6/03/06 Saturday: Rod Hollow Shelter to Blackburn Trail Center (17.8mi)

PICTURES:
1. Grinz... nice welcome sign which was done tongue in cheek by the gentleman on the last pic in the white long sleeve shirt... All in good fun... He was instrumental in constructing the trail which had previously been a walk on the highway.
2. Another interesting root system this time with a strategically placed rock...
3. Always nice to get a visual on your progress... Crossing into another state just makes you feel gooooooddddd...
4. A vista from Crescent Rock
5. Thats the bunk house that has 4 large bunks and sleeps 8???? Could have been interesting but had the place to myself... All the others chose to sleep on the porch.
6&7. A pic of the kitchen area recently remodeled and the front porch/dining area... What a feast. What a way to celebrate National Trail Days...
8. A view of Maryland and suposedly DC and the Washington Monument on the horizon... HMMMM could be???
9.A pic of the back porch where the other hikers chose to sleep as viewed from the bunk house.
10. Group pic of all before bed.
11. Pic of Trailboss on the left and Redwing on the right. Redwing manages the place and Trailboss well is the trailboss, manages the trails...

The front moved in over night bringing with it some relief... The temps dropped 20 degrees and so did the humidity... I started the day at 0645 with temps in the 50s and overcast...lovely hiking weather... I entered the roller coaster and was actually was not too overwhelmed by it... I thought it was a pretty nice walk... the elevations gains and losses did not exceed 500ft and that was only 3 times; most peaks were half that... I had intentions of dining at a Pub in Bluemont VA called the Horseshoe Restaurant which opened after 1200 and also making dinner at the Blackburn Trail Center by 1800. I made both appointments ahead of schedule...:)... I chose to stay at the Blackburn Center because the water source at the next shelter was .5mi down a steep hill from the shelter...I don't like that... Plus the Blackburn Center serves a free spaghetti dinner each night to hikers...:)... the bunkhouse and outdoor solar shower is also free...:)... And I was able to was my clothes in a sink, they have no sewer system there so there is an outdoor privy and shower facilities... They do have a kitchen with a sink...I'm not sure where the water for that goes...:0... LOL