We hiked this section on October 20, 2011.
Knitting Bull drove us to the trail head today. Everything was fine until we reached the Salt Pond Road (USFS 191). USFS 191 is a rough road so she had to drive very slowly and carefully. At one point she even got out of the car to figure out the best route around a washed out section. We offered to get out and walk but Knitting Bull was determined to get us to the top – what a great friend!
By the time we reached the top all our nerves were frayed. Knitting Bull turned her car around and re-organized the contents of her car so that nothing would fall on her mums.
We started hiking at 7:52 and climbed 2.9 miles to Fullhardt Knob Shelter.
About 20 minutes before the shelter we saw a group of guys hiking down the trail.
Fullhardt Knob Shelter
The shelter sits at the top of the knob completely exposed to the elements. The shelter has gutters which catch the rainfall for a water source. There is also a small privy with a wooden seat and cover. There are several remains of a concrete foundation just before the shelter.
We met two SOBOs (Splake and Sponge) and their friend Mike at the shelter. They asked Dirigo about a shuttler named Del – Dirigo told them about our experience with Del. We told them that we could help them after our hike tomorrow and gave them Dirigo’s cell number.
We met two day hikers as we descended down the mountain. We reached VA 652 pretty quickly and saw a no parking sign next to the road crossing.
We went over a bridge and climbed to the top of the knoll – while dodging cow patties.
We came to a sign that said that the next 0.6 miles are in private land so please stay on the trail. We were really surprised that we hadn’t been passed by the SOBOs from the shelter.
We crossed a railroad track and then US 11. The trail went by several houses and then we went under I-81.
When we came into a clearing, we could see Krogers grocery store. The trail came out of the woods right next to a gas station.
We walked to our left over to Pizza Hut for lunch. When we entered the restaurant the hostess told us to leave our packs and poles in the overflow seating area. So, this is what it feels like to be a thru-hiker!
The Homeplace Restaurant
Tonight, we just had to go to the Homeplace Restaurant for dinner. We arrived at 3:55 PM and there was already a huge group of kids from a high school lining up at the door. We let all the kids go ahead of us and then we were seated at a table by ourselves. We were going to get the 3-meat dinner but the sweet waitress assumed we wanted the 2-meat dinner – I guess we looked like lightweights. We barely finished the food on the table – fried chicken, barbecue pork, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, apples, rolls, and pinto beans.
The waitress asked us if we had room for cherry cobbler. We said we were not sure but she guaranteed it would go down easy. She was right! Total pig out tonight!