Day 54 - Sunday, April 18, 2021

Another cool night; low of 38°. Today’s weather will mirror the last few days, staying cooler and partly cloudy. 

Today we are hiking from VA 670 (526.4 NoBo) to VA 603, Fox Creek (512.6 NoBo) for a total of 13.8 miles. Today’s hike put us over 600 trail miles  🥳.

We began hiking at 8:15 am. A group of Virginia Tech students were backpacking off the trail as we started. They didn’t look too happy!


















Creek crossing at Comers Creek.  The original bridge was washed out. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy  is in the process of rebuilding the bridge so there was an alternate route to use up to Dickey Gap or you could take the normal trail and cross at your own risk. Water levels have dropped the past few days so we decided to take the regular trail. 




 



The rhododendrons didn’t blossom before we left the trail. Hopefully they will still be in bloom when we return.




Making our final descent of the hike...




The AT is very obvious through the mountain pasture. It should be even more so when the herd* comes through in the next few weeks. (Many NoBo thru-hikers start on popular traditional dates such as March 1, March 17, April 1, April 15 & May 1. These larger groups of hikers are known as “herds” or “the bubble”.  The ATC has suggested number of hikers on the same segment of the trail as not to overcrowd the shelters.)



Crossing the South Fork Holston River.

We finished hiking at 3:45 pm. The temperature was 56° with partly sunny skies. 

We are going off the trail after today’s hike, returning May 5th. It will be a welcomed rest and healing time. Turtle Power has been nursing a back issue and I’ve been working through my Achilles tendinitis; not to mention a couple blisters. It seems no matter what you do, blisters are unavoidable except for TP who has the feet (hoofs) of a mountain goat 🐐 😬.  

When we return, our plans are to continue SoBo to Springer Mountain finishing by June 15ish 🙄. Then flip flopping NoBo resuming in New Hampshire to Katahdin. Then flip flopping again SOBo finishing everything left (Connecticut, NJ, Pennsylvania, Maryland) to Harpers Ferry, WV. Well that’s the plan, keeping my 🤞🏻!!!  

Till next time... Happy Hiking  🥾 
😋


Total Trail Miles To Date (April 18, 2021)
NY-CT Border                     1458.7 NoBo 
Co. Rd 365 Glenwood, NJ  1355.8 NoBo       102.9

Potomac River, WV             1026.3 NoBo
Stony Creek Valley                 657.0 NoBo      369.3

VA 641Cross Clendenin Rd.    641.5 NoBo 
VA 603 Fox Creek                    512.6 NoBo     128.9
Total Trail Miles                                               601.1
                                                                          (27.4%)

       



Comments

  1. Ebb and FloApril 19, 2021 at 7:36 AM

    When we take hike of 4 or 5 miles, we feel like Olympians. Your long daily marches up and down rugged terrain are inspiring! Glad you’re taking some R&R time!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ErinApril 20, 2021 at 5:19 PM

    Enjoy your time off the trail!! And enjoy the R@R splinter and turtle power

    ReplyDelete

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