WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

View RSS Feed

GoldenBear

Another gap filled via ultimate slack-packing

Rate this Entry
As I have noted before, my style of section hiking -- with start & end points determined by ease of access to shuttles within four or five hiking days of safe parking -- often leaves gaps in where I've hiked. Such was the case in the Blacksburg area, where there was 25 miles of trail that I had missed because it was out of reach of both Troutville and Wood's Hole. Blessedly, that distance is what I could easily do in two days of slack packing with Shuttle. Even more blessedly, that part of The Trail is (1) more or less bisected by a paved road and (2) relatively close to a place with a romantic bed & breakfast. Thus, it took little effort to convince Shuttle to spend three nights with me at this place
http://www.theoaksvictorianinn.com/
in Christiansburg, during which she would drive me to the starting points of two day hikes. Making matters even easier was our decision to rent a car for two days, thus allowing me to drive back to the B&B at whatever time I happened to get to the end point. Thus, each morning had this routine: (1) Shuttle & I drive to end point of the day hike, (2) I park the rental car there, (3) Shuttle drives me to the start point of the day hike, and (4) Shuttle returns to the B&B to do whatever she wants. I spend the day hiking the A.T., driving back to the B&B in the rental car, and spend the evening (& night) with Shuttle in sleeping quarters like this:
www.flickr.com/photos/pr77x/20688638811
For breakfast, I didn't have to worry about starting my stove or losing my spork, because the cook at the B&B creates food like this
www.flickr.com/photos/pr77x/20681881845
using place settings like this
www.flickr.com/photos/pr77x/20655616366

Like I said, ultimate slack-packing.

Because of perfect weather and relatively easy terrain, I had almost no trouble getting these 25 miles out of the way. Deer were abundant (I saw about eight)
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=61247
and overlooks were great -- visibility on the order of 100 kilometers.
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=61248

My only mistake was not bringing enough fluid on the second day, when I was traveling without my water filter. Streams are flowing fairly well in this area, but springs are almost completely dry. If you're doing this section anytime soon, fill up EVERY chance you get. You might go twenty miles with only chance to get water, so don't skip that one time!
Tags: None Add / Edit Tags
Categories
Uncategorized

Comments