(Punch Bowl Shelter (mile 797.8) - US Route 60 (mile 809.1) *overnight in Buena Vista, Virginia*)

I slept well in the shelter and woke up at just about 7am. Fortunately, I was not disturbed by the mother bird that other hikers had warned about on Guthook. I texted a shuttle driver from Guthook named Derek, and arranged for pickup at 2pm 11.4 miles ahead. This will be the first shuttle ride I have paid for, which I feel pretty good from a frugality perspective. I had considered hitching, but I just didn’t want to deal with it today. The upcoming town, Buena Vista, is pretty far off trail. The road is direct, but it had rained every afternoon the past three days. If it was raining when I reached the road crossing, it would be hard to get a hitch. If it had already rained and I was soaking wet, It would be hard to get a hitch. So, my conclusion was: paying for a shuttle just made sense today.

My plan was to shuttle into Buena Vista, resupply, and spend the night at a campsite in town which apparently offers $5 tenting for hikers + free showers. Pretty sweet deal! However, it was unclear if they offered towels. I hoped they offered towels, but I was also thinking that I could probably skip the shower. It has rained every day since my last shower, and I really did not feel particularly dirty or smelly. Also, I’ll be zeroing on Sunday after meeting up with Katie, Jasmine, Clover, and Puddin’ at mile 834.5 on Saturday.

Derek the shuttle driver was based out of Lexington, which is a bit further than Buena Vista. When I first told him I was planning to stay overnight, he suggested Lexington as a bigger, better option. I more or less responded with: “Yeh, but I’d rather spend $5.” From what I could tell, there were also a handful of decent dinner options in Buena Vista. There was a Mexican spot that I was eyeing, a couple pizza places, and there was an ice cream spot near the campground! I’ll ask Derek if he has any recommendations. I had also arranged for Derek to shuttle me back to trail at 8:30 tomorrow morning, and I’ll probably ask him if we can swing through a drive-thru so I can grab some breakfast. After that, I am hoping to get another 21 miles under my belt, which should put me about 6 miles from where I’m planning to meet the tramily (AKA Dinos Assorted).

I started hiking at 8:30am. The morning was chilly, motivating me to hike quickly and work the chill out of my bones. As always, I warmed up quickly and was grateful for the pleasant morning. I soon crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway at Punch Bowl Mountain Overlook, which was not much of an overlook. No views, just a parking lot.

I was in an excellent mood this morning. The weather was beautiful. I was hiking to music and couldn’t help singing out loud. If anyone saw me, they might of thought I was a little crazy. But that would be ok. After a little over 2 miles, I hit 800 mile mark! Someone had painted a really cool retro 80’s style graphic on a tree. Other hikers had assembled an 800 out of pinecones and moss. I soaked in the achievement for a bit, but didn’t linger too long.

After another 2 miles, I reached a large swinging suspension bridge over the Pedlar River. As I crossed, I could not help but take exaggerated steps to shift my body weight and rock the bridge as much as possible. Immature - maybe. Fun as hell - absolutely.

The Pedlar River is dammed to create the Lynchburg Resevoir, whose steep eastern shore the trail wraps around. As I hiked along the resevoir, I passed multiple day-hikers who warned me about big blow downs ahead. After 4 miles, I started hiking along Brown Mountain Creek, which was once home to a small community of freed slaves in the early 1900’s. A sign titled “Memories of the Brown Mountain Creek Community” included an excerpt from an oral interview with a former resident of the community, Mr. Taft Hughes, who remembered his mother’s ash cakes, which were cooked on the hearth, covered with ashes and coals. Apparently “you didn’t taste any ashes on them. But they were much sweeter than if you baked them in a stove, much sweeter.”

I soon passed Brown Mountain Creek Shelter and began to hit the blow downs I had been warned about. For about a mile, the trail was frequently impeded by large swaths of recently wind blown trees. These were big and leafy trees, making for a very challenging puzzle of over/under/around/through.

The last mile before the road featured a gradual 500ft climb to Long Mountain Wayside, a parking and picnic area. I arrived at 1:40, giving me about 20 minutes to sit and relax. The weather was beautiful, and I felt a tinge of regret considering how easy it would be to get a hitch. But oh well. I didn’t have anywhere to be. I lounged in the shade, waited for Derek, and watched as cars passed along US Route 60.

Derek arrived on time and introduced himself as "Mithril the Guide." He was very friendly and explained that he had played college basketball at Washington and Lee University and now lives in Lexington with his wife and kids. Unexpectedly, he agreed to swing me by Food Lion so I could resupply and actually waited outside while I rushed in to grab my provisions. He then dropped me off at Glen Maury Park Campground where, after a brief confusion, I was able to secure the $5 hiker deal for tenting. In the park pavilion, I ate a luxurious lunch of baguette, cheese, golden mangoes, and Cheez-Its.

I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around the campground, charging my things, and emailing Altra to replace my trail runners. As the evening rolled around, I had just about resigned myself to a 1.5 mile walk to Don Tequilas Mexican restaurant when a young local couple who had been hanging around the park waved me over. They introduced themselves as Chris and Mary and offered me half of their Dominos pizza. I gladfully accepted with many thanks. I guess trail magic doesn’t have to happen on trail and trail angels can take many forms. Oh how the trail provides😁