Sunday, June 24, 2007

Lynchburg, VA

Hello, today I am spending some time with some old friends here in Lynchburg, VA. Lynchburg is a short trip from Glasgow, VA and it has been amazing to catch back up with some old Raleigh connections. The Hutt's are connected to myself as well as Stephen. Their son Ren was in pre-school with Stephen and I back in 1989. They picked me up at the parking lot by the James River last night, and have fed me well and made me feel like a member of the family. A huge thank you to them for their amazing Virginia hospitality.

I finished the section from Pearisburg, VA to Glasgow, VA on schedule and was able to take it at a little slower pace and I think I may have found not only a shoe that works for me but also my trail legs. I am now on the 7th pair of shoes that I have hiked in this summer, this number is the current record on the trail, I guess that should make me proud I'm just not sure yet. My trail name is "Foot Locker," because of the difficulty I have had with finding footwear that works for me. The shoes that I am using now are popular among many thru-hikers, are stable, low-cut, and I have met people that have done 700+ miles in them so I think durability will not be a huge concern. I am now using the Montrail Hardrock. They did well the last two days from Daleville/Troutville to Glasgow, a stretch that I did in two days at an average of about 28 miles a day. I think I am now ready to jump back in with the crew. The local terrain is easier than earlier stretches, and the upcoming Shenandoah park is supposed to be well-graded and easy to hike through as well. Can't wait to see the other guys, but for now I am enjoying my day off.

-g

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Glad you made it, and congratulations. You're getting withing striking distance of Mardene and me if you need anything.

And it's good you've found shoes that work. Bad shoes can make life miserable, even when you're not making 30 miles a day.

You will still want to take the Religious Range seriously. It's a 3100 foot descent from The Priest to the Tye River, and 3000 feet back up to Three Ridges.

Crabtree Falls might be a good side trip if you're feeling energetic, but I can't recommend hiking down Rte 56 from there to rejoin the trail -- the road is narrow and twisty, with no shoulder in many places. You'd be better going back up through Crabtree Meadows and taking the AT over The Priest.

Have fun.

Tom