.1 cumulative
Weather:
AM: Sunny and nice like everyday this week.
PM: Some clouds rolled in later and the sky grew overcast. Scared us a bit, but produced nothing. Heard there was 30% chance of rain tonight.
People: Knees and Curio went into Buena Vista for resupply. An old couple with their grand kids gave us and a SOBOer some magic. A couple of older guys, Pacer and one other…
Animals: A really green snake across the trail. Too quick for me to get a picture. Usual deer too.
Money: $0, $799 cumulative. My total spent is finally lower than my total miles! Yay!
Notes of the day:
AM: I awoke and the frogs were still croaking. Don’t they ever take a break? Broke camp quickly and started moving down the trail. The first 10 miles to the next shelter were super easy and it felt good to have that much done before noon. The creek, for about a mile leading up to the next shelter, was home to a freed slaves community up until about 1920 when the land was sold to the forest service. Rock formations and rubble were scattered along the banks and it was interesting to imagine what life would have been like in such a place along the creek. When we got to the shelter we decided, after pulling the book out, that we better stay and eat lunch and fill water because it was our last chance to fill water for the next 10 miles.

PM: Two miles uphill to US 60 and some magic! A car pulled up as we were about to re-enter the woods and an older couple and their grand kids came out of the car. The walked toward us with genuine interest for thru-hikers. They asked us the standard questions of when did you start and where. Then they offered us some Gatorade that we happily accepted and then some peaches that we munched down. As soon as the peach was gone the lady came back with some salami and Swiss cheese for us to snack on as well. I love salami! A SOBOer had come down the mountain and was joining in the magic and telling us about all the perils that lay ahead to the north past Harpers Ferry. We thanked the couple for the magic and thrust ourselves uphill; 3.8 miles of climbing that didn’t feel too bad, it only took 90 minutes or so. In between that climb up Bald Mountain (there was no bald) and the next one up Cold Mountain we took a candy break and recorded a video. Then from the top of Cold Mountain we pretty much didn’t talk or stop until we reached the shelter. Two old guys were there (Pacer & the other guy was named after a town in Puerto Rico) and had made a fire. Standard end of day routine and straight to bed. Well, I had to stay up and write this of course. Gotta make tomorrow really count. Only about 40 miles to Waynesboro, VA.