MST-72, segment 5

Bamboo Road to Shulls Mill Road Trailhead, westbound

June 3, 2025. I completed Segment 5 in two days! That is, I completed what is currently open for travel–the majority is still closed due to destruction by Hurricane Helene. First day: 15.4 miles, 7 hours.

On Monday, our travel day to the mountains, we stopped to bird at several scenic locations in Burke County.

Loren got some nice shots of a Hooded Warbler here at the Johns River Game Lands.

We stayed at an Airbnb in Boone and had a nice dinner at the Coyote Kitchen. Doing our part to support local businesses while hiking the MST!

Since the first mile was along a road, I could start walking before sunrise.

After dropping me off, the husband-shuttle went to a Caldwell County overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway for some rich early morning birding.

Included in the dawn chorus along Bamboo Road was a Willow Flycatcher–common enough here, but not where we live in the Piedmont.

The first of oh-so-many stiles….more of a short ladder, actually.

This first stile-crossing was with full gear, but quickly I learned to pitch my backpack over first before climbing up and over.

Sometimes boulder-hopping didn’t cross a creek, but was the actual trail. This was short-lived, thankfully—UNLIKE TOMORROW!!!!

I always appreciate the hard work and engineering skills that go into these bridge projects.

The route was often near the Blue Ridge Parkway and occasionally went along it for a short distance. Because there are so many hurricane-related BRP closures, there wasn’t a lot of traffic noise.

I used my printed directions, the FarOut App, and the occasional white dots for navigation. The goal: NO EXTRA STEPS!

This was my trickiest creek crossing, but with some planning and dropping in an extra rock in a key location (to accommodate my short legs!), I was able to keep my feet dry.

Today’s hike had an incredible variety of terrain and scenery!

The worst stile crossing! The stile was leaning toward me, which made it impossible to climb up, so I joined previous hikers in shimmying between the barbed wire into the cow-mud.

Good morning!

Grrrrrr.

I’d trade a half mile of horizontal for five feet of vertical, any day.

This stile with two shorter steps was more pedestrian friendly!

One of the easier creek crossings!

The earlier portions of the trail took me longer than anticipated, so it was a relief to have the second half of the hike on gently graded gravel roads. Loren and I aren’t always sure of cellphone coverage, so I set a pre-determined time when I expect to be at my finish point.

Halfway, and time for the shoes-off, dry socks break. (My shoes and socks got wet in the dewy cow pastures, not from the creeks!)

Cone Manor House

Crossing UNDER the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Pretty Trout Lake, where there were all sorts of Canada and Black-throated Blue Warblers in the rhododendrons.

Snack and water break along the gently ascending road toward Rich Mountain.

Yay! for a gated stile!!!

It was so pretty up here that I had to take one last break at 14 miles, just to delight in the experience.

Although this stile was more traditionally pitched at an angle, I followed other hikers’ example and limbo-ed my way underneath the barbed wire to the right.

The final half mile descended the ridge down onto Shull Mills Road.

Loren is always faithfully in place, waiting for my arrival, with a cold drink in a cooler and today—a milkshake from Arby’s! YESSSSS!!!