START TIME: 5:15 AM 
END TIME: 8:55 PM
Today was a great day. Jen was able to reach Pearisburg over some really difficult terrain.
She woke up at the usual time and made it down to VA 630 by 7:35. I camped at the trailhead, which was a good thing because Jen got there at least 30 minutes earlier than I’d expected. I’d just finished making her a ham and cheese sandwich when she rolled in.
Rebecca hiked back to her car at VA 621 when Jen woke up, then drove around to give me the pack, tent, and the rest of the gear at VA 42. After that, she headed home to Lynchburg. (BIG shout out to Rebecca for her help these last three days. Thanks, Rebecca!)
At the next road crossing, Rocky Gap, which was 5.4 miles down the trail, an ATC “Trails to Every Classroom” group was doing some GPS work, which was neat because Jen had worked with the same program in North Carolina this past spring.
From there, she had a 2.1-mile stretch down to Johns Creek Valley, then a 5.9-mile stretch to Mountain Lake Road. And that, my friends, is where we met up with the legendary Matt Kirk, his wife, Lily, and their dog, Uwharrie.
Matt is a stud. I don’t know any other word to describe him. In recent years, he has set endurance records on the Benton MacKaye Trail, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and the South Beyond 6,000 (SB6K) summits. He’s hiked the AT twice and has done some other crazy stuff like run 100 miles through Shenandoah National Park in 24 hours.
Lily is no slouch, either. She thru-hiked the AT in 2007. And their dog, Uwharrie, (named for the national forest in North Carolina where Matt found her)—well, Uwharrie has four legs so she was born to run.
As soon as Jen re-fueled at Mountain Lake Road, she, Matt, and Uwharrie headed out. They covered the first 7.1 miles in less than 2.5 hours.
Then they really started moving. The three of them completed the rocky, dry, 17.6-mile stretch from Stony Creek Valley to Clendenin Road near Pearisburg in five hours and fifteen minutes.
I couldn’t believe it. I mean Jen has covered some stretches really fast on this hike, but nothing like that. When I saw them, I said, “Wow! That was crazy fast!” Jen grinned, raised her poles over her head for emphasis, and yelled, “I know, right?! Matt-freakin’-Kirk’s here!”
From there, Lily and I drove the cars across the bridge and walked back toward them. Then we all had a leisurely stroll over the Senator Shumate Bridge.
The human hikers scarfed down the tacos and enchiladas we’d gotten them, and the canine hiker scarfed down dog food. After that, we drove to the Holiday Motor Lodge where Jen showered, doctored her feet, and climbed into bed early.
Over the past two days, Jen has averaged 47.1 miles. I think most folks who are familiar with this particular stretch of the AT would agree that hiking from Daleville to Pearisburg in two days is as hard or harder than all those 50-mile days she put in through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Shenandoahs.
Positive thoughts and prayers: Jen and I were talking last night about how this is a tough spot on the trail, not so much because of the terrain—although the terrain is certainly not easy—but because we’ve been out for a long time (well over a month), but we’re still not in the home stretch. And that means we’re feeling pretty fatigued mentally and physically. We appreciate the positive thoughts and prayers you have sent our way to help us deal with that. Thanks!