Cornelius Creek Shelter to James River Foot Bridge

Cornelius Creek Shelter to James River Foot Bridge
Day Nineteen – Friday, April 11, 2014
19.9 miles
8:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Karen joined us at the Comfort Inn this morning at 6:30 and followed us to James River Foot Bridge to drop off our car.  Then we drove back to Cornelius Creek Shelter where we will begin our hike. Pop Pop rode up with Karen and picked her brain all the way.  Maybe he didn't mind so much that he had to make the long ride with us to James River Foot Bridge and back before he started his hike. 

Back at Cornelius Shelter, we made one last search for our camera - to no avail.  I left a note in the hiker register just in case someone found it later so that they could get in touch with me.  Then we headed north, starting about 8:45.  Pop Pop took off before we did and we didn't see him again for a couple of hours.  He must have a new lease on life today as he seems to be moving faster than he said he did yesterday. 



Our new friend and shuttle driver, Karen Dillard aka Hiker Mom
with the James River Foot Bridge in the background.

Each day during our ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway we have been seeing a white dome sitting on top of a distant mountain.  It seemed so far away, but today we finally reached it.   Apple Orchard Mountain (Elevation 4,225) is  the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  The summit is an open bald just right for a leisurely break.  The dome, we found out, is a Federal Aviation Administration  radar device. It was neat to finally be standing just below this towering dome after having seen it from afar for several days. 

 

According to the Thru-Hiker's Companion, Apple Orchard Mountain was once the site of Bedford Air Force Station consisting of barracks and support buildings for 250 people.  The Station was operational from 1954 to 1975.

 

The wind was blowing pretty hard on top of the open bald, and it was time for lunch, so we found a hide-out between some boulders and brought out our lunch.  When we stepped back out onto the grassy area, we found Pop Pop sprawled out resting. 




The FAA Radar device on top of Apple Orchard Mountain.

Our lunch spot on top of Apple Orchard Mountain was a
hidden boulder pocket out of the wind.

Our new friend, Pop Pop enjoys a break on
Apple Orchard Mountain.



 

You will enter Thunder Ridge Wilderness just before The Guillotine. One of the highlights of today's hike was The Guillotine, a large rock boulder suspended over the trail in a narrow rock canyon. I have seen pictures of individuals sitting on top of the Guillotine, but it never occurred to me to try to get there.  So we just stood under it for our pictures. 



 

After passing the Guillotine and Thunder Hill Shelter, we came back out of the wilderness to the Blue Ridge Parkway around mile 74.  Here we found Thunder Ridge Overlook, a beautiful stone wall with a magnificent view of the valley to the north.  

 

Beautiful view from The Blue Ridge Parkway

 Thunder Ridge Overlook

 



From Petites Gap, USFS 35 at Blue Ridge Parkway mile 71, the climb begins up to Highcock Knob after entering the James River Face Wilderness.  Highcock Knob is a memorable, tough climb--rocky and steep. Our feet were beginning to show signs of blistering and we were getting quite weary. 

Our first view of the James River from high in the mountains was a welcome sight.  It appeared to be "just right down there" but we didn't reach it for quite some time later.  We crossed a couple of springs during our long descent, then crossed a pretty large creek before coming to Matt's Creek Shelter. 

First view of James River.

Matt's Creek Shelter

 

The trail followed Matt's Creek for about a mile before reaching the James River.  There were several nice-looking swimming holes in the creek.  The rocks in this area are reportedly 500 million years old.  We were pleasantly surprised that the trail did not go back up the mountain before reaching the river as we assumed it would (doesn't it always??).

When we reached the river, we thought the footbridge would be right there, but NO!  We had to parallel the river for maybe a mile and a half before we got to the bridge.  We could see the bridge a long time before we reached it.  But reach it we finally did! 

The James River Foot Bridge is the longest foot-use-only bridge on the A.T.  It is dedicated to the memory of Bill Foot, a 1987 thru-hiker whose efforts made the bridge a reality. 

James River Foot Bridge from up the river.

James River Foot Bridge

 

We crossed the river bridge with mixed emotions.  We were simply ELATED to be finished with this long challenging section. We were tired, our feet were blistered, my feet were killing me from the condition I have been suffering with, and we were ready to go home.  However, we were extremely proud of ourselves for our accomplishment of 19.9 miles on our last day and our 238 miles over the past 19 days.
 

Cornelius Creek Shelter To Bobblet's Gap Shelter, Southbound

Cornelius Creek Shelter to Bobblets Gap Shelter, Southbound

Day Eighteen – Thursday, April 10, 201418.4 miles

9:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

We drove our car to Bobblets Gap and parked, then Karen took us to an access little pig trail to Cornelius Creek Shelter.    It's nice to know a local because she knew right where to let us out in order to pick up the trail here, although there is no road indicated in the Thru-Hiker's Companion.  She walked with us down to the shelter to help us find the trail. She had never been to the trail here before, so we had to look for awhile before we found it.  While looking for the trail, we went up a little forest road behind the shelter and I put my backpack down on the ground.  I had my camera hooked to the outside of the backpack and, evidently, when I picked up the backpack the cameral came loose and I either left it there, or it came off later on the trail. 

After we finally found the trail (which goes down in front of the shelter to the right and curves back around to the left in case you ever need to know), we went up the first incline and stopped at the top for a drink of water.  That's when I noticed that my camera was no longer attached to my backpack.  Oh no! 

Wait-up went back down the trail to look for the camera and, after about 30 minutes, came back without it.  As bad as I hated to, I had to go on without it. 

We met Pop Pop on the trail today. He was headed north.  He was not planning to thru-hike, but was on the trail for an undetermined amount of time until he got ready to go home.  I asked him to look for my camera if he made it to Cornelius Creek Shelter. 
 

           

Bryant Ridge Shelter

Bryant Ridge Shelter

Jennings Creek

 

After reaching Bobblet's Gap Shelter and our car, we drove back up to Cornelius Creek Shelter to search for our camera.  As I was making my way up the mountain looking diligently on both sides of the trail, I looked up to see Pop Pop coming to meet me.  We walked back to the shelter together while I explained that we were going to be spending the night at Comfort Inn in Troutville tonight and hiking out from Cornelius Creek Shelter going north tomorrow morning.  He jumped right on the idea of spending the evening in town for dinner and a hotel, so he decided to ride into town with us.  We did not find the camera. 

 

We enjoyed Pop Pop's company and dinner at Cracker Barrel before going to Comfort Inn where Pop Pop checked in and we went our separate ways to rest.

 

Bobblett's Gap Shelter to Troutville, Southbound

Bobbletts Gap Shelter to U.S. 11/Troutville, Southbound

Day Seventeen – Wednesday, April 9, 2014

17 miles

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

We parked our car at Highway 11 Troutville parking area, then Karen took us to Bobletts Gap.   We began hiking south at 9:00.  It was an easy hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We met Tumbleweed, Thunderfoot and Pilfer again as they were headed north. They told us about going to the Fire Station in Troutville to get a shower.  Troutville is known to be a friendly hiker town. 

Near the end of the day we went through some pasture land, then into a little wooded area, then came out at the railroad tracks at Highway 11.  We made good time for 17 miles and had a relatively easy day with only one noticeable climb.

We ate at Country Cooking restaurant, a good buffet and spent the night at the Comfort Inn.

 

                                

 

Campbell Shelter to Va. 624, Southbound

Campbell Shelter to Va. 624/4 Pines Hostel, Southbound

Day Sixteen – Tuesday, April 8, 2014

10.3 miles

7:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

 

We left Campbell Shelter at 7:30 and were at McAfee Knob by 8:00.  It was not very bright, but at least the fog had mostly dispelled and we had a pretty good view of the valley below.  We snapped a few pictures with our cell phone, but most of the good ones we took with our camera which I later lost.  Unfortunately the cell phone pictures were from north pointing south, so I do not have a good picture of us on the famous McAfee Knob from the south view.  SOOOO disappointing!  It is one of the most photographed places on the trail and we don't have our picture there!  But at least we did have better weather so that we could see it, and it WAS beautiful. 

 

We met Thunderfoot and Tumbleweed as we neared the end of our trail.     The trail was beautiful running along a stream in pasture land.  Then one nice Max Patch-like hell comingout of the forest before we reached Highway 624 and made our way back up the road to 4 Pines Hostel and our car. 

We drove back up to Troutville to Karen's house.  As we were talking to Karen in her basement, we began to talk about exit points along the remainder of the trail and the possibility of slackpacking it.  And if we could slackpack it, maybe we could cover more daily mileage and finish in three more days!  Yay!   She helped us work it out, and we decided to do just that! 

Troutville to Campbell Shelter, Southbound

Troutville/U.S. 11 to Campbell Shelter, Southbound

Day Fifteen – Monday, April 7, 2014

16.9 miles

8:20 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Karen "Hikermom" Bennett followed us to 4 Pines Hostel where we left our car and she shuttled us back to begin our hike at Troutville--headed south.  We left Troutville/US 11 at 8:20 and had a pleasant hike to Lamberts Meadow Shelter.  It was 40 degrees and raining and foggy all day.  On the way, we caught several glimpses of the meadows below but really couldn't tell much about what was down there because of the fog.  Too bad we did not get to see the view.

As we hiked we met Pilfer, a girl from Michigan, for the first time.  We also met Caribou from Alaska. They were both headed north. We don't meet too many hikers on the trail these days.

It was 2:30 when we got to Lamberts Meadow where we orginally had planned to spend the night.  We rested for 30 minutes then decided to push on to the next shelter because we had plenty of time.  It was an easy hike except right before Tinker Cliffs.  We had heard so much about the view from Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob and were so looking forward to seeing it.  But alas, as we reached Tinker Cliffs, the fog was so heavy we coudn't see anything. 

We continued on to Campbell Shelter to spend the night, hoping to wake up to better weather in the morning before we reached McAfee Knob.  It was dark when we reached the shelter and we were surprised to find Dr. John already there.  He said he had zeroed the day at the shelter due to a stomach issue he had after eating pizza from the Quick Stop while at 4 Pines.  The shelter was not very big and he had claimed one side of the platform, so we claimed the other side and tried to find a dry spot. We stayed mostly dry throughout the night and awoke to more rain.  Too bad for McAfee Knob.                          

 

Zero Day in Troutville

Zero Day in Troutville
Day Fourteen – Sunday, April 6,

A good night's rest at the Quality Inn can't be beat.  They had a good breakfast, when we were glad to help ourselves to.  We spent the day doing laundry at the Truck Stop, eating at the Cracker Barrel right next door, and resting.

That evening we met up with the spectacular Hikermom - Karen Bennett - who lives in Troutville.  I had gotten to know her on Facebook Section Hiker's Page and on Whiteblaze.  She offered to shuttle us while were in her area.

We went to her house and ended up spending the night there in her basement where she has set up a little hostel room with a couch and an air mattress for sleeping.  She and her husband were very cordial hosts.   As we talked, I shared with her about my concern for our daughter and her high-risk pregnancy.  Karen was a big comfort to me that night  and offered to continue to pray for our situation.  Maybe that's the reason for our acquaintance. 

 

Brush Mountain to Va. 624

Brush Mountain to Va. 624

Day Thirteen – Saturday, April 5, 2014

12.7 miles
7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 



Audie Murphy Monument (Photo by Bryan Turner)

We broke camp at 7:30 and started on up the mountain, expecting to see the Audie Murphy Monument in a short while.  Forty-five minutes later we saw it.  On the way up, we had speculated how hard it must have been to build the monument way up here on top of the mountain, then when we got there, we saw that there was a road coming up to it.  Good thing, otherwise, there would be very little visitation to the monument, I believe. 

 

The monument commemorates Audie Murphy who was the most deocrated American soldier of World War II.  His single-handed capture of a large number of German soldiers made hima legend. After the war, he starred in many Hollywood war and western movies.  He died in a 1971 plane crash near this site.  (Thru-Hikers Companion)

 

After the long, hard climb up the mountain we were pleased to find upon leaving the monument that the trail followed a nice, wide rut road on top of the mountain for a while.  We were now looking forward to reaching Dragon's Tooth.  As we came around the side of one mountain and looked to the next, I was sure that we could see Dragon's Tooth on the top.  As we reached that point, I thought we had reached Dragon's Tooth and was very under-impressed.  Obviously, I did not know about Dragon's Tooth, because I thought we had surely reached it about four times before we actually did.  By the time we got there, I was wondering, "Just how many teeth does this Dragon have???"  We crossed peak, after peak, after peak, then suddenly heard people talking below us.  Looking down, we saw lots of people on the trail coming up the mountain from the north side.  We wondered what that was all about.  Then we encountered the sign for Dragon's Tooth. 

 

Oh!  Now we know what Dragon's Tooth is.  It is a huge boulder sticking up into the sky like a - well, like a Dragon's Tooth, I guess.  The Hiker's Companion does not say much about Dragon's Tooth but obviously it is a very popular day hike for the locals.  There were people all over the place, going up and down the rock faces like it was no big deal (except for a few wary ones).  But to me, it was a big deal trying to get down the path of boulders with a backpack.  It seemed very dangerous and quite tricky to keep from falling face first off the enbankments.  In several places, there were hand grips inserted into the boulders which did help some.  

 

When we finally reached the bottom of the mountain, there was a big camping area where some tents were set up and a short trail to the parking lot.  But we still had 1.5 miles to go to get to Highway 624.  It was more rock scrambles, but nothing like we had already done. 

 

We reached Highway 624 then walked about a half mile east to 4 Pines Hostel.  While walking there, Dr. John from North Carolina came up behind us walking lickety split.  He was going to stay at 4 Pines Hostel tonight and continue on hiking to Harper's Ferry.   

 

When I took my boots off and removed a piece of tape that I had on the top of my foot where it had been rubbing, the skin came off with the tape!  Ouch!  Now I had a pretty bad spot to worry about. 

 

We showered and changed at the hostel, then headed out intending to eat at the Homeplace Restaurant, famous among hikers for the All You Can Eat meals.  However, the number of people waiting in the yard of the restaurant encouraged us to continue on to find a quicker place to eat.  I believe it was the Catawba Quick Stop where we had sandwich and pizza.  Not like Homeplace, for sure, but it filled us up.   

 

We then drove up to Troutville where we spent the night in the Quality Inn. 

 

 


Dragon's Tooth (photo by Bryan Turner)

Dragon's Tooth (photo by Bryan Turner)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(All photos on this page courtesy of Brian Turner.)

Va. 630 to Brush Mountain

Va. 630 to Brush Mountain

Day Twelve – Friday, April 4, 2014

13.2 miles
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

We were on the trail by 7:30 a.m. We knew we must be close to Keffer Oak, the largest oak tree on the A.T. in the South, estimated to be 300 years old.  Last measured, the girth was 18 feet, 3 inches.  Sure enough, just over the first knoll we saw it.  It sits right beside the trail after going through a fence gate and is labeled with a small sign.  I couldn’t stop looking back at it as we moved on up the trail away from it. 

Keffer Oak

Brian Turner at the Keffer Oak - I had a pic just like this but lost it.

 On top of Sinking Creek Mountain the rocks are piled up on the sides of the trail.  Someone went to a lot of trouble to do that.  Then the trail turns into a trail of boulders.  We walked a few miles on top of the mountain overlooking a beautiful mountain lake.


Rock Pile beside the trail

The trail goes over these boulders.

























Brian Turner at the Continental Divide

Our Thru-hikers Companion told us that Sinking Creek Mountain is the northernmost spot where the A.T. crosses a notable “continental divide.”  Waters flowing down the western side of the ridge drain into Sinking Creek Valley and the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.  Waters flowing on the eastern side empty into Craig Creek Valley, the James River, and the Atlantic Ocean.


At Niday Shelter we stopped for water since no more water is indicated in the book as we approached Va. 621.  Wait-up slipped and slid down the 75 yard trail to the water source.  We had to take a break at the shelter because my feet were hurting really bad and had been hurting for the last few days.  Especially the downhills made the bottom of my feet almost unbearably painful. 

When we reached Va. 621 we found plenty of water—we crossed about 6 foot bridges.  I don’t know why it’s not indicated in the book. 

Then we started an incline of about 1600 feet toward the Audie Murphy Monument. Before we got there, we stopped somewhere on the side of Brush Mountain and set up camp.  The wind was blowing hard across the mountain so we made sure we tied our tent down good before going to bed. 

(Photos on this page courtesy of Brian Turner.)

Va. 613 to Va. 630

Va. 613 to Va. 630

Day Eleven – Thursday, April 3, 2014

14.9 miles

7:40 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 

We got started at 7:30 a.m. this morning and quickly reached Va. 613, Salt Sulfur Turnpike.  Down this road 5 miles is the Mountain Lake Lodge and Conservancy, site of one of only two natural lakes in Virginia.  This is one of the locations where the movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed. 

After the amazing view at Wind Rock Lookout, the trail became VERY nice and even on top of the mountain for about two miles then started a long descent down to War Spur Shelter.
We met two middle-aged men coming toward us –an unusual thing lately—and stopped to talk with them.  They were section hiking southbound. 

As we came out onto Va. 601, we encountered two vehicles parked there with three men—one sitting in the driver’s seat of the car and two others standing outside.  They were drinking their beer and watching a dog walking around.  I couldn’t help but be glad that I was not a woman hiking alone.  We stopped to chat awhile, but couldn’t really get a feel for what their intentions were.  I guess they just wanted to meet up and shoot the breeze awhile.

The ascent up from Rocky Gap is a very steep old forest road.  The mountain was green on top with mountain laurels and rhododendron bushes.  Then we went down again and across Va. 42.  Between Va. 42 and Va. 630 was nearly a mile of a Max Patch-like bald hill.  Nice. 

We stopped beside the bridge at Va. 630 and made our way through the briars down to the side of Sinking Creek to fill our water bottles.  A young man (about 14) came along and I asked him if he lived around here, he said he did.  I asked him if there were any good camping spots going up the next mountain.  He said he didn’t know, he’d only been up there once looking for his dog.  Huh?  What a shame to live so close to that beautiful mountain and not be all over it. 

We made our way on up the mountain with the intentions of stopping making a stealth camp as soon as we found a good spot away from the road.  Shortly we came upon an old deteriorated barn and made our camp in its yard.   It rained all night.