Sick hiker,Shuttle, Motel Burkes Garden

[64bluejeans]

I have a Thru Hiker that has sick for a week. We think has been struck with, nerovirus ,and will be coming off the trail to recoup. The closest exit point looks to be Burkes Garden. We are coming from Northern Va Any help with information as to a motel and or Shuttles in the area.
Thanks

[Ricky&Jack]

I have never been there. But hopefully somebody knows how to find the local trail angels to help you. They can give you all the answers and they could probably tell you if it looks like nerovirus (but of course a dr would still be recommended).

Best of luck.

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

If the sick hiker needs a road crossing in the Burkes Garden area, there are several, from easily accessible to difficult in a low-clearance standard automobile. As you suggest, a local shuttler is the best bet for the actual pickup. I imagine you've got specific and exact location information to supply the shuttler. I believe there are a handful of regular shuttlers working out of Marion, VA and nearby communities. Big Walker Mountain makes Burkes Garden access circuitous for them, however, so perhaps someone from the Bland, VA area can do the pickup more easily and inexpensively. Nigel Collin (TrueBrit) is at "Fort Bastian", less than a mile from the AT crossing at VA 615 @ Laurel Creek, just NOBO from Jenkins Shelter at the northern end of the Burkes Garden mountain ridge. I believe he does a fair amount of shuttling in addition to running the Fort Bastian hostel. I don't know of contact info for TrueBrit, but he maintains a presence on Facebook through Fort Bastian and Nigel (TrueBrit) Collins pages, so perhaps you can find a telephone number there. As to motels, I believe there is a single motel near Bland, right on I-77, but it's rather isolated from other facilities. I'd be thinking about Wytheville, along where I-81 and I-77 run along together. Many chain motels, restaurants, resupply points, Doc-in-a-Box, etc can be found in Wytheville. Best of luck on your mission. AO

[64bluejeans]

Yes the Jenkins shelter ,where the riad ends. I will try to find (truBrit). Thank you.

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

Yes the Jenkins shelter ,where the riad ends. I will try to find (truBrit). Thank you.

OK then, with your sick hiker at Jenkins Shelter, he/she is a fairly short walk from VA 615 where it crosses the AT along Laurel Creek west of Bland. For what it's worth, this is a fairly simple location to drive to in a conventional automobile from I-77: From the I-77/US 52 interchange about a half mile west of the town of Bland, take US 52 south for about 2 miles to VA 615 on the right. If I recall correctly, 615 is paved as it departs US 52 headed north, and furthermore is signed as Suiter Road. After about 1 mile on 615, stay straight on 615 at a crossroad where 680 branches to the right and 620 branches to the left. I recall 615 changes to gravel from here to the north. VA 615 will enter the narrow, wooded valley of Laurel Creek and within about 1 more mile, you'll see the AT footbridge crossing the creek on your left. Continuing straight on 615 will bring you to Nigel Collins' Fort Bastian at the intersection of 615 and 618, a T intersection with 615 dog-legging northeast and 618 on the left. Staying on 615 there will bring you to the community of Bastian and back to US 52, which there runs close to I-77. At Bastian, you can take US 52 south, crossing I-77 without an interchange, into the town of Bland, thence the half-mile on 52 over to the I-77 exit where you started. You can of course just as readily just turn around at the Laurel Creek pickup and return to US 52 the way you came in, left there, and back to I-77. From the I-77/US 52 interchange at Bland, it's around a dozen miles south on I-77 to Wytheville.

AO

[illabelle]

Don Raines 540-921-7433 is a Pearisburg shuttler who is familiar with the Bland area. If he can't help you himself, he can probably connect you with someone.
Best of luck.

[Slo-go'en]

Nero virus is usually over and done with in 24 hours. Being sick for a week could be giardia and if they haven't gotten over it in a week, medication is probably going to be needed to cure it. But first, you need to get him/her off the trail, and I think that has been covered. Good luck!

[NY HIKER 50]

I realize that this is not part of the thread, But I have to ask it. Those of you or others, when you get this virus, have you been using filters only? I think that this may be a clue as to why people are getting sick,

[Pedaling Fool]

Norovirus is extremely contagious, so non-use of filter isn't really a factor. Based on my observations most people filter/treat their water in some way, yet tons of people get sick every year on the AT.

I'm one of them fools that don't treat/filter water, because I'm

[NY HIKER 50]

It's not non use of a filter. It's the fact that viruses are so small that they pass right through the filter. Also, many people do no realize that unlike chemical treatments there is no residual effect and the water can be recontaminated by putting your hands near or touching the lip of the bottle to something else. You are just lucky. Also, I think norovirus can be passed from contaminated hands.

[64bluejeans]

Thank you to all. We found an angle...TruBrit is getting her out and to Bastian Hostel
I agree norovirus should be over and done,symptoms don't suggest giardia
Medicial attention is warrented. I will follow up when we have some sort of diagnosis. She said alot if hikers were sick.... This forum has been such a great resource

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

Thank you to all. We found an angle...TruBrit is getting her out and to Bastian Hostel
I agree norovirus should be over and done,symptoms don't suggest giardia
Medicial attention is warrented. I will follow up when we have some sort of diagnosis. She said alot if hikers were sick.... This forum has been such a great resource

Great to know. Thanks for the followup. Best of luck through diagnosis and treatment.

AO

[Pedaling Fool]

It's not non use of a filter. It's the fact that viruses are so small that they pass right through the filter. Also, many people do no realize that unlike chemical treatments there is no residual effect and the water can be recontaminated by putting your hands near or touching the lip of the bottle to something else. You are just lucky. Also, I think norovirus can be passed from contaminated hands.

Yeah, that's true, but norovirus is in a class by itself because only takes about 18 viral particles to infect someone and this virus is being brought out into the woods by hikers; it's not something in the water supplies http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/hcp/clinical-overview.html

Same as on all the cruise ship incidents, those people are not getting sick from the water.

[TNhiker]

She said alot if hikers were sick

didnt this same thing or close to it happen either last year or a few years ago as well----where a bunch of thru hikers got sick and seemingly it hit them all in the virginia portion....

also, i know its an issue with insurance and its costly---but if medical attention is needed and a shuttle is needed------one could call an ambulance.......

[Pedaling Fool]

Nero virus is usually over and done with in 24 hours. Being sick for a week could be giardia and if they haven't gotten over it in a week, medication is probably going to be needed to cure it. But first, you need to get him/her off the trail, and I think that has been covered. Good luck!

BTW, I agree with this post; it doesn't sound like norovirus. Don't forget about Lyme disease, I got it in Virginia.

[Slo-go'en]

She said alot if hikers were sick.... This forum has been such a great resource

I just passed through that area about a week ago. I'm now glad I got out when I did. I managed to get through there with only sore feet.

I knew there was a big group just behind me (the 100+ who left Trail Days when I got on 60 miles ahead of them) and that there was a lot of partying going on at TruBrits and "The Captains" place. With the crowds, drinking and questionable food being eaten, I can see how there are a lot of sick hikers there now. It will be interesting to know what your daughter (?) caught.

[64bluejeans]

Caught is right. It may truly be a Flu Bug. Perhaps a parasite.
Passed SOBO coming from trail days covering the trail where they left off.
Stayed at Woodchucks the end of May. Was feeling under the weather around Mt Rogers, Partnership shelter. Down hill from there.

[tagg]

I just passed through that area about a week ago. I'm now glad I got out when I did. I managed to get through there with only sore feet.

I knew there was a big group just behind me (the 100+ who left Trail Days when I got on 60 miles ahead of them) and that there was a lot of partying going on at TruBrits and "The Captains" place. With the crowds, drinking and questionable food being eaten, I can see how there are a lot of sick hikers there now. It will be interesting to know what your daughter (?) caught.

I may have seen you out there. I left from Hurricane Creek on 5/22 and finished at Dragon's Tooth on 6/1. The party wagon was definitely right behind us. I went through a LOT of hand sanitizer and tried not to touch anything within sight of a shelter. I'll bet there wouldn't be many threads like this if shelters didn't exist.

[bangorme]

Most probably food/water/hand issue. You may want to thoroughly examine some of your practices (e.g. hand washing) to nail down what happened. It happens to all of us. We do certain things and get away with it for years, then we get pay the price and wonder how we got away with it for so long. I read somewhere that many more people get sick from dirty hands than they do from water.