VA hike #2, day 10

Monday, April 4th, 2016
Start: Sarver Hollow Shelter
End: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles: 21.0 (+0.4 for shelter side trail)

I got up at 7am, which was a bit later than I intended but I'd had a poor night's sleep the night before. I was on trail by 7:45am. 

I passed by Bruises Knob (3417'), saw the Keffer Oak [largest oak tree on AT in the south at over 18' around and 300+ years old] (2322'), and then passed over Sinking Creek/VA 42 (2097'). I went past Laurel Creek Shelter (2798'), climbed Kelly Knob (3730'), went down to VA 632 (2080'), passed by War Spur Shelter (2361'), then climbed up to Lone Pine Peak (4026'). I passed by VA 613 (3950') and arrived at Bailey Gap Shelter at 6pm.

Originally, I'd intended to go to the next shelter which is 3.9 miles away but today was much slower going than I anticipated. My left knee is still giving me trouble, making downhill portions very painful. My right heel hasn't gotten much better from the chaffing and it bled during this morning's climb up from the shelter back to the trail.

I'm looking forward to arriving in Pearisburg tomorrow evening and meeting up with Towanda. I'm currently planning to spend tomorrow evening and Wednesday morning in town; then when Towanda heads out at lunch time, I'll hike to Woods Hole hostel, which is around 10 miles out of town.

For whatever reason, today was hard to stay focused and happy. There were thunderstorms towards the end of the day, which made a rocky section much more difficult, since they were all slippery. I'm trying to focus on the fact that I'll be done with this hike by Sunday and the terrain only gets easier from here.

VA hike #2, day 9

Sunday, April 3rd, 2016
Start: VA 624/Newport Rd
End: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles: 22.8 (+0.3 from hostel, +0.4 for shelter side trail)

I had an abominable night of sleep at the hostel; the lights weren't turned off until 11pm and then a hiker was up until 1:30am with his white light headlamp pointed directly at my face. The rooster started crowing at 5:30am. It was a hell of a long night and I hit the trail sleep deprived and rather aggravated.

I climbed up Cove Mountain (3020') which included the Dragons Tooth, past Pickle Branch Shelter (1951'), over Trout Creek (1548'), past the Audie Murphy monument (3100'), over Craig Creek Rd (1547'), past Niday Shelter (1988'), crossing over the Eastern Continental Divide (3368'), and finally ended at Sarver Hollow Shelter. The side trail to the shelter made me sad; it's 0.4 straight down the mountainside so I'll have to climb up it tomorrow morning.

Today took way longer than anticipated; I felt a lot more tired than usual. I've started considering doing less total miles than originally planned but we'll see how I feel over the next few days. My left kneecap is still giving me trouble; it started as primary a problem when going downhill but it's started hurting most of the time now. The brace doesn't seem to help much.