Bland, VA (USA)

After a good night’s sleep and a breakfast at DQ (0800), I arrived at the trailhead (gravel section of VA-611, east of town). Headed SOBO at 0830 with overcast skies and low 30s temps. The section was a series of gently rolling hills with a ridgeline overlooking two valleys - to the north were foothills of West Virginia. Actually, though, there wasn’t much scenery to photograph. I didn’t see much wildlife either - even though there were signs that a bear was in the area. The most significant event of the day was coming up behind a young couple with deer hunting rifles slung over their shoulders. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen an armed hunter on the AT but it can be unsettling... I talked to them and found out that both lived in farms that were visible from the ridge. The girl didn’t say anything (maybe she was annoyed that I broke up “couple time”) but the guy told me they were looking for a spur trail with a stand and couldn’t find it. I tried to help with my “AWOL” Trail Guide but there was not one landmark listed in the section until the Helvey’s Mill Shelter. Continued on, wondering how many other lost hunters were tracking me... A few miles later, just as I started hearing the traffic on I-77, I encountered another couple (LASHers, with their dog “Oliver”). The social dynamic was swapped: the young chipper lady from Florida told me all their plans for the next week while the guy was mainly silent. I continued on again until I passed the shelter and then began searching for my 2014 turnaround point. I didn’t have a photo or specific landmark to help me, but I suddenly had this overwhelming sense of deja vu and recognized a series of log steps that had deterred my forward progress under the hot May sun last time. Turned around and headed back to the car. Temps reached mid 50s and the sun started shining. On the way, I met Melissa (LASHer) - she was hiking to the shelter to meet her husband for the night. We talked for a while about the Smokies, Shenandoah, Katahdin and the 100 mile wilderness. Saw some other guys before I was done & passed “happy trails” greetings. As you can tell from these posts, sometimes the best part of a hike for me is meeting all the kindred trail spirits... Found Nellie by 1445 after 14 miles - feeling great and happy to still have my trail legs after a week of work. Headed east again on VA-42 to explore the Dismal Falls area and look for trailheads. Section will require some creative use of dirt and gravel roads... Went back to my hotel and rested.  Ate dinner at DQ (1800) and watched TV.  More tomorrow! AT Today = 7.00 miles / Grand Total AT = 1036.87 miles