Day 88 - Thursday, September 8

Linda

We listened to the rain on the roof of the shelter all last evening and into the night. It was still raining when we woke up this morning. I hated to get out of my nice cozy bag, but at least it wasn't too cold outside. Packed up and were walking by 8:00. Took a short side trip down Rt. 501 to the little General Store and Post Office in Snowden to pick up a few needed grocery items and get a drink and some ice cream. Ronald saw a package for Dave Barol, a Southbounder we've been hearing about, but have never met. At least that lets us know he's still behind us. Maybe we'll get to meet him soon.

As soon as we started walking again, it started to pour, and got pretty chilly. We crossed the James River and started on the killer 3,000 foot ascent, which we knew was coming, and I had been silently dreading. Actually, the first part wasn't bad, and after 2.5 miles we were on our way back down to Matts Creek Shelter. We stopped for a snack and Ronald did a little foot repair while I read the trail register. That had been a favorite pastime all through New England, but we don't see them nearly as frequently now. I'm not sure why they aren't as common, but I miss reading them. They provided a wonderful forum for venting frustrations, leaving messages for other hikers, or passing on useful trail tips, philosophical pearls, poetry and other literary gems. They were also sometimes the only entertainment during a long evening in a dreary shelter.

While we rested up at the shelter, we decided to make a very short day and only go as far as the next shelter in 5.5 miles. Neither of us was wild about hiking in soggy weather, and we have plenty of time now, so we figured we'd enjoy it. Most of the heavy climbing was in the next few miles, but I was geared way down and ready for it, so it was wasn't bad at all. Only got a few glimpses of the James River Gorge from the ridge, due to the foggy conditions, but we could imagine the spectacular views on a clear day. Got to Marble Springs Shelter by 1:30, then had all afternoon to relax. It was windy and chilly most of the afternoon, but the rain stopped and we were in our sleeping bags, all warm and dry, so we didn't mind the chill. We made hot soup for lunch for the first time in a couple months, and it sure tasted good. We caught up on our writing and just generally goofed off. Only did 10.3 miles today, and I know we can't do it every day, but it's nice to know we can indulge once in a while. Sure beats burning up long miles day after day, like in Pennsylvania and parts north. Had chicken and noodle and banana cream pudding for dinner, then relaxed and wrote some more before going to bed.

Ron

Yesterday's rain continued all night in varying degrees of strength. I woke up several times and listened to the sound of rain falling on the roof of the shelter. The sound of the water flowing in the stream in the background completed the musical masterpiece. It's been a long time since we slept so close to running water.

We got up this morning with no real sense of urgency. We completed our chores, delaying the task of putting on wet boots until the last second. I don't think I'll ever enjoy putting on cold wet boots. With everything completed we pressed on to see what the town of Snowden had to offer. It didn't take long to hike to US Rt. 501. From there it was a short haul to William's Store and Post Office. After our usual round of drinks and ice cream, we replenished our supply of breakfasts. I glanced over at the packages waiting for other through hikers to pick up and took note of a couple of names. Dave Barol, Rand's ex-partner, is still behind us. We passed him somewhere back up the trail. I also noted a box for Don Williams. We had not heard of him before on the trail grapevine. It appears that of the original group through hikers that started in Maine this spring, we are out in front.

By the time we left the store, the drizzle had become rain. After we crossed the James River and headed back into the woods, the rain didn't bother us. The trail to Matts Creek Lean-to was graded and wide enough to keep the bushes from getting us wet. We stopped at the lean-to long enough for me to correct a bunched up sock and to grab a snack, before the climb to the ridge. Inside the lean-to was the first trail register we had seen in 170 miles. We noted a few names of people headed to Georgia ahead of us. It looks like we may get some company further along.

Leaving Matts Creek we made a decent climb back up to the ridge. There appeared to be many places to get potentially good view along this section but all of the views were obscured by clouds. At Marble Springs Lean-to, we decided to call it a day, even though it was only 1:30 and we had not hiked that far. We had a lot of work to catch up on. Today seemed a good day to sit in the lean-to and catch up on our logs and watch the rain.

Out came the sleeping bags, stove and dry clothes. We snuggled down in the bags and fired up the stove to fix our favorite hot Jell-O drink. We spent the rest of this afternoon working on our logs and doing chores.

(10.3 Miles - 1333.1 Total)