Appalachian Trail Day 63 - Pearisburg, Va to Ridge Campsite (Mile 637 to Mile 651)

 This morning we are up at dawn, and I must say I love the She-Shed!  I slept like a baby in the comfy bed and chilly air-conditioned space.  So much better than a smelly bunkhouse with snoring hikers!  I go to the main hostel house to grab a cup of coffee before I pack.  My truck is here, so GG and I were able to resupply with things we brought from home.  We hastily went through our things last minute, leaving anything we may not need for this next very short segment.

By 7:30 am,  GG and I line up for the shuttles back to where we were picked up yesterday.  The shuttles are already starting to ferry hikers to various parts of the trail.  Some people are doing 20-mile slack packs out of town back to the hostel.  GG and I would love to slackpack, but we really don't want to do 20 miles yet. Unfortunately, there isn't another egress from the trail between town and Peter's Mountain Trailhead (the 20 mile point), so we decide to hike out of town tonight and sleep on the ridge, then get picked up tomorrow at Peter's Mountain and get shuttled back to Angel's Rest.  From there, I will reposition my vehicle farther up the trail.  

We have spent a ton of money and time in hostels, but the  surfeit of hostels and easy shuttles will be coming to an end as we hike further into Virginia.  Fortunately, we both really enjoy sleeping outside, especially when the weather is pleasant, as it is now.  Yesterday the forecast was a 60% chance of rain, but now it's 30%.

The SUV back to Route 100, where we got off trail yesterday, is jam packed with hikers now clean and well fed and ready to face the trail.  Within minutes we are unloading at the trailhead and continuing on our way.  

Usually, we immediately climb up a mountain when we leave a trailhead, but today we are treated by a two mile, relatively level, walk through the western edge of town, where we cross the New River on a bridge with a pedestrian walkway.  

Our objective today is to just hike and enjoy the day, with no real plans other than camping somewhere on the ridge.  The more miles we do today, the less we must do tomorrow, but water is limited , so we will come up with a more firm plan once we get to the first shelter; 7 miles and 2,500 feet of climbing away.

The hike up to the ridge becomes quite steep and onerous as we ascend. The air is humid and combined with the temperature, I wish for a breeze;  I am sweating buckets and must stop frequently to catch my breath.  The sky is overcast, so at least the sun isn't beating down, but it looks like the rain could at any moment. 

The Pedestrian Walkway over the New River

We arrive at Rice Field Shelter at a perfect time for lunch, so we take off our packs and sit in front of the shelter and meet several other hikers who are doing the same.  I talk about the different ways to rehydrate trail food with a woman eating cold ramen out of a Talenti Jar.  I am cold-soaking curious, and I am inspired to try it out on a future trip. 

While we are eating, the New Hampshire girls hike through.  They are 12 miles into the slackpack and staying at Angel's Rest tonight. They don't fly out until the day after tomorrow, so we may just see them tomorrow night.  We wish each other "Good Journey" and "Happy Hiking," and get ready to leave Rice Field.  Some young men hike in and they tell us to watch out for a rattlesnake next to the trail just before the trees.  We tread cautiously, but see no sign of the snake. 

Rice Field Shelter

The View From Rice Field Down Into the Valley

The Trees Where a Rattlesnake Lay in Wait

We walk through some fields and are a little over a mile from the shelter when we stop to filter water from a spring. This is the only water source on the ridge for another 10 miles.  We briefly consider staying here tonight, but then we would have to be up really early to meet our shuttle back to Angel's Rest tomorrow.  And neither of us feel like stopping yet, although the piped spring water here is wonderful. 

Our other options are to hike to the next shelter, which is 19 miles away, or just dry camp on the ridge.   Neither of us thinks 19 miles is a fun hike, so we decide to just keep hiking until we want to stop.  So we filter extra water and take some time to drink a liter and have a light snack, even though we just had lunch.  I have a three liter bladder in my pack, and another one liter dirty bag.  I am drinking a lot of water because it's hot and I drink loads when exerting myself up the hills. 

Two hikers come towards us and I realize one of them is No Rush (the Elder).  I met him for the first time at Woods Hole, then talked to him for a bit last night at Angel's Rest.  He is a retired nurse, so we talked shop for a little while.  We offer him some Pringles, which he accepts.  We say more goodbyes and keep walking.

The ridge here is a nice mix of light woods and grassy trail bordered by cherry trees and blueberry bushes.  We walk by a long orange construction fence, which is a gas pipeline channeling natural resources through the area.  Helicopters are very active overhead, and we assume it's related to the construction. 

The Biggest Millipede Since Smoky Mountain National Park

GG says she is done for the day, so we look for a spot to set up.  We find a level, cleared area just big enough for her tent; obviously used for that purpose before.  I am able to find two well-distanced trees only 30 feet away.  We are literally steps off the trail, but it's late so we shouldn't see many hikers at this time.

When I start to make camp, I realize the cap on my bladder wasn't very straight and water slowly leaked out of the bladder and onto the contents of my lower pack, which just happens to be my sleeping system.  My hammock, top quilt, and under quilt are all in the same stuff sack in the very bottom of the pack, which is the best place for stuff I won't need all day while hiking.  The stuff sack is water repellent, but it's old and I'm not sure of the permeability.  I take it out and see that everything is dry.  Whew!  Crisis averted.  

Now that I am confident that my sleep system is unscathed, I assess the water loss.  A pool of water is in the bottom of my pack, but I have half my bladder intact, plus the dirty water bag. I can make it through until we get down the mountain tomorrow morning. 

We have awesome cellular service up here on the ridge, so I call home and check in before bed. 

Today's Stats: 14 miles, 3500 feet gain

Trail Stats: 651 miles, 155K feet gain