Days 59-64, May 8th- May 13th (Finishing at Rockfish Gap and the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, mile 865)

This is the final post from The Blue Ridge Parkway. We will soon move into Shenandoah National Park. This has been my favorite section in the almost 850 miles of Appalachian Trail traveled so far. Why? I love the ridge hiking, the weather has been damp and cool, many points of interest, and there have been NO DOG RESTRICTIONS! 👍

Pup Update: Warrior Princess has had a lite paw sprain, so she has taken a break from the long hiking days with WaterBoy and CornDog. She’s had a few zero hiking days, and then shorter day hikes with OC. After 7 days, her limp appears to be gone.

Around mile 797 you come across this marker for Ottie Cline Powell, a 4 yr old who went missing in 1891. It’s a tragic story, and a reminder of how easy it is to loose your way. Ottie’s story has been covered many times online, I’ve provided a link to one such resource.

https://blueridgecountry.com/archive/favorites/ottie-cline-powell

At mile 807 you come to the Brown Mountain Creek Community sign. This area was farmed by slave labor starting sometime in the 1800, up to the end of the Civil War.  In 1868, a former slave purchased the land. He built cabins, and rented the cabins to former slaves who sharecropped the land.  Descendants lived in the valley until the land was purchased by the Forest Service in 1920. I’ve provided a link to the Appalachian Conservancy, with far more information on this historical site.

The Community of Formerly Enslaved People at Brown Mountain Creek

Views from the top of Cole Mountain Bald (mile 815). Warrior Princess had her first hike since being off for a couple days.

🐶🛸👽WHAT DO YOU SEE? 🐶👽🧨. Drop me a message, let me know what the above looks like to you.

I came across more Spiderwort. It’s been very common the last few days. I love that purple and yellow contrast.

I think this is called a Pink Trillium, Trillium grandiforum f. rosseum. Don’t be impressed, my flower identification is based on a little online sleuthing . My florticultural knowledge is lacking considerably.

Having CornDog as a hiking buddy translates to lots of photo ops. Whether he’s taking a break, or enhancing a view.

The James River Food Bridge is a highlight of this section of the AT. Per the Lynchburg Virginia website,
“The James River Foot Bridge was made possible in part by husband and wife hiking partners, Bill and Louise Foot, also known as “The Happy Feet”. Not only did they hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, GA, to Mount Katahdin, ME, but they also traversed the entire American Discovery Trail from Cape Henlopen, DE, to Point Reyes, CA.”

Why You Should Visit the James River Foot Bridge

Look at that smile. The trail is a happy place, even when you have to wear this horrible pack.

The section of the AT from Reid’s Gap to Rockfish Gap has been a wonderful hike. It’s about 20 miles long. Big thanks to the Old Dominion Appalachian Trail club for all they do keeping the trail hikeable.

This information kiosk is another Eagle Scout project.

This is a Fringe Tree, or White Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus). It’s part of the olive family. Identifying this one took a little longer, but shouldn’t have. I mean, it’s exactly what it looks like.

I think this is called Leaf Gall. From the City of Wauwatosa, WI website, “These strange bumps can be called “galls.” They grow in response to tiny insects, and they’re very common. Through the process of photosynthesis, trees produce sugars which get stored in their leaves, stems, and trunks. Some insects take advantage of those sugars by feeding on them. This is an amazing interplay of the insect and plant world.”

Warrior Princess summiting Humpback Mountain(mile 853). No limp. On the ascent we ran into a hiker I’d seen in the past. She didn’t remember me, but she knew Warrior Princes. This is a common occurrence, hikers remembering the dogs, and pretending to remember you 😄

Near the Humpback Rocks trail (mile 857) is the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center. It has a small interpretive center where I captured these displays related to local music history.

I was also lucky enough to find this Bluegrass trio out front, sharing some of their music.

At a trailhead I came across this bumper sticker from Door County. It made me smile. Sharing this as a callout to our Sterner relatives up north.

At mile 860 I came upon the Lowe Family Cemetery. This cemetery consisted of 6 or so markers, all made of thin slabs of rock. Only one marker had any etched information. I couldn’t find any online information on this site.

Just up the trail from the cemetery is what remains of a cabin; a very rustic chimney. The grave markers at the cemetery look very similiar to the rocks making up the chimney. The sign identified this site as W.J. Mayo Homeplace. Past AT hikers, Rachel and David Emerson, created this short YouTube video of this site.

The wet weather continued on this final day of hiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I loved it. Everything was wet and had a fresh look. The trail was peppered with these yellow flower. I’m still looking into what this flower is.

More Pink Lady Slippers. A little blurry.

The Rose Pink Azalea.

We finished up this section at Rockfish Gap. From reading the marker you learn this place has a bit of history. Also, this may be the first time I’ve seen the word “Salubrious” being used. According to Merriam-Webster, it means, “ favorable to or promoting health or well-being”. Well there you go.

While waiting for WaterBoy, I ran into Earl (pictured here). One thing thru and sectional hikers like to do is talk shop. Earl was a former AT thru-hiker, and a very friendly man. He and I talked hiking for a few minutes. He is a great ambassador of the trail, I mean, just zoom in on his hat. Chatting with him was a great way to end this section.