I met up with Ed at the shelter and decided to hike the 13 miles with him today. It worked out b/c Lori had decided to NOBO hike the rest of the trip. She's been know to say "I don't buy the same real estate twice", meaning she doesn't hike the same section of the trail twice or she doesn't back track. It looks like she's buying the city block today. I couldn't imagine going over the same section I just conquered. haha! I'll miss her, but it's on to a new adventure. So Ed decided to road walk today, I decided to hang with him. Well, really my right foot and left pinky toe blisters decided for me. I duck taped my blisters and hoped they wouldn't bother me today. We hike from the shelter up 1/2 mile, then down 1/2 mile to the next road crossing and started our road walking climb. YUP, climb, for the next 3 miles, the road climbed up and the further it climbed, the chillier, windier, and rainier it got :( As we were rounding up our first climb, we see a wild turkey crossing the road. Then we see another pop out of the woods and cross, then another, then another, then ANOTHER! in total I think it was about 8 or 9 HUGE wild turkeys that walked within 20 feet from us just to cross the road. It was pretty cool. During the long boring miles, we talked about our families. I learned that his younger daughter is an adventure seeker and has done some cool stuff. She's actually a white water raft guide during the summer. How cools is that! After we rounded the top of the road, it coasted down for a couple more miles and that's when it began to rain. Let me tell you, Rain + cold temperatures + high winds and sweaty clothes =
chills. It was freezing and I was shivering. Around mile 8 we decide to stop at Turk Mountain overlook that was just 3 miles from the trail head to our campsite. We were cold, miserable, and tired. Road walking is tough on your feet. Your pounding on a hard surface for miles and miles and it can get pretty boring. So we decided to try out hand at Yoging, to get a free ride. (OK, hitch hiking, but shhhhh.... don't tell my mom or dad.) After 7 cars passed with no one stopping to help us out, just rolling by in their dry, warm cars, we tried to see if I had cell service to call a shuttle. NO service. We decided to walk a mile more to the next overlook, Sawmill Run, to see if there was any cell service. Shaking with chills, I walk over to the overlook and check for cell service. YES! I start dialing the PTC # from the map and just about the time I hear that the office is closed on Saturday, I look over and see Ed talking to someone in a Prius. Ed hooked us up with a ride! YAY!!!! He comes over and grabs my pack and stuffs it in the back of the guys Prius. Ed has officially become my hero. hahaha! I stutter out a thank you to Prius man and tell him how grateful we are that he is willing to pick us up. I find out the guy's from Williamsburg and was out hiking for a couple of days. With the rain pounding on the windshield and Ed and Prius guy talking away, I sit back in the warm car and enjoy the ride. When Prius man asks us how far are we going, Ed asks him how far is HE going. hahhaa! When the guy says Rockfish Gap, it doesn't take long for us to say, " That's fine." Rockfish gap is 7 miles further up from our original campsite (Calf Mountain Hut). So we'll skip 7 miles. Oops... Don't tell.When we get to Rockfish Gap, Ed pours on his McSteamy charm and gets Prius man to pas
s right by Rockfish gap and drops us off 6 miles into the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Hump Mountain Visitors Center. (If you've seen Greys Anatomy, Ed sort of looks like Dr. McSteamy. You just have to cock your head to the side, squint a little, imaging his salt and peppered hair is a bit shorter and BAM! McSteamy.) So we skipped Sunday's intended 13 mile hike. Oops. :) There is no rain at the visitors center. Just nice overcast day and WATER!! Since it's onl
y 2pm, we decide to take a short lunch break before we're off again. We head over to a platform that looks like a small stage and throw down our packs and eat lunch. I called Rylan and left him a voice mail, letting him know we will not be at the shelter tonight. Several tourists walk by in their clean and dry clothes. Probably looking at us like we are some serious hiker trash. hahaha! I love it :) After a nice and dry lunch we decide to just go all out and hike to the Van. (Thanks Lori, for letting us borrow this section of the trails map. It came in handy and gave us lots of options for water) That means that today is going to be a loooong 17 mile day. So we slap on our packs and start walking on the Blue Ride Parkway. And of course, the road climbed up for 5 miles. We walked straight up for 5 friggin miles! At one point I look over to my right and see a couple of cyclists riding up the mountain all cheery. I say hello then ask if I could have a ride. hahaha! We all laugh and they cycle away and Ed and I continue climbing up. Let me just say, that at this level, the views are outstanding. All I have to do to see an amazing view is turn my head to the right. I can't believe how high we've climbed. We consult the map, and decide to head up to the campground for a quick water break. Well, the campground is, of course, a steep climb up. What we didn't realize was how windy and cold it was up there. I start shivering again. Ed tries his luck one more time with the ranger that drives through. But the ranger says he's not allowed to give rides to anyone. So after resting our sore feet a bit, we hit the road with 5 miles left. AND of course, most of it is up hill.
s right by Rockfish gap and drops us off 6 miles into the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Hump Mountain Visitors Center. (If you've seen Greys Anatomy, Ed sort of looks like Dr. McSteamy. You just have to cock your head to the side, squint a little, imaging his salt and peppered hair is a bit shorter and BAM! McSteamy.) So we skipped Sunday's intended 13 mile hike. Oops. :) There is no rain at the visitors center. Just nice overcast day and WATER!! Since it's onl
y 2pm, we decide to take a short lunch break before we're off again. We head over to a platform that looks like a small stage and throw down our packs and eat lunch. I called Rylan and left him a voice mail, letting him know we will not be at the shelter tonight. Several tourists walk by in their clean and dry clothes. Probably looking at us like we are some serious hiker trash. hahaha! I love it :) After a nice and dry lunch we decide to just go all out and hike to the Van. (Thanks Lori, for letting us borrow this section of the trails map. It came in handy and gave us lots of options for water) That means that today is going to be a loooong 17 mile day. So we slap on our packs and start walking on the Blue Ride Parkway. And of course, the road climbed up for 5 miles. We walked straight up for 5 friggin miles! At one point I look over to my right and see a couple of cyclists riding up the mountain all cheery. I say hello then ask if I could have a ride. hahaha! We all laugh and they cycle away and Ed and I continue climbing up. Let me just say, that at this level, the views are outstanding. All I have to do to see an amazing view is turn my head to the right. I can't believe how high we've climbed. We consult the map, and decide to head up to the campground for a quick water break. Well, the campground is, of course, a steep climb up. What we didn't realize was how windy and cold it was up there. I start shivering again. Ed tries his luck one more time with the ranger that drives through. But the ranger says he's not allowed to give rides to anyone. So after resting our sore feet a bit, we hit the road with 5 miles left. AND of course, most of it is up hill. 
We get to Rock Point overlook at 4pm and Ed says that with only 3 miles til the Van, he can probably knock that out in less than an hour if he didn't have his heavy pack. He suggests that I wait for him at the overlook, with his pack while he gets the van. I'm a bit nervous, but my feet thank him and off he goes. The first thing I do is go behind the big rock and change into some dry clothes. Then, I pull out my Jetboil and heat up some water for some tea! YUMMY! Oh... it's so good and warm. I sit on the side of the road like pure hiker trash, waiting for Ed to return with the van. SEVERAL people stop by the overlook during that hour wait and a bunch of them get curious and 
ask me all kinds of questions about my pack, the trail, ect... I kind of feel cool. Like what a thru hiker must feel like, getting all kinds of stares and asked all kinds of questions. Ed finally arrives right at 5pm like he said he would and I am SO happy to see the van. We throw all of our stuff in, turn up the heat, and head down to the town of Waynesboro for some REAL food. We drive around and somehow find Ciro's pizza joint. Ed orders the Ciro Special without knowing what it was and I order the Stromboli and down a glass of diet coke. Aaaahhhh. I scarfed down that Stromboli like it was no one's business. We talk about our favorite travels and I find out that Ed, though he's visited 22 different countries, and has NEVER been to the Caribbean. WHAT?? hahaha. He tells me that his favorite travel memory was when he was in Egypt and walking Cairo at midnight. A local offered him a private tour of the inside of a newly excavated pyramid. All he had to do was pay the armed guards a $1 to get by at each check point inside the pyramid. WOW, I know some archaeologist somewhere is jealous. What an adventure.
ask me all kinds of questions about my pack, the trail, ect... I kind of feel cool. Like what a thru hiker must feel like, getting all kinds of stares and asked all kinds of questions. Ed finally arrives right at 5pm like he said he would and I am SO happy to see the van. We throw all of our stuff in, turn up the heat, and head down to the town of Waynesboro for some REAL food. We drive around and somehow find Ciro's pizza joint. Ed orders the Ciro Special without knowing what it was and I order the Stromboli and down a glass of diet coke. Aaaahhhh. I scarfed down that Stromboli like it was no one's business. We talk about our favorite travels and I find out that Ed, though he's visited 22 different countries, and has NEVER been to the Caribbean. WHAT?? hahaha. He tells me that his favorite travel memory was when he was in Egypt and walking Cairo at midnight. A local offered him a private tour of the inside of a newly excavated pyramid. All he had to do was pay the armed guards a $1 to get by at each check point inside the pyramid. WOW, I know some archaeologist somewhere is jealous. What an adventure. After dinner we drove back up to Big Meadows Campground to retrieve our cars and leave the van for the NOBO's. I was just amazed at driving back u
p all the miles that we walked on this entire trip. You really don't realize how far your walking until you actually drive it. It's pretty surreal. We hop out the van at 8:30pm and it's cold! We say goodbyes and exchange emails. Ed head home and I, not looking forward to a 6 hour drive, pull into the campground. I notice a huge sign saying NO vacancies. I pop my head in the ranger station, and hope I look sorry enough for the ranger to take pity on me :) I tell her I just hiked from Big Meadows down to Three Ridges (which I sort of did) and am very tired and cold. Do they possibly have any room for me. All I need are two good trees to hang my hammock on. I think she she had a soft spot for me b/c she gave me a campsite # E184. Full bellied and tired, to hung my hammock up in freezing cold temperatures. The site wasn't exactly private, but hey, I can't argue with charity. So with my headlamp on, I had my tarp and hammock up in 15 minutes. I walked to the bathrooms to change into my camp clothes and I was asleep by 9pm. 
p all the miles that we walked on this entire trip. You really don't realize how far your walking until you actually drive it. It's pretty surreal. We hop out the van at 8:30pm and it's cold! We say goodbyes and exchange emails. Ed head home and I, not looking forward to a 6 hour drive, pull into the campground. I notice a huge sign saying NO vacancies. I pop my head in the ranger station, and hope I look sorry enough for the ranger to take pity on me :) I tell her I just hiked from Big Meadows down to Three Ridges (which I sort of did) and am very tired and cold. Do they possibly have any room for me. All I need are two good trees to hang my hammock on. I think she she had a soft spot for me b/c she gave me a campsite # E184. Full bellied and tired, to hung my hammock up in freezing cold temperatures. The site wasn't exactly private, but hey, I can't argue with charity. So with my headlamp on, I had my tarp and hammock up in 15 minutes. I walked to the bathrooms to change into my camp clothes and I was asleep by 9pm. 
I was warm and snug as a bug all night long. I didn't wake up til 7am the next morning. I knew I had all day to drive home, so I took my time packing up. I met a nice lady in an RV that had lots of questions about my hammock and backpack. Seems as if her husband, who was sleeping in the RV, was just as obsessed with the AT as I was and was planning on Thru hiking next year! He was even emailing my favorite 2009 thru hikers Wags and Gangsta for some tips! Wow, small world. I wish I would of met him, but I was packed up and it was too cold to hang around and wait for him to wake up. Whoever you were, I wish you much luck on your thru hike next year! Til next time. GET OUTDOORS!!!
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