James River Blues

Day: 61 (May 25)
Starting location: Cornelius Creek Shelter
Ending location: Johns Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Miles total: 777.6

We woke up to rain for the second straight morning. Like Jason said, rain just makes everything harder. We wanted to get an early start because we knew we had over 20 miles to the shelter we were aiming for. The rain slowed down our morning routine, but once we got moving we were okay.

Before too long we came across the Guillotine.The trail squeezes between two narrow rocks and above you sits a large boulder that looks as if it could crush you if it were to fall. It was scary to pass under it, now I know how Marie Antionette must have felt.

Today we crossed the James River on the James River Foot Bridge. It's the longest foot bridge on the AT. The funny thing is that it is actually named after a man with the last name Foot. I just thought they called it the foot Bridge because it's for pedestrians only. It was great to cross the James River knowing the historical significance behind it. I felt like singing "Colors of the Wind" from the hit Disney motion picture Pocahantas.

After we crossed the river, the trail wound along a stream for a few miles. Being that it had been a long day and it was rather warm out, we decided to take a quick bath. The cold mountain water felt great, we really felt clean after we had scrubbed down using our Dr. Bronners soap. We use special biodegratable soap out here for everything from shampoo to dish soap, talk about all in one. Just as we were leaving our little swimming hole I noticed a snake in the water right were we had been washing up. He wasn't big but he was enough to get me back on the trail...fast.





Me under the Guillotine






Jason on the James River Foot Bridge


Conan + Backwards