Weekly Overview
Day 29
May 31, 2019
- Route: Highway 58 Trailhead (mile 487.6) to Massie Gap (mile 502)
- Daily Mileage: 14.4 miles
After my zero day with my immediate family, it was time to get back on the trail and link up with by trail family. Before I left Damascus two days ago, we’d agreed to meet this morning just past Highway 58 where I’d gotten off trail. I was slack packing with minimal gear and planned to hike a lower mileage day, so we could meet up with Keith and Finn back in Grayson Highlands State Park.
FINDING MY PEOPLE
Keith dropped me back at the trailhead while it was still lightly raining out. A pretty strong storm pushed through the evening before and everything was still wet. The terrain was nice and easy though, and it didn’t take me long to find Luna and Squirrel. They’d stealth camped about a half mile from the trailhead, and were just packing up their wet shelters and were ready to hike.
As we walked toward Grayson Highlands, Luna updated me on their zero day and TM and Gear Boy’s whereabouts. While in Damascus, he and Squirrel did a super good shakedown of their packs to figure out what they’d need for the next month out here. The weather is definitely changing to summer, and it was time to mail any cold weather items ahead instead of unnecessarily carrying for another 800 miles until we go to New England.
With that chore complete, Luna and Squirrel took their time getting up yesterday and lazed about for most of the morning enjoying the comforts of civilization. Just as they were getting ready to leave town and get back on trail, TM and Gear Boy showed up in Damascus.
Luna shared our hiking plans with them, and encouraged TM and Gear Boy to try to catch back us today so we could all have a hiker slumber party back at the RV this evening. I really hope they make it. It feels like forever since I’ve seen them!
MT ROGERS
While the three of us hiked east toward Grayson Highlands, Keith and Finn had returned to the state park and were hiking west back toward us. Our goal was to meet up this afternoon near Thomas Knob Shelter so we could take the short side trail to the summit of Mt. Rogers.
Mt. Rogers is the the high point for Virginia, and would be my 12th state high point since we started traveling full-time about 10 months ago. I knew nothing about the hobby of highpointing before we started this journey, and now I was eager for us to try to see if we could get all 50. (For read more about our highpointing adventures, click HERE)
Unfortunately, we’d soon learn that Mt. Rogers isn’t really a scenic mountaintop like some of our other hight points. It’s just a spot in the middle of the woods with a small survey marker indicating the elevation. There isn’t even a sign announcing that it’s Virginia’s highest natural point. Nonetheless, we ran into several other folks out there on the trail who were attempting to find the high point too, so when we finally got there, we had them take our photo.
MILE 500
With that detour accomplished, Keith, Finn and I headed back to Thomas Knob Shelter, where Luna and Squirrel were waiting for us. As I introduced everybody, it felt a bit surreal. I’d talked to my trail family about Keith and Finn a lot over the past few weeks. And I tried to tell Keith and Finn all about these folks yesterday. But, really, the ONLY thing these people had in common was me.
Before long, we came to a clearing that marked the 500 mile point for us on trail. Something was awry though. In the past, prior hikers would take nearby materials like sticks or rocks and mark these major milestones. But, there didn’t seem to be anything here but a flat area and a bunch of rhododendrons. What the heck? We walked to mile 500.1 then 500.2, and still nothing.
We couldn’t let this moment pass without marking it, so Squirrel and I gathered up a few rocks and formed it into a 500 on the trail. Then I asked Keith to take a photo of the three of us while we briefly savored the moment to celebrate walking 500 miles!!
With that done, we headed off again. Then, about a 1/4 mile up the trail we saw another, more substantial 500 made out of rocks off to the side of the trail. Dang it! We must have jumped the gun and taken our photo too soon. So, we stopped and posed for a second photo, just to be safe!
GRAYSON HIGHLANDS
With our second photo opportunity secured, we headed toward Massie Gap. Any awkwardness me might have felt around each other had now dissipated, and we became unified in our effort to search for the wild ponies that roamed this area.
Grayson Highlands is renowned for it’s wild (well, technically, feral) ponies. Smithsonian Magazine did an interesting story about the ponies, which you can read HERE. But to make a long story short, some local ranchers bred a sturdy stock of ponies that were released in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1940’s. More than 100 of them now roam the area, and the herds are mostly left alone except for the annual fall health check-up.
Visitors are supposed to refrain from feeding or touching the ponies if they see them. These are wild animals after all. But, many of these gentle giants will walk up to hikers and even try to lick the salt off their legs. We saw several ponies from afar, and then we stumbled on a small herd of them munching on the grass. There was even a baby foal nursing from its mother. They were so adorable!
TOGETHER AGAIN
After stopping to take far too many pictures of the ponies, we made it back to Massie Gap, where our car was parked. The five of us drove back to the RV to get cleaned up, then it was time for another run to Marion, Virginia. Luna and Squirrel both needed to resupply and go to the laundromat, and we all wanted to eat at one of the local Mexican restaurant.
As all this was going on, I got a text from TM and Gear Boy. They’d just made it to Grayson Highlands and wanted to link up with us tonight. We were still in Marion and close to an hour’s drive away, but I promised we’d meet them back at Massie Gap soon and we could have a hikertrash slumber party at the RV camground.
We made it back to the park just before 8 pm, and I drove back up to the trailhead see TM and GB patiently waiting for me. Yeah! I was so happy to see them. My trail family was all back together again (Well mostly. Unfortunately, Gazelle is still a day ahead of us all.)
We all lounged around the RV, drinking beer, eating the leftover eggplant parmesan from last night’s massive meal, and catching up on all the little things we’d missed while we were apart. The five of us haven’t been together since Hot Springs, NC and it was such a wonderful feeling to just sit around enjoying each others company. Nobody understands what you’re going through like your trail family.
DAY 30
June 1, 2019
- Route: Massie Gap (mile 502) to Dickey Gap (mile 520.1)
- Daily Mileage: 18.1 miles
Last night’s slumber party left the RV smelling pretty foul. Most of us had showered, but our gear and sleeping bags still smelled like 500 miles of blood, sweat, and tears. The warm, humid Virginia night didn’t really help matters either.
Then 2 am rolled around and the ‘tiny bladder brigade’ was mobilized. First Luna got up to use the bathroom, then Keith got up, then Gear Boy, then… Over the next hour, each of us seemed to need to get up in the middle of the night to empty our bladder. And every time someone flushed the small vacuum toilet in the RV, the noise would wake everyone back up again. We’d just start to drift off to sleep again, and then the “chug, chug, chug” of the toilet would go off again. By 3 am, we were all a fit of giggles waiting for the next person to get up.
GRAYSON HIGHLANDS – PART II
We returned to the trail this morning in shifts because the car couldn’t fit everyone at once. The plan for the day was to hike up to Dickey Gap where Keith would pick me, TM, and Gear Boy up this evening. We’d had the chance to take Luna and Squirrel into Marion, Virginia for dinner last night, and tonight we would take TM and Gear Boy to town so I could spend some more time with them.
Yesterday’s storm had cleared out and I could now see and appreciate the Grayson Highlands for their true beauty. I’ve never been to Scotland, but this is exactly what I imagine the Scottish Highlands must look like. It was truly beautiful, with green rolling balds as far as the eye could see. There were wildflowers lining parts of the trail, and so many azaleas and rhododendron bushes along the way.
I caught a glimpse of a few more ponies this morning, including one with a beautiful white mane set off again its dark brown coat. This part of Virginia is just beautiful and I’m so grateful the AT goes directly through it. Anyone looking for an idea day or section hike of the trail would be remiss if they didn’t choose this stretch.
AN EASY AFTERNOON
Since I knew I’d be returning to the RV again this evening, I’d decided to slack pack for a second day. I was still carrying my pack, but it was mostly empty. All I really needed was some food, my water filter, and a jacket just in case the rain returned. Moreover, the trail was pretty easy today, with the exception of one big hill this afternoon.
We ran into a bunch of younger hikers that we’d seen back in Damascus, but we mostly focused on catching up on all the fun we’d missed while we were split into two separate groups these past 230 miles. The miles flew by and around 4:45 pm we’d arrived at Dickey Gap where I’d arranged for Keith to come pick me up.
With close 45 minutes to kill before our ride arrived, we formulated a new plan for linking back up tomorrow. Luna and Squirrel would hike on another 4 miles to the next shelter, while TM, Gear Boy, and I went back into Independence, VA to eat at the epic Italian restaurant. Then the three of us would try to pull a 25-mile day tomorrow and catch back up with Luna and Squirrel tomorrow evening.
With our plan in place, we continued to lounge and soak up the warm sunshine near the trailhead. There was a younger hiker with a British accent who showed up and introduced himself as Patient Zero. He was suffering from horrible shin splints and realized he needed to get to town a rest for a few days. So now his plan was to hitch a ride to Marion where he could hole up and recover. Cars and trucks whizzed by on the highway for the next 20 minutes, and we all cheered and clapped when someone finally stopped and offered him a ride.
The kindness of others out here on the trail is a mind-blowing thing. Far too often all we hear about are the things going wrong in the world. Terrorism. Natural disasters. Disease and famine. Violence. All of this negativity and sensationalism begins to shape your outlook and you can easily forget that the vast majority of people aren’t terrible humans.
But being out here on the trail and watching complete strangers repeatedly lend a helping hand is genuinely restoring my faith in humanity. Meeting hikers from different walks of life is doing the same thing. I’d probably never cross paths with such a diverse group of people, nor have the opportunity to find out how much we share in common. Once you strip away our minor differences (like age, regional background, political beliefs, or level of formal education), we are all striving for the same thing. Watching people be authentic and kind around each other has been a truly remarkable experience.
DAY 31
June 2, 2019
- Route: Dickey Gap (mile 520.1) to Atkins, VA (mile 545.7)
- Daily Mileage: 25.6 miles
Dinner at the Italian restaurant last night with TM and Gear Boy was just as great as it was a few days ago. We stuffed our bellies until we were full, and we still had food left over for this morning’s breakfast. Keith brought us back to the trailhead at Dickey Gap early, and bid us a quick goodbye. We needed to get a move on if we expected to make the 25 miles to meet back up with Luna and Squirrel.
TAKING IT EASY
The trail started with a big hill, but I was able to make good time getting up it and pulled ahead of TM and Gear Boy. After spending three nights sleeping in a bed, my legs felt fresh again and I was stayed ahead of them for pretty much the rest of the day.
I stopped to eat lunch near the visitor center for the Mt. Rogers Recreation Center. Just before I got there, I passed the Partnership Shelter. This in one of the larger shelters on the AT and can fit up to 16 hikers inside. It’s also notable because there is a shower attached to the shelter and it’s close enough to the road that hikers can even get pizza delivered there. It was completely empty when I arrived though, which is why I continued on another quarter mile to the visitor center.
At the visitor center, there were several hikers hanging out underneath the large shade trees having lunch, including one of Patient Zero’s hiking partners – a hiker named Locks. I commented that is a bit odd to start developing shin splints 500+ miles into a thru-hike. Locks told me they’d changed up their hiking style right before Damascus, and started to jog on the downhills to increase their daily mileage. That’s how Patient Zero ultimately managed to injure himself. What a bummer. A little too much ambition can make your body revolt, and then you’re forced to take it easy.
SCHOOLTIME!
The Grayson Highlands were far behind me, and now I was back in the typical forest punctuated by the occasional fence stile to climb over or road crossing. The afternoon was pretty unremarkable in terms of the scenery on this stretch of the trail.
The most interesting sight of the day was the Settlers Museum near mile 543. It’s an old one-room school house that was built in 1894. A single teacher would teach 18-25 students who ranged all the way in age from 1st to 7th grade. And for this, the teach made a $30 per month. If you account for inflation, that would be a mere $450 per month in today’s dollars!! The schoolhouse eventually closed in 1937, and now it’s open a few days a week as a glimpse into the past.
I decided to stop in and see the school, since it was pretty close to the trail, and there was sign that there might be trail magic inside the building courtesy of one of the local churches. The interior of the building still looked like an early 20th century schoolhouse, with wooden desks and an old wood burning stove to heat the school in winter.
There were several ice chests in the back of the room with cold drinks and fresh fruit, and there was a whole box full of miscellaneous supplies for the thru-hikers passing through like Qtips, bandaids, hairbands, hand sanitizer, etc. It was awesome that the local community put such thought into helping the hikers out and it was a tremendous morale boost of this hot, humid afternoon.
GETTING DRENCHED
When I departed, the sky was dark and it looked like a major storm was headed my way. I only had another 3 miles until I’d get to Highway 11, where we planned to meet up with Luna and Squirrel at the Barn Restaurant. The Barn is one of those hiker favorites that was best known for its large breakfasts. We planned to camp nearby this evening and show up for breakfast as soon as they opened tomorrow morning. One more trail family meal together! It sure is funny how ALL our thoughts revolve around food now. I guess the hiker hunger is in full swing!
As I hiked my final hour of the day, the sky was getting darker and darker. I could hear thunder in the distance and then the rain began to fall in large dropets. I tried to hike faster to beat the imminent afternoon shower, but it was useless. I barely had time to pull my umbrella out before it started coming down in earnest.
The next 20 minutes were a complete downpour. My arms and legs were drenched. My shorts clung to my legs and they were so wet that there was water pouring down them. It was the worst storm I’d seen since the day I hiked into the NOC. The only good thing was it was pretty warm out, so I didn’t feel too cold (yet).
About a half mile before the trail met the highway, it went through a copse of trees and I could see a deer standing on the trail. It looked like it was eating or licking something on the ground. As I got closer, the deer looked up, then quickly darted off into the woods. I continued walking toward the spot where the deer had been, and I could there was see something sizable in the middle of the trail.
It turns out it was a baby fawn that collapsed right in the middle of the dirt. I must have unwittingly scared the mother off when she couldn’t get her baby off trail!I kept my distance and walked off trail to get completely around the little deer. I didn’t want the mother to come back and smell my scent anywhere near the fawn and then choose to abandon it out here!
THE BARN
The rain was letting up slightly when I got to the highway, and there was a gas station right across from the trailhead where I could get out of the bad weather. When I pulled my phone out, I saw I missed a bunch of texts from Luna during the downpour. He and Squirrel were holed up inside the gas station charging their phones at one tables inside.
As I walked into the gas station to find them, I was immediately assaulted by the blast of air-conditioning, which felt arctic. I needed to don my rain jacket to keep from catching a chill in my soaking wet clothes. As I did this, I looked around, and was somewhat shocked to see the weird products for sale. There were Confederate flags, Donald Trump 2020 stickers, and a bunch of items with very crude attempts at humor all over the front of the store. It was tackiness and racism personified, and – honestly – I didn’t want to stay there any longer than absolutely necessary.
When the rain slowed to a sprinkle, I decided to get some fresh air away from the heaviness of bigotry. I walked down the road to The Barn, and that’s when I discovered the bad news. On the front of the restaurant’s door stood a sign with their hours. That’s how I learned they were closed tomorrow. No massive breakfast for us. Well, that sucked! 🙁 And now, I had to break the news to everyone else.
By the time I returned, TM and Gear Boy were there. I hated dashing everyone’s hopes, but there were plenty more town food experiences to have further down the trail. We’d survive. And since The Barn was already closed today and wouldn’t have patrons showing up tomorrow morning, we decided to pitch our tents behind the restaurant to the evening.
DAY 32
June 3, 2019
- Route: The Barn Restaurant (mile 545.7) to Chestnut Knob Shelter (mile 569.7)
- Daily Mileage: 24 miles
Sleeping behind The Barn should have been pretty uneventful and quiet, but it wasn’t. Directly across the road was a second gas station that catered to the long haul truck drivers. Dozens of these truckers spent the night parked behind the gas station, while the dirt lot behind the restaurant seemed to be their overflow spot. Semi trucks idled for hours just a few hundred feet from us, and the noises from made it incredibly difficult to sleep even the rain continued to pelt our tents.
As we packed up our soaking wet tents in the early morning sun, several hikers started making their way toward The Barn, including Locks and then Moccasin. When we told Moccasin the restaurant was closed today, he looked utterly deflated. He’s been pushing super long (25-30 mile) days ever since Scorpion left the trail in Damascus, and was using little things like breakfast The Barn to keep himself motivated each day. Now he’d have to settle for a sketchy gas station breakfast instead.
A SOMBER MORNING
Squirrel was the first to depart and she had a solid 20 minute lead on me. Although I’ve really enjoyed all these past few days together, I wanted to enjoy the silence of the morning, and intentionally set off by myself. The first shelter wasn’t going to be for another 14 miles, and I hoped to have the entire day walking alone.
I didn’t enjoy putting on wet shoes and socks this morning, but soon realized it didn’t much matter. The trail was so wet from all the heavy rain yesterday and overnight that dry stuff would have been soaked through and through in a matter of minutes.
The terrain was definitely different today. There were some harder hills to hike up, but several of them were through cow pastures instead of under the trees. I really enjoyed feeling the sun and being able to see my surroundings. The fields were usually separated by tall fences with A-frame ladders over them, and I must have gone over a dozen of them today.
Near one of the ladders was a memorial for Stonghold. There were items from Trail Days, as well as a photo of him encased in plastic so it wouldn’t be damaged. This was where the murder happened.
As I climbed past it, I had mixed feelings about the memorial. Part of me was grateful the community was coming together and supporting each other during this tough time. But, it also created a sense of apprehension as I passed this spot too. I didn’t want to think that could happen to me or anyone else out here on the trail. Walking past it was like trekking on haunted ground.
25 PERCENT
Before too long I hit another milestone, and passed a tree with a sign that showed I was now 1/4 of the way done with my thru-hike! Woohoo, I’m 25% of the way there! I felt excited at first, but then another thought washed over me. Wait. I still have 75% left to go. That’s a long, long, long way yet! I better not get TOO excited. There was a lot more pain and hard days to come.
I finally made it to the Knot Maul Branch Shelter around 1:30 pm and caught up to Squirrel and Moccasin. We decided to hang our soaking wet tents out to dry over an extended lunch, and ended up sitting there for more than an hour. Finally, the two of them took off ahead and we planned to meet up again at the top of Chestnut Knob, a 2,100 foot climb to the top of a mountain where there was supposed to be an enclosed shelter.
The afternoon seemed to drag on forever, and the climb to the summit of Chestnut Knob seemed never-ending. When I finally arrived, the temperature was dropping and I was glad to see the was a 4-sided shelter with a door on it. Maybe I’d sleep in there tonight. Although my tent was now dry, it was supposed to drop down into the 40s tonight and I no longer had my heavy 15 degree sleeping bag to snuggle in.
As I pulled open the door, I was surprised to see a group of people sitting there cooking dinner, but Squirrel and Moccasin weren’t there. Someone immediately asked if I was Sisu. When I replied in the affirmative, she shared that Squirrel and Moccasin left me a message. They’d seen a bear just before they arrived, and were heading a few more miles down to Walker Gap to give the bear some distance instead of stopping to set up their tents here.
I was too tired to keep walking and just wanted dinner, so I dropped my pack and decided they were on their own. I was staying put and crashing in the shelter. It was a good 10 degrees warmer in here, and I was done for the day.
NEW FRIENDS
As I pulled out my food bag, the group made some room for me at the table and began introducing themselves.
First, there was Snake Charmer and Bad-Ass Butterfly. Snake Charmer was from Switzerland, while BAB was American. They were in their 40s and newlyweds. What a way to get to know your spouse! I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to share a smelly tent with Keith on our honeymoon, but I had to admire their sense of adventure.
Next up was Midnight and Trashcan. They were also married, but about 10 years younger. Both of them were traveling nurses based out of Colorado, and they’d decided to take advantage of their flexible schedule to enjoy one their major bucket list adventures. The two of them were such a cute couple and they’re both on the diminutive side. In a weird way, they reminded me of adorable little Keebler elves.
Double Shot was also staying at Chestnut Knob, but he had his tent set up outside the shelter. And then there were several other individual hikers whose names I didn’t catch. It seemed like a full house tonight and I’d have to just wait and see if the rest of my group caught up tonight.
DAY 33
June 4, 2019
- Route: Chestnut Knob Shelter (mile 569.7) to Brushy Mountain Outpost / Bland,VA (mile 591.7)
- Daily Mileage: 22 miles
Last night was definitely nippy. Even though I spend the night inside the shelter and protected from the worst of it, I ended up wearing almost all my clothes, including my puffy jacket, hat and gloves. I even had to swaddle my legs with my rain jacket for a little warmth. As excited as I was to swap out my bulky sleeping bag for my Army poncho liner, I’m not sure that was a prudent idea after all. My poncho liner is a perfectly fine layer when the nights are in the 60s or warmer, but I don’t think we’re quite there yet.
When I was talking with Trashcan and Midnight last night, they mentioned they were switching over to quilts and have order some from Enlightened Equipment. I read a little bit about quilts before I got on the trail, but wasn’t sure how I felt about them. A lot of thru-hikers seem to like them and say they can be a good middle ground. You can use the straps to keep it tied around you when it’s cold, but then open it up like a blanket when it gets warmer.
Maybe I’ll take a closer look at the quilt option too . Not only would it be lighter than my warm sleeping bag, but it would be a heck of a lot more versatile. And, with 1,600 miles left on my thru-hike, it might be worth the financial investment.
AN EARLY MORNING
Speaking of Trashcan and Midnight, they were up wicked EARLY this morning. I heard them rustling around at 5 am. When they mentioned wanting to get an early start last night, I hadn’t quite believed them. But they were gone well before 6 am!
I decided to use the privy shortly after they left and caught a pretty awesome sunrise over the handful of tents pitched outside the shelter. I was definitely much colder out there, and the it would be another morning walking in the wet grass.
I set off around 7:40 and figured I’d walk down to Walker Gap and see if Squirrel and Moccasin were still there. When I eventually got down to the gap, I scanned the area pretty thoroughly, but I didn’t see any tents. Maybe they were gone already or maybe they’d pressed on even further last night. Squirrel is a seriously good hiker and has been talking about wanting to ramp up her mileage to 25+ miles a day now that we’re in Virginia. And I know she’s just crazy enough to do it too!
I’m not sure the rest of us are ready to be that ambitious though. My feet were hurting quite a bit today, I definitely needed to start taking more frequent breaks during the day. When I’m by myself, I have a tendency to just walk and walk until lunch. Then I walk and walk some more until I’m ready to end the day. That’s a recipe for disaster though. I need to let my body rest more throughout the day if I hope to make it all the way to Maine in one piece.
After a long downhill descent, I made it to Jenkins Shelter just in time for lunch. Trashcan, Midnight, and Double Shot were already there and finishing up eating, but there was still no sign of Squirrel or Moccasin. I hung out at the shelter for close to an hour eating and chatting with my shoes off as I tried to let my feet dry out.
I checked out the elevation profile for the afternoon. The next 10 miles looked to be a bit easier, with just two moderate climbs between me and Brushy Mountain Outpost, a small deli that let’s hikers camp out behind their store. I’d shoot for that this evening and maybe treat myself to a ice cold soda.
This trail is creating some odd food and drink cravings lately. I stopped drinking soda a few years ago, and although it was initially difficult to break the habit, eventually I didn’t miss soda at all. Recently, I’ve relaxed my ban on soda, and I’ll have the occasional one here or there. However, something has changed on trail. I’ve been craving the cold carbonation and sugary sweetness something fierce. I’ve especially found myself jonesing for Dr. Pepper – a soda I haven’t had since I was about 12 years old. I’m not sure where this craving is coming from, but I’m hoping there’s a nice cold bottle of Dr. Pepper in the cooler at Brushy Mountain Outpost because that sounds so good right about now!
BIG DECISIONS
I made it to Brushy Mountain a little before 4pm and guess who was sitting out on the grass drying her tent out in the sun? It was Squirrel!! She and Moccasin had camped at Walker Gap as planned, but it was a horrible night. After their bear sighting up on Chestnut Knob yesterday, they were both rather worried about a nighttime bear encounter. Every noise during the night seemed to wake her up and amped up her anxiety.
The evening temperatures also dipped down so low that she was shivering all night long, even though they’d built a small fire. Neither Squirrel nor Moccasin got much sleep because of the cold, and they were up walking at 6 am in an effort to get warm. They’d arrived at Brushy Mountain Outpost around 2:30 pm and had been sitting there debating on whether to stay or try to hike on when I showed up.
Squirrel was genuinely torn on what to do. She wanted to hike bigger miles than the rest of us. Plus she’d really enjoyed hiking by herself. Last night she got to choose her own campsite last night and hang her own bear bag for the first time this trip. She’d been hiking with Luna since the second day of her thru-hike, and he tended to do those things for her. She told me how she was really grateful for all the wisdom Luna imparted on her early on the hike. She also appreciated how he’d helped her out so much when her feet were so injured. So, in her mind, it seemed like a minor betrayal to want to hike faster and further than him now. But a big part of her wanted to see what she was capable of while on her own. She knew that she couldn’t stay in his shadow forever. She needed to develop her own hiking style and see what SHE wanted.
As Squirrel talked through all her feelings, she asked what I thought. It was easy to see how emotionally torn she was. Should she stay with her trail family? Or test the waters on her own? Deep down, I knew this wasn’t really my call to make. I was just her sounding board. If she wanted to hike ahead, she would do it. There didn’t have to be any hard feelings. After all, Gazelle had hiked on, hadn’t she? No one held ill will toward her. All of us was out here to hike our own hike.
Squirrel seemed relieved to hear this. And as much as I would miss her, I knew this separation was what SHE needed. Who knows. Maybe she would miss the camaraderie and rejoin us later down the trail. Or maybe she would find a new trail family that was hiking similar mileage days to her. Either way, the only way she’d truly know what she wanted was to try it out. I didn’t need to give her permission to go, nor did anyone else. And with that, she gave me a hug and packed up her gear. She and Mocassin were going to hike ahead, and perhaps we’d see her again down the trail.
BREAKING THE NEWS
If I’m totally honest, I was more than just a bit sad to see Squirrel go. We’d hiked together for close to 600 miles. She’s such a great person and I’m going to miss her upbeat attitude and smile terribly. Plus, I really wasn’t looking forward to was telling Luna about Squirrel’s decision. He would undoubtedly be hurt.
Luna’s and Squirrel’s relationship is a hard one to describe on these pages. There’s no doubt that he values her friendship, just like the rest of us. But, there’s also something more to his affection too. I’m not sure whether he’s merely trying to take her under his wing like an protective brother, or whether there’s a part of him that hopes his chivalry will develop into something more.
Given Squirrel’s strong allegiance to her boyfriend back in Germany, I’m 100% confident she isn’t romantically interested in Luna (or anyone else out here for that matter). But, I’m equally sure that Luna is going to be crushed to learn Squirrel has chosen to hike on without him. His disappointment will be palpable, and I’m going to have to be the friend who breaks the news to him and deal with the fallout.
I hate being the bearer of bad news. And I pretty sure I’m going to need a Dr. Pepper to steel myself for this conversation!
DAY 34
June 5, 2019
- Route: Brushy Mountain Outpost (mile 591.7) to Trent’s Grocery / Bland, VA (mile 610.1)
- Daily Mileage: 18.4 miles
I tented behind Brushy Mountain Outpost last night with about 8 other hikers who already knew each other. As the store was closing up, the owner brought out the remainder of one of those giant 5-gallon cardboard tubs ice cream you’d see in Baskin-Robbins or other ice cream shops. The tub was now 90% gone, and he was ready to replace it with a fresh one, so we were in luck. We got to finish it off for free!
While I really enjoyed the afternoon’s sweet treat, I didn’t relish what was ahead of me…breaking the news to Luna about Squirrel. Luna eventually showed up shortly after we finished the ice cream, and he was pretty quiet as I told him Squirrel was going to hike ahead instead of remaining with us. As expected, I could see the disappointment creep in his face. But what could I do?? I’d just have to let him work his way through his emotions and be here as his friend.
When the deli opened back up at 8 am this morning, Luna was still in a funk. He decided to drown out his sorrows in coffee and breakfast while the two of us waited out a strong morning rainstorm. Some of the our fellow hiker took off from the deli right before the storm blew through and now they were undoubtedly soaked through. I was glad we’d decided to delay our start, since now we’d have a fairly nice day ahead of us. There was even a rainbow in the sky when we hit the trail!
A DRY STRETCH
This afternoon turned into one of those wonderful days where all the animals decided to come out and play. I wasn’t thrilled about the snake that wanted to wiggle its way toward me on trail, but some of the other animals were a delight to watch. I saw deer, and butterflies, turtles, and more.
While there were a lot of animals around, there were surprisingly few water sources during this stretch of trail. Guthook says were should have been several small rivers and springs flowing, but that wasn’t the case. Luckily, the manager working at Brushy Mountain knew the area well, and was hearing reports from hikers that it would be a good 18-20 miles before we got to our first reliable water today.
I’m glad we heeded that advice and topped off our water this morning because the first water source we encountered wasn’t until the very end of the day at Kimberling Creek near mile 610. Nothing seemed to be flowing today. Every creek bed was bone dry and the warm June weather had us all sweating buckets.
MAIL MISHAPS
Luna and I kept leap-frogging with the hikers who’d spent the night at Bushy Mountain all day long, and we also caught up with Midnight and Trashcan too. They’d briefly gotten off trail yesterday to catch a ride into nearby Bland, Virginia to pick up a package. Unfortunately their experience at the post office was one of the key reasons why hikers dislike resupplying by mail.
After ordering some new shoes (nearly 2 weeks ago),Trashcan had them shipped general delivery to the post office to Damascus. When they got to the post office though, the shoes were nowhere to be found. After a bunch of phone calls trying to track the waylaid package down, they located the shoes and had the post office bounce the package forward to the post offie in Bland.
Sure enough, there was another issue at the post office in Bland too, so they still don’t have new shoes. How frustrating! There are quite a lot of things you can modify or forego while hiking on a long-distance trail, but shoes aren’t one of them.
I can really empathize with their shoe dilemma too. I know first-hand that some of us can’t just head into a store and buy the right type shoes off the shelf. Hiking in some ill-fitting shoes will only exacerbate our existing feet problems, and might even cause new ones! What a bummer!
Mile 600
My personal highlight of the day was passing the marker for mile 600. We’ve been making good time these past few days and I’ve got a good feeling that Virginia is going to be one of the states I really enjoy. A big part of me feels like I’m coming home. I lived in Virginia several times over the years, and Keith and I were even married in this state. So there’s a strange sense of deja vu as the terrain and foliage change to more familiar sights.
Many of my fondest memories of Virginia include hiking throughout the Shenandoah Valley. I can’t wait to get to some of these familiar stretches of trail as we move our way north. I’ve hiked close to 200 miles of the AT in central and northern Virginia over the years, and I wonder if it will look familiar when we get up there or completely new when it’s put in context of the entire AT.
DAY 35
June 6, 2019
- Route: Trent’s Grovery (mile 610.1) to Pearisburg, VA (mile 637.0)
- Daily Mileage: 26.9 miles
Last night we tented in a big field near Trent’s Grocery, another local convenience store/deli like Brushy Mountain. For a few bucks, the owners let hikers set up in a large 10 acre field on their property. This arrangement works for both parties, as the hikers get access to an outbuilding with a bathroom and the store gets an influx of patrons looking to resupply.
The downside of staying in the field behind Trent’s Grocery was the 1/2 mile walk to get back to the AT. While it wasn’t a long distance, we already had a long, long day ahead of us. Luna and I had our minds set on getting up early and pushing the 27 miles into Pearisburg today.
The weather forecast showed a major storm moving moving into Virginia this evening, and it’s supposed to drop 3+ inches of rain overnight. If there’s any way to avoid that squall by being in town, we’d like to try. So we were up and walking before 6:30 am. Trent’s Grocery wasn’t even open for us to grab a cup of joe yet. So, I guess it’s a good thing we stocked up on goodies for the day last night!
TAKING THE HARD WAY
The first 8 miles of the day was a gradual incline as we headed toward Dismal Creek. Although the elevation change was negligible, there were lots and lots of large rocks embedded in the trail, which made for slow and challenging hiking.
Once at the creek, I made sure to fill up all my water bottles to the brim. Yesterday’s long, dry stretch left an indelible impression on me. I didn’t want to risk running dry today, especially since the this afternoon looks rather fatiguing. The AT would made another tiring 2,000 foot climb over the next few miles to a ridge overlooking Wilburn Valley. Then, once it got up there, we wouldn’t find any natural water sources for a solid 10 miles. So, as much as I didn’t want to carry a bunch of heavy water up another steep incline, it would definitely be worth it.
While I was filtering water,I decided to look ahead at my map to see if there was anything interesting along this upcoming stretch. I could see the AT was heading due east from here before making a hairpin turn and doubling back on itself the rest of the way up the ridge. There was also a straight blue line on my map cutting all that back-and-forth nonsense out. If I just took the Ribble Trail, I could blue-blaze up a nice, easily-graded USFS service road all the way to the top AND my route today be shorter by about 4 miles!
Oh man. That blue shortcut was so incredibly tempting, especially on a day like today where I was trying to make super big miles and avoid an impending storm. Of course, I knew in my heart I would choose to take the more difficult, official route. Although hiking on either trail one would give me a continuous footpath from Georgia to Maine, only ONE of the paths would allow me to say I hiked the entire AT from end to end.
As I started up the trail, I had to ask myself why I keep insisting on being such a purist on this particular thru-hike. No other part of my AT experience is that rigid. I don’t feel the need to spend every moment on the trail. I don’t bathe in the rivers – I go to hostels or hotels instead. I don’t forage for my food – I resupply at grocery stores. So why can’t I take a simple blue-blaze?? Why can’t I hike smarter, not harder?
I reflected on this conundrum the entire grueling way up the mountain. Sadly, the best logic I could come up with was this: I came out here to hike the AT. It doesn’t matter to me how many times I need to get off trail to rest or resupply. It doesn’t matter what direction I hike it in. No matter how difficult the AT gets, I just want to hike EVERY, SINGLE bit of it. No substitutions will suffice.
PEARISBURG
The afternoon flew by once I made it up to the top of the ridge, and I was able to pull a good bit in front of Luna. I held off stopping for lunch until Doc Knob shelter at mile 627.7 because I’d read the shelter has a large deck built out front of it. That seemed like the ideal spot to hang my tent out to dry from the light overnight rain and early morning condensation.
I didn’t want to lounge around the shelter too long though because we’d arranged to meet Keith in Pearisburg. He and Finn were camping down at Claytor Lake for the week, which was only 25 miles away. If Luna and I pushed, we should be able to make into Pearisburg in time for dinner with them. And maybe I’d even stay the night in the RV again and sleep in my own bed. Last week’s stay at Grayson Highlands kind of spoiled me!
Luna showed up at the shelter about 35 minutes behind me just as I was getting ready to take off again, and we decided to hike the rest of the afternoon together. We only had 10 miles left until Pearisburg. If we pushed, we would be there by 5:30 pm.
A few miles before town, we came upon the Pearis Ledges, which were a series of cliffs just north of Pearis Mountain and overlooking the city of Pearisburg. Despite the clouds moving in from the northwest, there was still plenty sunshine, and we took turns taking photos of each other with the valley views behind us.
During our short rest break on the cliffs, we also stumbled upon a strangle little turtle hanging out on the rocks. It seemed life the oddest place for this little guy to be hanging out. There weren’t any water sources nearby, and there was a 2,000 foot sharp drop off. Why was he out here? We amused ourselves joking about the turtle’s secret desire to end it all right there. But, now we were standing around watching him, he was losing his nerve. In our most serious tones, we told him all the things he had to live for, and tried to talk him down. Then we picked him up and moved him 20 feet away to make it harder to edge his way toward his own demise.
RACING THE RAIN
From the Pearis Ledges we only had 3.5 miles to town, and it was all downhill. The first half of it was a moderately difficult descent that I was beginning to feel in my knees, but I knew I needed to pick up the pace. The dark clouds were quickly moving in and the wind was picking up. While we were enjoying the views and sunshine just an hour ago, now the storm was imminent.
Keith agreed to meet us at the trailhead by the Pearisburg cemetery when I called, and Luna and I were racing to get there before the sky opened and dumped all over us. That last mile before town the trail became even steeper and was slick. Rain from earlier in the day was coating the rocks we had to cross over, and I worried I’d slip and break my wrist if we moved too fast.
We didn’t pop out of the woods by the trailhead until 5:45 pm, a solid 15 minutes later than planned. Luckily, our ride was waiting and we just beat the heavy rain by minutes. Fat drops were hitting the windshield as we drove into town toward a Mexican restaurant to enjoy many calories as we could cram in our mouth.
A SUPRISE REUNION
Luna and I each did our best to clean up and change into our dry clothes. We didn’t offend the other restaurant patrons with our terrible stench. Although this is a trail town, and there were dozens of hikers milling around, we still felt the need to have a baseline level of decency and hygiene indoors.
As I sat down and was telling Keith and Finn all about the last few days on trail, guess who walked in and was seat at the booth across from us? It was Gazelle!!! I was sure she was days and days ahead of us by now. The last time we texted, she was nearly 50 miles further down trail. How in the world was I seeing her now?
We spent some catching up, and I learned she’d taken a shuttle back to a hostel in Pearisburg to avoid the bad weather. Everyone on trail was checking the forecast and seeing tornado warnings and massive storms that were supposed to roll through over the next 24 hours. I’m super glad she made it somewhere safe, even if it meant returning to a trail town behind her. And now we briefly could see her again!!
Week 5 Overview
- Lowest Mileage Day: 14.4 miles
- Highest Mileage Day: 25.6 miles
- Number of nights sleeping in my tent: 3
- Nights sleeping in a shelter: 1
- Nights sleeping in our RV: 3
- Number of days with rain: 4
- State High Points visited: 1 (Mt. Rogers, VA)
- Total miles hiked this week: 149.4 miles