Day: |
043 |
Date: |
Saturday, 14 June 1986 |
Start: |
|
Finish: |
|
Daily
AT Miles: |
23.0 |
Daily Other Miles |
0.5 (Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Centre) |
Total
AT Miles: |
832.7 |
Total All Miles |
859.0 |
Weather: |
Warm, mostly sunny. |
Accommodation: |
|
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Muesli. Lunch: Soup, burger,
ice-cream. Dinner: Omelette, potato skins, ice-cream. |
Aches: |
Blisters on both heels, wasp sting on left
wrist. |
Animals Seen: |
Turkey, snake, fawn, rabbit, chipmunks,
squirrels. |
People Seen: |
One overnight hiker, six day hikers, many
others. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
|
Journal: |
Got up at 5:50am when Pete woke me – he
and Ridgerunner got up at 5:30am. I was underway at 7am – my
earliest yet. I anticipated that the Trail would be easy and mainly
downhill for the 17 miles to Rockfish Gap. Because I wasn’t
carrying much food, I hoped that it would be a quick trip and that I
would be in the Howard Johnsons Restaurant in the Gap soon after 1pm
for lunch. However, much of the Trail was very slow going. Some of
it was through chest-high grass, nettles and weeds just out of sight
of the Blue Ridge Parkway, some of it was steep and some of it wound
around an over rocks. There were occasional good views from rocky
outcrops but many of the hills again offered nothing for the
strenuous climb. I caught and passed both Peter and Ridgerunner who
had similar opinions about the Trail. After a slow 10 miles, I
called in at the Humpback Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Centre and
called Mark to alter our meeting place for tomorrow to the Loft
Mountain Picnic Area which would mean I could have the arvo off. I
replenished water and continued along the Trail which remained the
same. I did, however, surprise a fawn sitting on the path and got a
very good look at it. Eventually, I arrived at Rockfish Gap at
3:15pm and went straight to the restaurant for a late lunch. I
bought a pint of ice-cream for dessert and ate it sitting under a
tree on the grass near the highway reading the Washington
Post. Peter turned up and we chatted for a while. Like everybody
else, he was headed into Waynesboro for a few days R & R. I visited
the adjacent service station to see if they had food suitable for
dinner. They didn’t. I bought a few caked for tomorrow’s breakfast
and a couple of cans of Coke and returned to the grass to pass
another hour before having an early dinner at the same
restaurant. Ridgerunner turned up. They were surprised to see me
back in the restaurant at 5:45pm. I had dinner, bought another pint
of ice-cream, and hit the Trail at 6:40pm, hoping to reach Calf
Mountain Shelter, 7.2 miles away. I stopped and ate the ice-cream
after half an hour and pressed on during a lovely evening on quite a
good Trail. At 9pm, atop Calf Mountain, I called it quits and
quickly set up camp. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
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Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|