Knot Maul Branch Shelter 1632.7 to Partnership Shelter 1659 (26.3 miles, 1659 total miles)
My body knew it was time to get up shortly before my 6AM alarm, and I was deflating my air pad by 6:20. KT’s alarm had also chimed at 6:00, in unison with mine, but was quickly silenced.
I moved quietly in the dark with my red light, packing up and drinking my breakfast. I’d mixed four packets of mostly apple cinnamon oatmeal with an instant coffee and a hot chocolate into my Gatorade bottle with water the night before.
I added more water to the cold soak, used the handle of my spoon to stir it up, and drank it as a smoothie that still required chewing. The taste of apple drowned the other flavors out, and it surprisingly wasn’t bad and was very efficient.
I left at 7 on the dot, as planned, but mistook a blue blaze for white with my red light, and had to backtrack just a bit. Back on the AT, I started up the incline from the shelter in the dark, though the sky was lightening ever so slowly.
I was planning on 26 miles today, though I had a bail out point at 15 if I needed it. I was giving myself 12 hours to get it done, which I thought should be ample time for breaks or a slower pace than expected.
I’d split the hike into a morning and evening shift in my mind, and was aiming to have the first 15 completed no later than 1PM. Fifteen minutes into the climb, I stopped to delayer, leaving my leggings on, but putting my headlamp away as well.
The sun crested the opposing ridge when I reached the top of the one I was climbing. I couldn’t see much through the trees, but welcomed the warmth I hoped it would bring.
Just before the first hour was up I checked my pace and saw that I’d only hiked 1.85 miles, though it had mostly been uphill. I tried not be too concerned about that, because it was only the first couple miles and I’d have plenty of opportunity to speed up the pace.
I did make it a point to hike a little faster, knowing this day only worked if I kept as close to 3MPH as possible.
After a steep descent down to Possum Creek, I accidentally started down another blue blaze, before correcting myself and crossing a paved road.
A bit further on, I entered an intensely beautiful pasture, with the sun shining bright, but not out long enough yet to dry off the grasses I was hiking through.
For a quarter mile I made my way through the first pasture, passing several cows grazing around me. One bull stared me down for a minute as I skirted by, a little nervous as he was gazing at me so intently.
As I crossed into a wooded section momentarily I saw two more cows standing directly on the trail. I banged my trekking poles together twice, hoping to alert them to my presence.
It sort of worked, but when the first cow looked up and saw me, it jumped, swayed back on all four feet like a cat, and both cows absolutely booked it through the forest away from me.
I’d never seen cows run before, and it startled me, then made me laugh. I yelled through the woods at them, where they were now watching me from a safe distance, that I wouldn’t hurt them. Yet when I started hiking again I began thinking about burgers, so maybe it wasn’t entirely true.
I had to climb over a few wooden ladders set up over barbed wire fences that separated private property the AT was running through, and they slowed me down quite a bit as I climbed up and down.
I passed near a farmhouse, then followed boardwalks next to a creek for a couple minutes, with overhanging vegetation that soaked my feet in icy cold water, as the sun hadn’t risen high enough to touch this area yet.
I told myself it was only temporary as I kept hiking on my wet cold feet back into the woods, rising up and over a little hill that warmed my body back up, spotting deer all over the place near the farm.
I climbed another fence and entered a half mile walk through more pastures with very pretty views of the mountains around me, and many more cows, including several cute babies that seemed curious about why a human was wandering through their space.
I crossed VA Route 610 toward my next mountain, and saw that I’d increased my pace quite a bit. Pleased, I put on music to get me up the next climb, wanting to keep my speed and knowing it was going to be a long day of hiking.
It did the trick, and I hiked strong up the 1.4 mile climb of 800 feet, making quick work of it. As I descended almost 2 miles I switched to a podcast and ate snacks, concerned there were no privies around and I’d have to find a spot for a cat hole soon.
At the bottom of the mountain, I reached the Crawfish Trail junction and knew I could wait no longer. That was the problem with a fast morning in camp, but it didn’t take too long. I was now 7.8 miles into the day at 10AM.
After that short break, I had to collect water in a grove among the rhododendrons before I was fully moving again. I climbed up to a shorter ridge, ran that for a bit, then descended to another ridge run.
I ate some trail mix KT had given me, got service for a bit and checked in with Sydney, then descended to Davis Hollow. Here there was a blue blaze to water, but I couldn’t find the path easily and didn’t want to waste time, so I kept hiking.
I only had just over half a liter for 5 miles, but thought I could stretch it, though it might not be fun. I climbed yet another ladder into another pasture, and walked in the warmth of the sun for a half a mile, only seeing a couple cows this time.
I entered a lovely flat part of my day that allowed my speed to increase further as I passed Davis Cemetery, crossed a couple roads, and walked over a short boardwalk that was reminiscent of New Jersey.
Into Atkins area, I crossed under the Interstate 81 bridges, and began road walking Route 11 for half a mile, intrigued by the gas stations that were directly on trail.
I hadn’t been expecting that, and hurried inside one for a cold soda, salt and vinegar chips, a king size snickers bar, and a Gatorade. I ate the chips and drank the Diet Coke in the shade, breaking until just after 1PM.
I was right where I wanted to be when I wanted to be there, and had 12 miles to go to where I was getting picked up by Murray Ann the trail angel.
I texted her that I’d meet her at 6PM, which gave me a buffer of an hour if I hiked 3MPH. I wanted to go a tiny bit further to Partnership Shelter and backtrack to the road before I saw her.
Partnership Shelter was very special to me. It was where one of my best friends Justin/Pigpen had ended his NOBO attempt in 2014. That attempt would inspire me to get on trail the following year.
In 2015 I began my flip flop attempt at that shelter, because it was easy to access by bus and car, I liked the name of it, and it felt right to begin where he’d ended.
In 2016 when I picked him up at the Marion bus station right near Partnership, he and I had driven there to visit the shelter, and had brought Frankie and Peanut there as well.
To be hiking back there, this time on what I feel will be my first successful thru hike of the trail, was incredibly emotional for me. I felt like I was closing a loop, and entering the final chapter of this hike. Though I’d been to a few places by car, everything south of Partnership was all new hiking to me.
As I reflected on this, I crossed 11 and got back into the forest, though I walked through a meadow near a couple beautiful farmhouses at first. I passed a huge field of pumpkins in the distance, and got rather excited to see them, as I’d grown up in a small town with a couple pumpkin farms.
The trail continued on in this fashion for a couple miles, crossing railroad tracks, meadows, and dirt roads. It was a balmy, 68 degrees out, the warmest we’ve had in a while, and the hiking couldn’t have been more perfect through lowlands that were recently mowed, dry grasses, and no worries of ticks.
I ran into Pearl and Mikey in the woods, and stopped to chat with them for a bit about the 30 mile day Slice and I were planning before I continued ahead. I’d been hiking so long it felt like a different day completely since I’d started, which was an interesting concept.
I passed the Settlers Museum at 2PM, which I remembered from before. It had water and trail magic inside the one room schoolhouse, including bars and snacks. I took a small bag before moving forward.
I climbed 3.5 miles from there up to the next ridge. It was a vigorous climb, but nothing crazy and only took a little over an hour to traverse. I had plenty of emotional energy for this ridge to keep me going.
There was plentiful water running in creeks and streams alongside the trail through rhododendrons, and I passed the shelter where I’d taken my first shelter break. I was hiking backward through my first day ever on trail, reminiscing as I went.
I stopped at a view below the ridge of the Great Valley and Walker Mountain, and remembered a couple day or section hikers taking my photo there, my first view on trail. It felt like a lifetime ago.
The ridge was lovely, with flowers, ferns, and large trees. It was also extremely rocky, and I marveled how I hiked through here wearing Chacos without breaking a toe.
I weaved in and out of the rocks with my feet, willing them to go exactly where my eyes did, moving too fast to have room for much error. I hit my feet on rocks a couple times, but overall it went well as I followed quite a few ups and downs toward Partnership.
I stopped once to drink the rest of my Gatorade and filter water at a gravel road before I kept going. I was making excellent time, though now well over 20 miles into my day, I was feeling it a bit.
I’d kept Jennifer Pharr Davis in my mind today, as my goal was not only speed, but also endurance. It was good practice for my 30 coming up as well. Hiking all day in its simplest form required focus and patience.
I played music and sang aloud a couple times, passing two section hikers going north at one point. I could tell they wanted to chat, but I had to keep moving after a quick exchange, excusing myself politely.
Finally I arrived at the Mt Rogers Visitor Center at 5:17, hiking another .2 past to Partnership. There was an older male section hiker there, so I didn’t get to have the total emotional experience I wanted to have, but I sat for a few minutes, wrote in the logbook, and cried only a little.
I’d be back in the morning, as I said bye to the other hiker and walked back to the road, texting Murray Ann I was all set at 5:30. After a bit she pulled up in a lovely blue Jaguar, White Walker and KT with her.
They’d been picked up at the 15 mile point in Atkins area, and I was glad to see them both. They’d been to a Mexican restaurant, and Murray Ann handed me a steak quesadilla she’d bought for me, which was very kind.
I was famished, and I devoured it in about five minutes, sitting in the back of her car with White Walker as we zoomed along mountain roads and pastoral farmland, feeling the thrill of being done hiking for the day and having accomplished quite a bit.
I passed the 3/4 mark, got back to Partnership, and I even hiked a marathon to get there, which had encompassed almost everything I’d hiked my first two days on trail in 2015. The contrast was rather stunning to me.
Murray Ann had an incredible house in Speedwell, it was enormous and very old, with just the right amount of spooky to have White Walker and I very excited about it.
We each got our own room, with a very comfortable bed. We took hot showers and started laundry, then White Walker and I went to Dollar General, directly across the road, to resupply.
It was after 8PM by then, and I was crashing hard. I downed another Gatorade then finished shopping. Back at the house, we had a little birthday celebration for White Walker, who was turning 25 today.
It was lovely, but I needed to lay down by 9, absolutely exhausted after the long day I’d had. My body was getting stiff and needed rest. We’d been so lucky, though, to get in touch with Murray Ann, a retired pastor who felt her calling was helping the hikers. She epitomized the kindness that makes the trail possible for us aspiring wanderers.