Bland, VA (USA)

Weather was on the chilly side all week and there was even talk of snow before the New Year... Watched the weather reports for my hiking zones and made an early morning decision to return to the area where I’d last hiked the AT (it was the only place that didn’t have single digit temps forecasted during the weekend - we’ll see if that ends up being true). Left the house at 0845 and headed southwest. Got a gas fillup at Sheetz in Harrisonburg (1035).  The drive sucked - lots of holiday travelers - but I took some breaks to keep calm on I-81. Made it to the trail head on VA-606 (off VA-42) by 1330 and then SOBO to close up another loose end from 2014. I remembered the rickety suspension bridge - but falling into a rushing river in May is definitely not the same thing as falling into a frozen river in December! Hike began with low 30s and sunshine and I was glad to be able to remove my coat after the first mile (I was layered up good). After a retread (0.3 miles) and a rather steep climb, I had a relatively easy walk on the mountain. Similar to other places on AT along the West Virginia border, the ridgeline was narrow enough to see and hear activity in farms in both valleys. Sound carried a long way - dogs, cows, gunshots - but I didn’t hear many cars and that was nice. The wind was icy cold but there were warm spots in the trees and hollows. A light cover of snow blanketed the north side of the hills and I had to tread carefully as I started down into the valley near VA-608. It was hard to find the turnaround point because I hadn’t picked a good landmark. Luckily, the map and pedometer gave me a good idea of where to look and deja vu did the rest... Much to my surprise, I encountered another section hiker (with a huge backpack) during the backtrack. He was actually planning to camp (!!!) a few miles to the south - I wished him well and continued towards my car. It started to get much colder as the sun started to set behind the distant peaks but I ended up with the perfect amount of daylight and heat to finish without putting my coat on or using my headlamp. Saw several deer in a large field about half a mile from the parking lot. Otherwise, there was no evidence of any other life - before I finished, I stopped and stood to enjoy the solitude... Finished at 1730 after just over 10 miles - feeling good. Decided to stay in town for the night because the forecast still looked agreeable - cross your fingers for me! Ate dinner at Dairy Queen in Bland (1800) and checked into the Big Walker Motel (1835).  Relaxed and rested for the next day...  AT Today = 4.50 miles / Grand Total AT = 1048.77 miles