Bland, VA (USA)

The temps were good (30s) when I woke up so I decided to hike a long section of the AT west of town on VA-42. Ate breakfast at Dairy Queen in Bland (0840) and arrived at the trail head (O’Lystery Pavillion) at 0900 and headed NOBO. It was overcast and there was a brisk breeze on the ridges (Brushy Mountain, Lynn Camp Mountain). I was layered (3) up again but was able to avoid my coat and gloves as I warmed up during the hike. I didn’t see a lot of wildlife but experienced a few seconds of surprise as a startled grouse flushed a few feet off the trail... About halfway through the morning, I encountered five local hunters (with about 10 dogs and electronic devices to guide them). They peppered me with questions about where I came from and why I was hiking in the area. They told me they were “huntin’ bar” so I left them and continued to VA-625 (arrived at noon after 6.90 miles). My day had been pretty challenging with climbs and descents so I decided to try my luck on the gravel road (even though I didn’t have a map). After walking for about a mile, it became clear that the road wasn’t going to turn south. I was about to head back to the AT when some people in a truck stopped to ask me if the road went into West Virginia. I told them I didn’t know and then asked them how far it was to get to VA-42 (they said 8 miles - yikes). After learning I’d been hiking the AT, the couple, Christine and Bob, offered to take me back to my car. As the Trail Angels drove me along the Forest Service Road, we saw even more hunters and dogs. Apparently, the locals let dozens of dogs loose on one side of the ridge and they flush the bear(s) to the waiting shooters. Fortunately, we didn’t see any wildlife carnage... We did get treated to miles of pretty farmland and an owl that was scavenging along the road. We also had a great conversation! I was back in my car by 1345 and headed back into town. Without the backtrack, I’d only hiked about 8.5 miles - so I decided to hike another (short) section on VA-611 (east of town). When I arrived at the trailhead, it was immediately clear that the weather had significantly changed. I added another layer (4) and swapped out hats and gloves (the ones from the morning were damp). I left my car at 1430, again headed NOBO. I met a section hiker and his dog within the first mile - they were hurrying south as snow flurries began. On every ridge, the icy wind sliced through everything I was wearing. Haven’t been so cold (low 20s) in a long time and water reservoir froze a few times. Lots of little climbs and descents with slippery snow... I was looking for the turnaround from May 2014, the “600” mile marking on the ground north of Jenny Knob Shelter, but I also had to make corrections to bad mileage math from that hike. As a result, I hiked 4 miles outbound before turning around in the vicinity of where I’d seen the marking (in a creek bed - dry, like all the rest this weekend). Never actually found it but it didn’t matter (deja vu helped again) - landmarks change every year and some people remove them... In any case, I headed back to my car in a hurry as the darkness grew. With all the wind, the only other thing I could hear was the sound of the trees straining to their limits of stability (only a little disconcerting). It was dark for the last hour but I could still see the trail through the snow - it was almost fluorescent. Finished at 1800 after 16.5 miles for the day (and credit for 3.20 miles in the second section). I was cold but felt good about all the miles I’d logged. Actually managed to exceed last year’s AT total so that’s good too! Gonna try some more hiking tomorrow if it isn’t too cold... At dinner at DQ (1830) and rested in my room (watching football).  AT Today = 10.10 miles / G.T. AT = 1058.87 miles