Day 57: A satisfactory, long and dry rise

• James River Bridge (787.4) to the PunchBowl shelter (798.1)
• 3575 feet rise, 1742 descent

Today we did the long climb of the James Vally River. On average, 2500 feet a day is typical for us, so we knew that today it was going to be a challenge with 3575 feet of climbing. What made particularly challenging today was the 11 miles of water transport.

Although the first mile continued along a tributary of James, it did not appear as a source of water, which suggests that it could have power problems. The only water that appears on the list was half a mile of the path. Consequently, we plan to carry water for 11 miles.

A quick beginning

The first 1.7 miles passed quickly. The path was almost flat and to a large extent dirt, so we had a good time. The humidity was so high that it felt as if we were walking in a steam room, even at 8:30 am

At the bottom of the climb, we had our morning refreshment and fueled mentally for the arrival. We hope that as the elevation increases moisture it would decrease.

The long climb

We were quite satisfied with ourselves and our climbing engines. One of the things we have widely discussed is the difference between the legs of hikers we obtained and the legs of hikers we expected.

Somehow, we think that once our excavating legs appeared, we would find easy hiking. What we did not understand was to do hiking, perhaps due to our bodies that age, but perhaps because hiking is difficult.

At the end of the day, we calculated that we maintained a rhythm of 1 mile per hour in the hills. That was encouraging for us since we had particularly heavy packages.

Heavy packages

Our packages were loaded with extra food and with water. We start with 3 liters each. With 2.2 pounds per liter, we had a total of 7 pounds. Actually, we would have preferred more water, probably 5 to 6 liters, but carrying that would have been impossible.

We also had a lot of food. At our rhythm, we needed 7 days of food to make our next replenishment. We always wear some support food, so in total, we could do it 8 days without problems. In general, our food is 1.3 pounds per person, per day, but with the additional «wet» food we had obtained in the dollar store, the peso increased.

As the climb continued, we joked, we wanted to eat all the snack bars first, since they were heavier.

We never found a place for lunch, so he ate our refredient beans standing. A lunch standing is fine, but it’s extra time on your feet.

Winning altitude

Finally, we arrive at the crest of the crest. The breeze was refreshing. As we expected, the humidity was less. Looking at the river below it filled us with a feeling of astonishment and achievement.

It was difficult to understand the geography of the river to the mountains despite the fact that we had literally traveled every step. We marvel at the majesty of how the earth is created with rocks, water and plant life that come together to create this world in which we live.

We also feel strength in our achievement. We had walked from there down here. We had this incredible opportunity to see the world in a different way from most. It would be very easy to say that it is too difficult and waste the opportunity.

Little Ottie Cline Powell

When the sun sank in the sky and our hiking day closed, we passed the monument to the 4 and a half year old boy who had wandered the school and died in the forest in 1891. It was a shady reminder that life can be difficult. Reinforced our awareness of what is a huge long -distance hiking gift.

Arriving home at night

At 6 pm, the path softened and the laurels accompanied us to the PunchBowl shelter. There were other folders, but we had the shelter for ourselves.

We enjoy a huge bowl of «Double P soup». Its name is derived from the fact that it includes both the pea protein and the divided peas. It is one of our favorite paths. Rich, thick and abundant with pieces of carrots and onions, it is a satisfactory and easy to digest dinner after a long day.

We had too much food to fit in our bear bags, but Fanageled a hang that we thought would be enough. Tomorrow, after eating more, everything will fit.

Tonight, our day fits perfectly. We had walked well and maintained a feeling of gratitude and astonishment for a difficult day. Establishing asleep was welcome and easy.

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