View from Glade Mountain
Location: US 11 / Atkins, VA (543.8 miles)

Beast and I intended to use the local transportation service in Marion to get a ride from the motel to the to the town center, and then try and hitch a ride to the trailhead I left off at. We discovered, however, that the transit service doesn't start running until 10 am this time of year, and so set off walking to town and attempting to hitchhike on the way, before I had the brilliant idea to call a taxi and have them drive us to the trailhead.

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Location: VA 601 / Marion, VA (528.4 miles)

Since Beast was under doctor's orders to not hike for another day (and also because he was waiting for his hiking boots that he had sent home with his winter gear to return), I decided to wait in Marion with him as a show of solidarity, rather than immediately getting back on the trail.

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Meadow
Location: VA 601 / Marion, VA (528.4 miles)

I got off to a lateish start today, mostly because the original plan was for a relatively short ten mile hike to the Partnership Shelter and the Mt. Rogers visitor center to catch a shuttle into town. Still with no cell reception, I was hoping Beast would eventually catch up with me there by sometime in the afternoon.

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Ponies!
Location: Trimpi Shelter (522.4 miles)

My feet hurt, and I'm exhausted, but still, today met a number of milestones.

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Foggy Forest
Location: Thomas Knob Shelter (497.1 miles)

Beast and I got started around 8:30, to a long, slow uphill in fog and cloud.

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