I basically ran the last mile to Rockfish Gap in the pouring rain - I popped up onto the roadside and Trail Angel Mike's truck was there waiting for me. I felt bad getting in his car soaking wet and smelly but I was relieved to get out of the rain. I had hiked over 75 miles in the past 3 days and was excited to get to the Shenandoahs.
Mike lives only a few miles from the Gap and was nice enough to let me crash in his guest room for the night - he's another one of my triathlon race series friends and we spent the evening talking about races and swim courses and things other than hiking! But of course we talked about hiking too because Subtropical Storm Alberto was making landfall and even though it's path was west of us it could bring heavy rains. Mike had also found that the bridge from Harper's Ferry into Maryland had been closed due to flooding, but reopened..it would still be another week before I got there so who knew what condition it would be in by then.
We enjoyed pizza and beer and I was able to do laundry and dry my gear. I slept soundly and the next morning Mike dropped me back off at Rockfish Gap around 7:30 - no rain but some fog. Even though I was hours away from home, Skyline Drive was familiar and made me feel like I was just a quick drive away. As you enter the woods there is a self-registration station where I ran into Zeppelin and hiked with him most of the day. We kept waiting for the climb into the park, but it felt like it never came. The terrain was pretty easy and the climbs we're definitely shorter than what we had experienced along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
At the first overlook we took a break. A couple of girls driving along Skyline Drive pulled over to enjoy the view. About 2 minutes later one yelled over "hey, there's a bear cub in this tree!". Seriously?! I've been hiking on this trail for over 850 miles and have only seen one bear butt from a distance and you're here for 2 minutes and found a bear cub?! I watched the cub in the tree for awhile, keeping an eye out for Mama, but eventually had to keep moving.
Later in the day I noticed that Loft Mountain Wayside was only a few miles past my intended sleeping spot for the night..it was open until 7 and thought if I picked up the pace I could make it there before it closed and enjoy a cheeseburger and milkshake for dinner. Zeppelin and I started hiking as fast as we could - it was going to be close. At a road crossing we started down a gravel road..after about 0.4 miles I realized we took a wrong turn and would have to backtrack. Looks like the Wayside was not in the cards for that night. There wasn't much water on this section of trail but I didn't pay attention - I figured with all the road crossings and people around water wouldn't be a problem. The last 8 miles I was out of water and it was starting to take it's toll. It was the thirstiest I had been on the trail so far. Got to the shelter around 7 after 20.8 miles and gulped down a liter.
There were lots of hikers at the campsite, all the good tent sites were taken so I slept in the shelter. It was my first experience with bear poles - glad they are there because many hikers reported seeing a bear on the ridge just before the side trail into the shelter. A couple was hiking with their big white dog, so I felt safe that it would alert us of any bears coming into the area over night. I met Shaggy and Maggie, a couple who shared a two person sleeping bag - now that's true love, I imagine that's nice when it's cold but when it's hot like this I bet it would be awful and smelly. I also met Orange, Coors, Handstand, and Sailor Pete.
The next morning I woke up early as usual. It was foggy and damp, it wasn't raining but the air was very heavy with moisture. I was worried about running into bears, I walked slowly and since I was holding my trekking poles in front of my face to break cobwebs I wasn't making much noise. I wasn't in a rush that morning because I wanted to stop in the camp store and the Loft Mountain Wayside which were only about 6.6 miles away and didn't open until 9am. Suddenly next to the trail in front of me I saw a bear cub running across a log - I yelled 'hey bear' to get it's attention and saw Mama's head pop up right next to it. I started yelling and making noise and banging my hiking poles together but they weren't in a hurry to move. They finally wandered off before circling back to the trail. I followed the from a distance continuing to yell.
After that sighting I started making more noise, whistling, and yelling as I hiked. I came upon a sign post and as I was reading it I heard breathing from overhead - impatient breathing. Looked up to find another bear hanging out in the tree above my head. It wasn't making any moves to go anywhere so I talked to it for a minute and took some pictures before moving on. After that I was stomping through the woods like an elephant.
I arrived at the camp store just after 9 and bought some coffee and snacks. A few other hikers were there using the outlets. I was sitting on one of the benches outside when I turned to my left and a deer strolled up along side the building, stopped to look at me, ate some leaves off a nearby tree, and then kept walking. When I told people about my morning experiences with wildlife they commented that they should hike with me if they wanted to see animals...who me? I walked a little further to the Wayside for breakfast. I ran into Shaggy and Maggie and hiked into the wayside together and got there as soon as the rain started. Inside I found Coors, Handstand, and Orange. We all ate a hot breakfast and when we looked outside and saw that it was now pouring we decided to order lunch. The Shenandoah waysides are known for their blackberry milkshakes and they didn't disappoint.
Once the rain let up Shaggy, Maggie, and I got back on the trail. My belly was aching from all the food I just ate but it was nice to have company while hiking so my mind was distracted from the pain. It rained on and off all day, the trail went up and down all afternoon, but the climbs didn't last long. At one point we passed a pile of sticks on the ground that someone had arranged to note 900 miles - we looked at each other, asked if anyone wanted a picture - no? and kept walking. These past few hundred mile markers have come and gone like no big deal - but everyone was excited for the milestone we'd reach in a couple days.
We made it to Hightop Hut around 4:30 completely soaked. The hut (shelter) was packed, there wasn't even enough room to fully get out of the rain. Sixlegs was driving over after work but wasn't planning on arriving until nearly 10PM. I hung out for about an hour and a half, trying to get dry, but decided to push on another 6.3 miles to the next campground where Sixlegs could meet me. Coors also decided to continue to the campground since the guidebook said there were bathrooms and a water spigot.
We met Sixlegs at the car for several snack breaks throughout the day since the trail crossed Skyline Drive every couple of miles. At around 1PM we stopped at Big Meadows Wayside for lunch. The waysides can get expensive but I found it totally worth it to have a hot meal and a milkshake rather than my usual Clif bar and pepperoni wrap. After a hamburger, fries, onion rings, and a blackberry milkshake my stomach was so full it hurt. I spent the rest of the afternoon fighting to keep my lunch down.
The miles that day were very easy, there were stretches where Coors and I ran as if we were out for a jog in the park. Later in the afternoon we stopped at Stony Man, the highest point in Shenandoah. Beautiful view but we could see clouds coming in behind us and we had a couple more miles to hike. Sixlegs drove ahead to Pinnacle Picnic Grounds (AT mile 937.6) to set up the car and dinner. The sky turned so dark it's as if the sun had set. Coors and I hiked quickly with lightning and thunder nearby and with about a mile to go we got dumped on. We reached the picnic grounds where Sixlegs was waiting for us after 26.1 miles of hiking that day and ran under the pavilion. The rain didn't last long and we were able to dry off and eat dinner while the sun slowly came back out. Sixlegs and I slept in the car again while Coors slept on the picnic table.
Friday June 1st I woke up to happy birthday messages for Meredith! It was my 53rd day on the trail and I would get to celebrate it by being slack packed again by Sixlegs. Coors and I starting hiking around 7AM and hiked about 5.3 miles to Panorama Parking Area before stopping for breakfast. Sixlegs had prepared pancakes, fresh fruit, and coffee for my birthday breakfast feast. It was a beautiful morning and would be another sunny day.
After breakfast we hiked another 8.8 miles to the next wayside for lunch. Coors decided it was time to take his pack and we separated since he intended on doing a couple more miles than me that day. The trail crossed the road several more times that afternoon and Sixlegs would park and wait for me with snacks and water - I felt like I had my own personal aid stations. After hiking 23.8 miles Sixlegs picked me up at a road crossing and we went to Matthew's Arm Campground to stay for the night. It started raining again so we cooked, ate, and slept in the car. I was excited to get out of the Shenandoahs the next day and definitely excited to get out of Virginia!
The next morning I only had 9.4 miles to hike. Sixlegs dropped me back off at the road crossing he had picked me up from and went into Front Royal to find a hotel. I was smelly, dirty, and generally in need of a break. I hadn't taken a day off since Damascus and had hiked over 660 miles in the month of May. It wasn't raining but was very foggy. The last few miles were very easy except just after leaving the park there was a rocky section with steep downhills that were slowing me down. I was hoping to find a sign at the northern boundary of the park but there wasn't much, just a small plaque.
After only a couple hours of walking I exited the woods and found Sixlegs walking towards me with a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. It was only 10AM but I was ready to be done hiking for the day and was excited to shower and rest. I also had some visitors coming to join me for a few days of hiking so I had to work on my smell..
Mike lives only a few miles from the Gap and was nice enough to let me crash in his guest room for the night - he's another one of my triathlon race series friends and we spent the evening talking about races and swim courses and things other than hiking! But of course we talked about hiking too because Subtropical Storm Alberto was making landfall and even though it's path was west of us it could bring heavy rains. Mike had also found that the bridge from Harper's Ferry into Maryland had been closed due to flooding, but reopened..it would still be another week before I got there so who knew what condition it would be in by then.
We enjoyed pizza and beer and I was able to do laundry and dry my gear. I slept soundly and the next morning Mike dropped me back off at Rockfish Gap around 7:30 - no rain but some fog. Even though I was hours away from home, Skyline Drive was familiar and made me feel like I was just a quick drive away. As you enter the woods there is a self-registration station where I ran into Zeppelin and hiked with him most of the day. We kept waiting for the climb into the park, but it felt like it never came. The terrain was pretty easy and the climbs we're definitely shorter than what we had experienced along the Blue Ridge Parkway.At the first overlook we took a break. A couple of girls driving along Skyline Drive pulled over to enjoy the view. About 2 minutes later one yelled over "hey, there's a bear cub in this tree!". Seriously?! I've been hiking on this trail for over 850 miles and have only seen one bear butt from a distance and you're here for 2 minutes and found a bear cub?! I watched the cub in the tree for awhile, keeping an eye out for Mama, but eventually had to keep moving.
Later in the day I noticed that Loft Mountain Wayside was only a few miles past my intended sleeping spot for the night..it was open until 7 and thought if I picked up the pace I could make it there before it closed and enjoy a cheeseburger and milkshake for dinner. Zeppelin and I started hiking as fast as we could - it was going to be close. At a road crossing we started down a gravel road..after about 0.4 miles I realized we took a wrong turn and would have to backtrack. Looks like the Wayside was not in the cards for that night. There wasn't much water on this section of trail but I didn't pay attention - I figured with all the road crossings and people around water wouldn't be a problem. The last 8 miles I was out of water and it was starting to take it's toll. It was the thirstiest I had been on the trail so far. Got to the shelter around 7 after 20.8 miles and gulped down a liter.
There were lots of hikers at the campsite, all the good tent sites were taken so I slept in the shelter. It was my first experience with bear poles - glad they are there because many hikers reported seeing a bear on the ridge just before the side trail into the shelter. A couple was hiking with their big white dog, so I felt safe that it would alert us of any bears coming into the area over night. I met Shaggy and Maggie, a couple who shared a two person sleeping bag - now that's true love, I imagine that's nice when it's cold but when it's hot like this I bet it would be awful and smelly. I also met Orange, Coors, Handstand, and Sailor Pete.
The next morning I woke up early as usual. It was foggy and damp, it wasn't raining but the air was very heavy with moisture. I was worried about running into bears, I walked slowly and since I was holding my trekking poles in front of my face to break cobwebs I wasn't making much noise. I wasn't in a rush that morning because I wanted to stop in the camp store and the Loft Mountain Wayside which were only about 6.6 miles away and didn't open until 9am. Suddenly next to the trail in front of me I saw a bear cub running across a log - I yelled 'hey bear' to get it's attention and saw Mama's head pop up right next to it. I started yelling and making noise and banging my hiking poles together but they weren't in a hurry to move. They finally wandered off before circling back to the trail. I followed the from a distance continuing to yell.
After that sighting I started making more noise, whistling, and yelling as I hiked. I came upon a sign post and as I was reading it I heard breathing from overhead - impatient breathing. Looked up to find another bear hanging out in the tree above my head. It wasn't making any moves to go anywhere so I talked to it for a minute and took some pictures before moving on. After that I was stomping through the woods like an elephant.
I arrived at the camp store just after 9 and bought some coffee and snacks. A few other hikers were there using the outlets. I was sitting on one of the benches outside when I turned to my left and a deer strolled up along side the building, stopped to look at me, ate some leaves off a nearby tree, and then kept walking. When I told people about my morning experiences with wildlife they commented that they should hike with me if they wanted to see animals...who me? I walked a little further to the Wayside for breakfast. I ran into Shaggy and Maggie and hiked into the wayside together and got there as soon as the rain started. Inside I found Coors, Handstand, and Orange. We all ate a hot breakfast and when we looked outside and saw that it was now pouring we decided to order lunch. The Shenandoah waysides are known for their blackberry milkshakes and they didn't disappoint.
Once the rain let up Shaggy, Maggie, and I got back on the trail. My belly was aching from all the food I just ate but it was nice to have company while hiking so my mind was distracted from the pain. It rained on and off all day, the trail went up and down all afternoon, but the climbs didn't last long. At one point we passed a pile of sticks on the ground that someone had arranged to note 900 miles - we looked at each other, asked if anyone wanted a picture - no? and kept walking. These past few hundred mile markers have come and gone like no big deal - but everyone was excited for the milestone we'd reach in a couple days.
We made it to Hightop Hut around 4:30 completely soaked. The hut (shelter) was packed, there wasn't even enough room to fully get out of the rain. Sixlegs was driving over after work but wasn't planning on arriving until nearly 10PM. I hung out for about an hour and a half, trying to get dry, but decided to push on another 6.3 miles to the next campground where Sixlegs could meet me. Coors also decided to continue to the campground since the guidebook said there were bathrooms and a water spigot.
We were basically running down the trail, water was flowing like a river. We got to the South River Falls Campground (AT mile 911.5) around 8, after hiking 27.9 miles and found the water turned off and the bathrooms locked due to low water levels - ha, I laughed out loud. This whole area of the country was basically saturated, how could they possibly have low water levels?! The only place with a roof to stay out of the rain were there privies. Luckily they were nicer than the typical shelter privy, with a concrete floor and solid roof. They didn't even smell that bad. Coors and I ended up playing cribbage in the privy while I waited for Sixlegs to show up. He arrived at 9:45 and I finally got dry and we slept in the car while Coors enjoyed his first experience sleeping in a privy.
It poured most of the night, I was thankful to be someplace dry. We woke up at 6AM to a maintenance truck pulling up next to us - he was there to clean the privies.. The first one he went up to was locked - Coors was still inside sleeping. He cleaned the other one and once he drove away we all got up and stretched from spending the night in such cramped sleeping quarters. It finally stopped raining - the sun was out and we took our time getting ready. At around 8 the maintenance truck pulled up again and the maintenance worker cleaned the privy that was previously locked and prepared it for the next thru hiker to sleep in. Sixlegs made us eggs and coffee for breakfast and offered to slack pack us for the day. We got going around 8:15 and found the trail was still saturated with water and it would be impossible to keep our boots dry, although they were still soaked from the night before so it didn't really matter. This was the most amount of water I had seen on the trail, it was literally a waterfall of water with sections up to our calves.
We met Sixlegs at the car for several snack breaks throughout the day since the trail crossed Skyline Drive every couple of miles. At around 1PM we stopped at Big Meadows Wayside for lunch. The waysides can get expensive but I found it totally worth it to have a hot meal and a milkshake rather than my usual Clif bar and pepperoni wrap. After a hamburger, fries, onion rings, and a blackberry milkshake my stomach was so full it hurt. I spent the rest of the afternoon fighting to keep my lunch down. The miles that day were very easy, there were stretches where Coors and I ran as if we were out for a jog in the park. Later in the afternoon we stopped at Stony Man, the highest point in Shenandoah. Beautiful view but we could see clouds coming in behind us and we had a couple more miles to hike. Sixlegs drove ahead to Pinnacle Picnic Grounds (AT mile 937.6) to set up the car and dinner. The sky turned so dark it's as if the sun had set. Coors and I hiked quickly with lightning and thunder nearby and with about a mile to go we got dumped on. We reached the picnic grounds where Sixlegs was waiting for us after 26.1 miles of hiking that day and ran under the pavilion. The rain didn't last long and we were able to dry off and eat dinner while the sun slowly came back out. Sixlegs and I slept in the car again while Coors slept on the picnic table.
Friday June 1st I woke up to happy birthday messages for Meredith! It was my 53rd day on the trail and I would get to celebrate it by being slack packed again by Sixlegs. Coors and I starting hiking around 7AM and hiked about 5.3 miles to Panorama Parking Area before stopping for breakfast. Sixlegs had prepared pancakes, fresh fruit, and coffee for my birthday breakfast feast. It was a beautiful morning and would be another sunny day.
After breakfast we hiked another 8.8 miles to the next wayside for lunch. Coors decided it was time to take his pack and we separated since he intended on doing a couple more miles than me that day. The trail crossed the road several more times that afternoon and Sixlegs would park and wait for me with snacks and water - I felt like I had my own personal aid stations. After hiking 23.8 miles Sixlegs picked me up at a road crossing and we went to Matthew's Arm Campground to stay for the night. It started raining again so we cooked, ate, and slept in the car. I was excited to get out of the Shenandoahs the next day and definitely excited to get out of Virginia!
The next morning I only had 9.4 miles to hike. Sixlegs dropped me back off at the road crossing he had picked me up from and went into Front Royal to find a hotel. I was smelly, dirty, and generally in need of a break. I hadn't taken a day off since Damascus and had hiked over 660 miles in the month of May. It wasn't raining but was very foggy. The last few miles were very easy except just after leaving the park there was a rocky section with steep downhills that were slowing me down. I was hoping to find a sign at the northern boundary of the park but there wasn't much, just a small plaque. After only a couple hours of walking I exited the woods and found Sixlegs walking towards me with a large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. It was only 10AM but I was ready to be done hiking for the day and was excited to shower and rest. I also had some visitors coming to join me for a few days of hiking so I had to work on my smell..
No comments:
Post a Comment