Weekly Overview
Day 50
June 21, 2019
- Route: Blackrock Hut (Mile 884.4) to Hightop Hut (Mile 905.8)
- Daily Mileage: 21.4 miles
Today is a another milestone day. Not only would I pass mile 900 (woohoo!) but it’s also my 50th day on the trail. That’s a lot to celebrate, and I had the perfect idea of how I’d do it. I’d toast my success with one of Shenandoah’s legendary blackberry milkshakes.
In addition to black bears, hikers tend to associate with Shenandoah National Park with blackberry milkshakes. That’s because at various points along Skyline Drive, there are these waysides where tourist can stop during their visit to explore the park on foot. Each wayside has a small cafe and souvenir shop. And in the summertime, the wayside cafes boast blackberry ice cream cones and milkshakes.
Blackberry is one of my all-time favorite flavors (blame it on my youth spent in Oregon’s Umpqua River valley, where blackberries grow wild virtually everywhere). I appreciate pretty much any dessert made with blackberries. Blackberry cobbler. Blackberry ice cream. Blackberry lemon crumble. Blackberry shortcake. I love them all!!
So, one of my goals today was to stop for lunch at the southernmost wayside in Shenandoah (i.e., Loft Mountain Wayside) around ten miles into my day. While there, I could celebrate my 50th day on trail with a frosty blackberry milkshake.
LOFT MOUNTAIN
I left the Blackrock Hut by myself around 8am and let Luna and Fancy Feast know about my celebratory plans. Neither one of them seemed too interested in making the trip down to the wayside, since it required an extra 1.2-mile detour roundtrip down the Frazier Discovery Trail to get there. They said they’d rather just grab a quick snack at the Loft Mountain Camp Store immediately off one of the park’s overnight campgrounds instead. Oh well, it’s their loss.
I enjoyed hiking all morning by myself and keep my eyes open for black bears. When I’d done my 100-mile challenge through here in 2015, I didn’t see any bears this far south. But, you never know.
I made it to the Frazier Discovery Trail right around noon, and with every step I was thinking about that blackberry milkshake. I could almost taste it! Unfortunately, when I got to the cafe and tried to order one, the cashier told me their milkshake machine was broken. They couldn’t make any more shakes until it was repaired. But, they did have blackberry ice cream if I wanted a scoop of that instead.
I guess there was no point in crying over my loss. I could always get a milkshake at one of the other waysides. And so, I ordered a double scoop of blackberry ice cream (which was awesome) and can of craft beer from Basic City Brewing Co (down in Waynesboro) as well. A double IPA with my lunch was darn good celebration in my book!
BEAR MEMORIES
After a long, relaxing lunch, I was ready to return to the AT and knock out the rest of the day’s miles. Luna, Fancy Feast, and I were all planning to end out day at Hightop Hut, so I had another 11.4 miles to make before sundown. Heading back up the Frazier Discovery Trail was a bit of a pain (it was uphill the entire way back to the AT), but before long I was back on the main trail again.
There were several smaller climbs during the afternoon, and after I passed the Ivy Creek Overlook, I started reminiscing about the first time I saw a bear in Shenandoah. It was right near this overlook back in 2015. I’d just passed the overlook when I saw two trail runners heading toward me. I politely stepped off the edge of the trail to allow them to get by and began craving a bit of sugar. So, as I stood there, I grabbed a lollypop out of my pack and started to unwrap it.
After the runners passed, I returned to the trail, but I was really struggling to get the dang cellophane wrapper off the stupid lollypop. Eventually, I had to just stop walking and focus 100% on what I was doing. After about 15 seconds, I finally freed the lollypop and started walking up the trail absent-mindedly. And that’s when I looked up…and saw the bear!
A fairly large adult bear was standing right in the middle of the trail just looking at me. I skidded to a stop and we stood there – completely still -for what felt like an eternity. I stared at the bear. It stared at me. Neither of us moved an inch, and I felt stupefied! Then the bear quickly turned and ran as fast as its fat legs would carry it, and it went crashing down the side of the hill. The beast was acting more like a scared cat than a ferocious bear! And so, I stopped being scared of black bears from that moment on.
BABY BEARS
As I passed that same spot near Ivy Creek Overlook, I couldn’t help remembering that initial bear encounter and I kept my eyes peeled for a repeat performance. And that’s exactly when my first bear sighting in the park happened! Off to the right of side of the trail I saw a mama bear and two cubs!!!
They were walking close to the same exact spot where I’d had my bear encounter four years earlier. And although my fear of black bears had dissipated after that experience, I also knew this was a different ball game entirely. It wasn’t a single bear scampering off in the woods. This was a mama with cubs. So, no matter how harmless I might think these scavengers might be in normal circumstances, you don’t EVER mess with a mama and its young.
I stood back to give the trio a wide berth as they walked away from me and then pulled my camera out to capture the moment. And that’s exactly when Fancy Feast and Luna came up behind me. I pointed out the bears, and we watched the two cubs frolic carelessly. One of the cubs even got on the trail and started walking right down the middle of it! Then the other cub spotted us and scampered up a tree. Luckily, the mama bear seemed more focused on whatever she was eating than a bunch of hikers, and we make out way past them without incident.
HIKE NAKED DAY
This all made for a pretty memorable bear encounter, and the three of us were giddy with excitement afterwards. We spend the rest of the afternoon hiking together, and that’s when Luna suddenly remembered that today was June 21. That meant it was the summer solstice. It’s also when many hikers celebrate by the longest day of the year by going out and hiking naked.
Despite it being a busy weekend in a national park and, there were plenty of AT thru-hikers around us who were planning to take part in Hiked Naked Day. I have no issue with random nakedness, but I also don’t cave to peer pressure. Having my entire body ravaged by mosquitos while I pranced naked through the woods just didn’t sound like much fun to me.
Nonetheless, Luna was eager to partake in Hike Naked Day. So, we worked together to limit his risk of running into a Boy Scout troop or being ticketed by the park rangers for obscenity. He did his part by agreeing to just hike in the buff for a few miles this afternoon while Fancy Feast and I ran interference. The two of us would hike just ahead of him so we could quickly warn him to get off trail if any groups of innocent children were headed our way.
After about an hour, Luna had to admit that there was probably a reason that people wear clothes while hiking. Letting *everything* hang out isn’t the most comfortable backcountry experience. And hiking in the buff only increases your chances of chafing, bug bites in awkward spots, and lots of sunburned parts that might hurt later.
Before he returned to his normal hiking apparel though, we needed a photo so he could remember his Hike Naked Day experience on the AT. We attempted to make it a bit more “artistic” than lewd, which is how Luna came to use one of the stone monuments to creatively shield parts of himself.
MILE 900
Right after Luna was dressed again, we crossed Skyline Drive near Simmons Gap. And with that, we make it to the 900-mile mark!! Someone made a rather elaborate 900 out of rocks and stick beside the trail, which I had to appreciate. I can’t believe I’ve walked nearly 1,000 miles. That is crazy!
We didn’t make it to our nightly destination (Hightop Hut) until nearly 7 pm. I’m sure this long day was due to my extended lunch at the Loft Mountain Wayside and our bear gazing, but I was beat. It was a welcome relief to set up my tent and finally plop down to relax at the end of the day.
Day 51
June 22, 2019
- Route: Hightop Hut (Mile 905.8) to Rock Spring Hut (Mile 929.7)
- Daily Mileage: 23.9 miles
I woke up early this morning to a good bit of rain. I’d picked a fairly flat tent site last night, but the ground was super rocky. As a result, I couldn’t stake down my tent as good as I would have liked. When the rainstorm came through around 3 am, my tent started flapping in the wind and woke me up repeatedly. Then the end of my tent near my head started wetting out. It was not the best tent pitch I’d ever done, so I wasn’t surprised.
Luna was equally unsuccessful with selecting a good spot for his tarp, and found himself getting pretty wet in the storm. Consequently, he decided to just pack up and leave before most of us were even moving. It didn’t take too long for me to catch him though. That’s because someone had set up a massive trail magic spread just 3 miles down the road near the Hightop parking area.
The trail magic was courtesy of a father-son duo who lived in Northern Virginia. The son (Wiki) hiked the AT last year, and while he was on trail, his dad had come out to this exact spot to surprise him with some a home-cooked breakfast and goodies. Wiki’s dad had such a good time doing trail magic that the two of them returned this year to do it even bigger and better.
They didn’t disappoint either. It was cold out, but there was plenty of coffee and breakfast pastries. Wiki was busy cooking up a big pot chili to serve up later, and his dad was setting up a temporary shelter to block out the remaining rain and wind. Luna was already seated in one of the camp chairs and I was only too eager to join him for a hot cup of coffee!
RIDING LAWN MOWER
The rest of the morning was brisk, but it was also interesting. I saw three more bears before lunch and none of them were aggressive. I didn’t spend much time taking photos today. I just wasn’t much in the mood. I’d seen all of these sights before, and I don’t think it even dawned on me to record it all again.
The only thing that forced me to pull my camera out was a odd grave marking I passed in the afternoon. Beside the trail, there was a headstone for Donnie Boyles. What caught my attention wasn’t his relatively young age when he died (he was only 63) or the plethora of artificial orange and white flowers around his grave. No, what really grabbed me were the specific images engraved on the headstone.
Mr. Boyles (or his family) had chosen a headstone with a photo of him in the center, and two engraved images. On the left side was a a pickup truck, and on the right was what appeared to be a riding lawnmower lower. Seriously? A riding lawnmower? Why in the world would you deliberately etch that image on a headstone? Was he the head groundskeeper for a MLB team responsible for maintaining their pristine outfield? Or was he just an guy who really, REALLY loved cutting the grass. Some things really make me wonder.
FOUR-STATE CHALLENGE
Fancy Feast and I also spent part of the day discussing her upcoming plans for the Four-State Challenge. This is one of those AT contests the more ambitious hikers like to play, where they see if they can touch four states in a single day of hiking.
The AT runs through very small slivers of West Virginia and Maryland, and both states are relatively flat compared to the rest of the AT. Thus, anyone willing (and able) to hike a 44-mile day can begin their morning just south of Harper’s Ferry and hike in from Virginia, through the 4 miles through West Virginia, continue across Maryland’s 40 miles, and end their day just across the Pennsylvania border. At the end of the challenge they can say they’ve hiked in four states in a single day.
Fancy Feast is still in her 20s and thinks the Four-State Challenge is right up her alley. I’m not nearly as keen to consider this endeavor though. I’d probably end up seriously hurting myself trying to push a 40-mile day. My knees give me grief on the downhills already, and I know my plantar fasciitis will only get worse if I attempt something that foolish. And so, as much as I am enjoying hiking with Fancy Feast, that is just a bit too far for me. I can’t risk breaking myself at the half-way mark just to prove my hiking prowess.
Luna, on the other hand, seems to be up to trying the Four-State Challenge with Fancy Feast. He’s put in some crazy long mileage days back when he hiked the Continental Divide Trail, and seems willing to relive his glory days a bit. I don’t have the heart to remind him that he was in his early 30s during his CDT hike, and perhaps circumstances have changed in his current decade of life. That decision is 100% up to him.
STRIKE TWO
Toward the end of the afternoon, I made it to my down to the Big Meadows Wayside to try again to get a blackberry milkshake. Unfortunately, when I arrived, there was a bunch of chain-link fencing around the building. The wayside was being updated and under major construction. There was still a small camp store open next to it, but it just sold basic drinks, snacks, and some souvenirs. Their cafe that served the blackberry milkshakes was closed for the rest of the season!
Seriously?!? I was having no luck in my quest for a blackberry milkshake. And while this wasn’t the only reason I was excited about hiking though Shenandoah, it was one of the experiences I really wanted to include as part of my thru-hike. It was akin visiting Devil’s Backbone brewery or stuffing myself full at Ming’s Buffet last week. It was just one of those frontcountry perks I wanted to include in my AT experience.
Oh well! Tomorrow is another day. There was still one more wayside along the AT before I leave Shenandoah. And so I headed up to Rock Spring Hut for the evening with a little less pep in my step. When I eventually arrived, Fancy Feast and Luna were already there, along with an AT ridgerunner and her boyfriend.
The five of us at dinner together as the sun started to set and more chilly weather moved in. I was surprised at how cool the evenings were up here in the mountains. We were only at 3,400 feet elevation, but it was really getting chilly. Luna still didn’t have pants, and he’d resorted to wrapping his sleeping bag around him while he ate dinner just to stay warm.
Day 52
June 23, 2019
- Route: Rock Spring Hut (Mile 929.7) to Elk Wallow Picnic Area (Mile 952.4)
- Daily Mileage: 22.7 miles
It got really cold overnight and I didn’t sleep well at all. Luna, Fancy Feast, and I all decided to sleep in the hut, but that didn’t keep us warm. I was moving at 6:15 to make some coffee to combat the brisk morning. I think it’s time to consider buying a quilt for the rest of the hike. My poncho liner just isn’t doing the job, and I don’t want to go back carrying my massive 15-degree bag.
That’s when I decided to head up to the Skyland Resort this morning for a real cup of coffee) and scour the internet for quilt. Skyland Resort is a restaurant and hotel in the park, and much fancier than the various waysides. The building is a giant timber frame lodge done up in a Arts & Crafts style. Their restaurant is a sit-down affair, which was much too fancy for this smelly hiker. But there’s also a coffee stand inside the lobby that’s more similar to a Starbucks, with lattes, sandwiches, and pastries. Steaming hot coffee sounded just too good to pass up this cold morning, and it was only 5 miles up the trail.
MEMORIES OF THORTON GAP
When I arrived at the resort, the place was pretty crowded with tourists. I ordered the largest coffee I could buy, and found my way over to an empty outlet away from the crowds and read up on hiking quilts while I waited for Fancy Feast and Luna to catch up.
After 90 minutes of surfing the internet, I’d settled on ordering a 30-degree “Revalation” quilt from Enlighted Equipment. This was the same quilt that Midnight and Trashcan had ordered too. At just 20 ounces (1.25 points), it was much lighter than my sleeping bag, and I even decided to order it in a bright yellow fabric just to make sure my quilt was distinguishable from everyone else’s.
With that task complete, I was now focused on a new goal. I needed to get to the Elkwallow Wayside for my third (and final) chance at a Shenandoah blackberry milkshake. But, before I got there I knew there was going to be some challenging terrain. On my way to Skyland Resort this morning I’d crossed a giant scree field, and it reminded me that the I’d have to do the long descent to Thorton Gap this afternoon.
Thorton Gap was still deeply etched in my memory from the last time I was here. By the third day of my 100-mile challenge, my feet were incredibly swollen from my overambitious hiking schedule. The balls of my feet were so tender that it hurt to walk. When I encountered the trail down to Thorton Gap at the very end of that day, I remember it being strewn with angular, softball-sized rocks jutting up out of the ground at weird angles. Every time I stepped on one, I wanted to cry out in pain.
I was curious to see if this stretch of trail was really as bad as my memory held. Or, did my injured feet caused me to mentally exaggerate the obstacles? My feet and body were in such better condition now. So perhaps it would seem less like this morning’s rugged scree field and more like the AT I’ve become used to.
SO MANY PEOPLE!
My 11:30 am, it was definitely time to get back at it. Elkwallow Wayside was still another, 18 miles ahead of me and the Shenandoah website says the wayside stores close at 6 pm. I probably need to try to get there before 5:45 if I want to get a blackberry milkshake! I’m going to have to push to make it happen!!
I set off faster than normal pace, but soon came upon hordes of day hikers and tourists that I had to slow down for as they crowded the trail. The gaggles of people in the park shouldn’t have surprised me though. It was the middle of June (peak tourist season). And it was a weekend. Plus, I was heading toward some of the more scenic day hiking spots in Shenandoah, like Stony Many, The Pinnacle, and Mary’s Rock.
Nonetheless, I found the busloads of people who seemed to be filing onto the trail at every trailhead to be rather annoying. They all wanted to stroll at a leisurely pace, but I was on a mission to get to Elkwallow before it closed. I didn’t want to be rude, but this was turning into a pretty frustrating experience.
RUN, RUN, FAST AS YOU CAN
I stopped for a quick 5-minute break to use the privy and make myself a wrap for lunch when Luna suddenly appeared. He was literally jogging down the trail! He was bound and determined to make it with me to Elkwallow too.
I fell in right behind Luna and we were off. We’d briskly jog down the trail until we got to the next gaggle of slow-moving day hikers with their cargo shorts, safari hats, and water bottles. Then we’d politely ask to pass, before taking off down the trail and leaving them in the dust. We did this mile after mile, and it seemed like we might actually make it. All we needed to do was get down the hill to Thorton Gap and then the crowds would dissipate.
When we got to Mary’s Rock, Luna was able to get pretty far ahead of me because I got stuck behind a throng of ladies that appeared to be in their 70’s and 80’s. I was impressed they were out here on the trail, and didn’t want to rush startle them or cause anyone to lose their balance and fall. I had to ask to pass several times before one of them finally figured out what was going on. Eventually they yielded the way, and I was off like a racehorse. I needed to catch Luna.
As I made my way down toward Thorton Gap, a man stopped me on one of the switchbacks. He looked startled and asked if there were bears around there. He’d seen Luna come running by a minute or so earlier, and then I showed. He was wondering why two hikers with full packs would be briskly jogging down the trail. Was there a bear chasing us? I briefly explained that we weren’t running away from anything, we were running toward our chance to get a blackberry shake this evening.
That seemed to amuse him quite a bit. Soon he was asking me where in the world I planned to get a blackberry shake out here in the middle of the woods. I explained that park sells them at the waysides, and we were headed to Elkwallow Wayside about 9 more miles up the trail to try to get one. He nodded and said he might see me there. Apparently, I’d convinced him to drive down to the wayside for his own shake when he was done.
ANOTHER SISU?
I finally caught up with Luna on the descent and was glad it was a rocky as I’d remembered. When we got to where the AT crossed Skyline Drive near Thorton Gap, I checked my watch. Our running stint was totally worth it. We’d covered a lot of ground quickly, and now we just needed to keep a 2.6 MPH pace and we’d have no problem getting to Elkwallow before they closed.
Luna decided he needed to take a break and catch his breath, so I pressed on ahead of him. There were several small climbs this afternoon, but at least there were no more tourists crowding the trail.
Around 4:30 pm, I saw a AT ridgerunner heading my way and stopped to talk to her for a bit. She asked if I was a thru-hiker, and I nodded turning around so she could see my AT thru-hiker tag and Shenandoah backcountry permit fastened to the back of my pack. She introduced herself as Peg Leg, and when I told it my own trail name, a big smile suddenly broke out across her face.
She said actually knew other hiker named Sisu – and it was her boss! His actually name is Jim Fetig, and he’s the ridgerunner coordinator for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and a trail maintainer on a section of the AT that runs through Shenandoah National Park. Like me, he’s a retired military veteran, and thru-hiked the AT back in 2014. Wow! What a wild coincidence. Apparently I’m not the only hiker out here familiar with the Finnish concept of Sisu.
ELKWALLOW
Peg Leg and I chatted a bit more about why she’d decided to become a ridgerunner, and then I told her I needed to let her go because I wanted to hurry up and get to Elkwallow before they closed. That’s when she told me I had plenty of time. They were on summer hours now , and wayside was open until 7pm (not 6 pm as posted on the website). Well, that was a pleasant surprise!
I eventually bid her goodbye and made my way the final miles to the Elkwallow Wayside. When I got there, several people were ahead of me in line ordering dinner. When it finally got to be my turn at the register, I asked for a blackberry milkshake. That’s when the cashier shook his head and said they were all sold out!
What?!?!?
I raced all the way here for a milkshake. Neither of the other two waysides had them, and THIS wayside was my last chance. My face must have registered my incredible disappointment because he felt the need to explain. They had the blackberry syrup for the shakes, but they didn’t have any more vanilla ice cream cups for the machine. It had been a warm weekend and they’d run out before lunch and wouldn’t get their next delivery until tomorrow morning.
I guess I was out of luck. As I pouted over my bad luck, I ordered a black bean burger and a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. At least I could drown my broken heart in warm, gooey cheese. When my dinner order was ready, I asked the cashier if they at least had blackberry ice cream. He shook his head again and said they were sold out of ice cream too. Ah man! 🙁
Luna showed up about a half hour later as I was outside eating at one of the picnic tables. That’s when I noticed he was limping. Apparently, all our running down the trail today tweaked something in his back and he was now in really bad pain. I offered him some motrin, but he said turned me down. He been carrying some prescription pain pills from home (this type of back pain was something he’d dealt with before) and he just needed to rest now.
Then just minutes before 6pm, Fancy Feast came running out of the wood toward us. She’d been racing to get here before the wayside closed for the day. Like me, she thought they were only until 6 pm – and was happy to see she made it in time to order something. That’s when I had to break the bad news though. The wayside was all out of milkshakes.
Fancy Feast and I went inside to buy some cold drinks, and that when I was able to weasel some promising news out of the store manager. Although they were out of the vanilla ice cream for milkshakes, their next delivery was coming tomorrow morning around 8 am. If we were there for breakfast tomorrow, we *might* be able to get one then.
Hot damn! There was still a chance. Unfortunately, there’s no camping at the Elkwallow wayside and the next shelter was 5.7 miles down the trail. It was time to be creative and find somewhere nearby to stealth camp.
Day 53
June 24, 2019
- Route: Elk Wallow Picnic Area (Mile 952.4) to Front Royal, VA (Mile 971.5)
- Daily Mileage: 19.1 miles
Last night we may have broken some rules. Instead of returning to the AT and finding a stealth spot off the trail, I walked over to the Elkwallow picnic area about .3 miles from the wayside. It looked like a wide-open, grass day-use area with lots of picnic tables and fire rings, and even a bathroom with flush toilets. I didn’t see any “no camping’ signs posted anywhere, so Luna, Fancy Feast, and I decided to set up camp there for the night.
Luna was still has a lot of pain this morning, and his back was constantly cramping and seizing up on him. Meanwhile, Fancy Feast had her own back issues. In her effort to arrive at the wayside before it closed last night, she’d run that last few miles of trail. In the process, her pack was swinging back and forth and rubbed a large section of her back completely raw. So now, the two of them were in a world of pain together.
SUCCESS??
I wandered back to the Elkwallow Wayside around 8 am while Luna and Fancy Feast tried to rest their bodies a little more. It was still an hour before the placed opened, but there were already two other hikers sitting out on the benches waiting And, much to my delight, I could see a large delivery truck out front unloading the day’s food deliveries. Hopefully, that meant good news for me.
When the wayside eventually opened for business at 9 am, they still hadn’t gotten their delivery of the vanilla milkshake cups. But, they had gotten their delivery of blackberry ice cream. Somewhat disappointed in this news, I ordered myself an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, while Fancy Feast ordered herself a blackberry ice cream cone for breakfast.
But then, a minutes later something amazing happened. The manager called me up to the window to give me my sandwich, and announced that their second delivery just arrived. They finally had milkshake ingredients!!! Fancy Feast changed her order to a shake and I ordered one as well, and less than 10 minutes later we had them in hand.
I have to be honest here. It wasn’t a great milkshake. I’d built it up in my head these past few days to be something awesome. I’d envisioned a thick, creamy ice milkshake made with frozen blackberries. That is NOT what these Shenandoah milkshakes are. Not. Even. Close.
In reality, the wayside just takes vanilla flavored F’Real frozen shake cups (the kind you might see at a 7-11 convenience store), adds some blackberry syrup to it, and puts it in their blender machine. I can’t believe THIS crappy concoction is what I’ve been obsessing over these past few days. The blackberry ice cream cone I had at the Loft Wayside was significantly better than this. At least that had been actual ice cream. This was just a mediocre frozen dairy smoothie that I could have gotten at any local gas station.
SHENANDOAH COMPLETE
After my roller-coaster of disappointment this morning, I decided to just keep my head down for the rest of the day. Today was my final day in Shenandoah and I wanted to I spend the day hiking by completely myself.
Although I got a later start, the morning started out nice and clear, and I got several nice views of Skyline Drive from one of the Hogback Overlook as I headed toward the north entrance of the park. I felt like I was hiking super slow, probably because my stomach was still so full from breakfast at the wayside. My normal breakfast (oatmeal and coffee) tends to be a lot lighter than an egg and cheese sandwich and crappy blackberry shake.
In the early afternoon the rain rolled in and poured down hard for several hours. I passed Fancy Feast as she attempted to take shelter under the ledge of a large boulder while she made some instant mashed potatoes for lunch (yuck!). No matter how hard she tried though, staying dry was impossible. We were both soaked through, and the rain would keep up for several hours.
Toward the end of the day, the AT diverted onto some flat, easy forest service roads near Compton Gap. I knew exactly where I was from the many times I’d hiked this section of trail before. I felt some weird nostalgia as I passed through that final stretch toward the town of Front Royal. Back in 2015, I’d felt so accomplished when I got here. I was finishing 100 consecutive miles of hiking, which was the further I’d ever hiked at that time. But this time around, I couldn’t muster the same level of excitement. After all, I still had months of hiking left to go on the AT.
FRONT ROYAL
As I approached the Front Royal trailhead at Highway 522, there were several long boardwalks to cross, and multiple ice chests sitting on the wooden plank. Each plastic cooler had phone number from a local shuttle service offering rides into town. I guess that’s a pretty good way to advertise your business out here.
I emerged at the trailhead to find another group of hikers trying to hitch a ride to town. It was rush hour, and while there was a lot of traffic on the road, but no one seemed inclined to stop for us. Eventually, one of the guys called the number for one of the shuttle drivers who said he’d be there in 10 minutes. I hoped to cram in with them too, but when the driver arrived, it was a smaller car that could barely fit 4 people with packs.
As I returned to the ice chests to get the number to call for another shuttle, Fancy Feast caught up to me. We decided to split the fare and head to a hotel. Neither of us had heard from Luna, so I texted him an update of our whereabouts. In the meantime, I was ready for a nice warm shower to wash the last 5 days of stinky, grime off me!
Day 54
June 25, 2019
- Route: Front Royal, VA (Mile 971.5) to Jim & Molly Denton Shelter (Mile 976.7)
- Daily Mileage: 5.2 miles
Fancy Feast and I decided to split the cost of a hotel room in Front Royal last night. After showering up and dumping out all our gear in the room, we decided to head to dinner at the Thai restaurant next door. Just as our food arrived, guess who else walked in? Luna was here He’d got my text about where were staying tonight, and got a hitch to meet back up with us.
It had been a really hard day for him. His back was still acting up and he was finding it very difficult to hike more than 1-2 MPH. He made it to Jenkins Gap and saw a woman with some kids at the trailhead there. He’d weaseled a ride from her to the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center near north entrance of Shenandoah, then was able to catch a second ride from an older couple headed back through Front Royal. Unfortunately, that meant he was still close to 9 trail miles behind us.
Luna spent the evening sleeping on the hard floor of our hotel room hoping that would help his back spasms, but was still in a lot of pain when he woke up this morning. I was up early as normal, so the two of us decided to head out and grab some breakfast while Fancy Feast slept in. Before we left, I arranged for a late check-out at the hotel, so we figured we had plenty of time to lounge around town and make even get some errands done.
FRONT ROYAL
Front Royal is a super hiker-friendly town, and Front Royal Brewing and some of the local businesses worked together to create a ‘Basecamp’ full of amenities for AT thru-hikers. They have lockers to secure our packs in while we’re in town, as well as a place to take showers and even do our laundry. And its all free! The only thing hikers have to do to get access to The Basecamp is patronize the participating businesses on in the historic downtown area. Too easy!
After getting pastries and coffee and one of the local bakeries and purchasing a few items from the outfitter, Luna and I hit up the Basecamp to do our laundry and work out a plan for the day. We talked about taking a potential zero in town so Luna’s back could rest some more, but neither of us really wanted to pay for a second night in our crummy hotel.
Eventually, we formulated a plan that didn’t involve another costly hotel stay. Luna would catch a ride back to Shenandoah so he could get back on trail where he’d left it yesterday. He planned to hike his remaining 9 miles to up to where Fancy Feast and I got off trail last night. Then he’d add another plus 5 miles to get to the first shelter just beyond Front Royal. This would allow him to have an easier day (14 miles), while I took a near-o in town and just hiked the 5.2 miles to meet him at the shelter.
BACK ON THE TRAIL
While Luna waited for his ride to pick him up, I went of in search of somewhere to get my hair cut. There was a barber shop down by the grocery store, so off I went. Fancy Feast was already there getting her hair cut too, and I let her know our plans in case she wanted to stop at the same shelter as us tonight too.
I was able to catch the Front Royal trolley back out to the trail, instead of hitching a ride of calling a shuttle, and was back on trail by 3:20 pm. I only had 5.2 miles to get to the Jim & Molly Denton Shelter today, so I took it super easy and just enjoyed the scenery.
When I arrived, I was really surprised at how nice the shelter was. There was a deck built on the front of it, and even a few Adirondack chairs. This was the life. I took my time setting up my tent, and was just getting ready to start dinner when I heard Fancy Feast roll in. There was still plenty of daylight, so she was on the fence about whether to say here with me and wait for Luna, or to push a little further up the trail to the next shelter.
Initially, she and Luna planned to do the 4-State Challenge together when we all made it up to Harper’s Ferry. So it made sense for us all to stick together until we got to the Virginia-West Virginia border. However, now she was doing the math and wondering whether Luna was going to be up to that incredibly physical feat. If his back hurts this bad doing 15-20 miles per day, how in the world is he ever going to do a 40+ mile day??
In the end, Fancy Feast decided to hike on. The next shelter was only another five miles up the trail. If Luna’s back got better, he’d catch up to her. I was sad to see her go but wished her good luck nonetheless. A few hours later, I was laying in my tent writing in my journal, when all of a sudden I heard someone cry out, “Nooooooo.” When I peeked outside my rainfly, I saw that it was Fancy Feast! What the heck? What was she doing back here? And why was she so upset?
It turns out, Fancy Feast just spent the past two hours hiking in a giant circle. She swore she never got off trail, but clearly she took a wrong turn somewhere, because she’d looped right back to the Jim & Molly Denton shelter. And now, it was actually starting to get dark. So, Fancy Feast resignedly dropped her pack, and set up her tent to the night beside me. I guess she’d be staying here tonight after all.
Day 55
June 26, 2019
- Route: Jim & Molly Denton Shelter (Mile 976.7) to Sam Moore Shelter (Mile 1002)
- Daily Mileage: 25.3 miles
When I got up in the morning and went to the privy, I could see Luna’s tarp pitched just behind the shelter. I figured he must have made it in after I’d gone to sleep last night. While I didn’t hear him move into camp, all the hikers who slept in the shelter knew exactly when he arrived. He’d bumped up against a tall ladder hanging on the back of the shelter while he was setting up his tarp and knocked it down. Even though it was only 11pm, this ruckus woke everyone in the shelter up, and some of them thought it was a bear lurking nearby. Well, that probably wasn’t the first time someone mistook Luna for a bear – especially given his full beard.
As we ate breakfast, Luna filled me in on the prior day’s debacles. He’s had an even worse experience than Fancy Feast. None of the shuttle drivers he called yesterday was willing to take him from Front Royal back out to Shenandoah National Park. Finally, he convinced a taxi driver to take him to the park’s north entrance, but it was at a pretty exorbitant price.
When the taxi driver got near the North Entrance, he dropped Luna off on the shoulder of the road because he didn’t want to have to pay to drive into the park. Luna was fine with this. He just planned to walk into the park on foot and head to the visitor center to try to hitch a ride the remaining miles back down to Jenkins Gap.
NONSENSE
Unfortunately, as Luna approached the visitor center, a park ranger stopped him and said that he needed to pay the $15 National Park visitor fee to enter the park. That’s when Luna said he was an AT thru-hiker, and showed the ranger backcountry permit that we all filled out back at Rockfish Gap. The ranger explained the permit wasn’t good for entry, it was only good just backcountry camping in the park.
That didn’t make sense. So, Luna then tried to clarify the rules with the ranger. He went through the following litany:
- There was no fee for AT thru-hikers who entered the park from the South Entrance, hiked 100 miles through the entire length of the park, and then exited it (i.e., just like Fancy Feast and I did). The ranger agreed.
- Nor was there was any fee if AT thru-hikers entered from the Front Royal trailhead, hiked 100 miles through the entire length park, and exited it (just like all the SOBO hikers would do later this year). The ranger agreed to that too.
- Plus, there was no prescribed time limit governing how long hikers could be in the park while thru-hiking Shenandoah. They could take 5 days or 55 days. It didn’t matter. The ranger nodded again.
- And they could both agree that Luna wasn’t some random day hiker or recreational visitor. He was an AT thru-hiker, as evidenced by his backcountry permit that he filled out six days ago and still had attached to his pack. Yep.
So, why did he now need pay $15 to re-enter the park to complete the remaining 9 miles of trail?
The ranger’s shrugged and said that was the rule. Everyone entering through the North Entrance had to pay the visitor fee of $15 per person or $30 per vehicle. No exceptions. Luna thought this was completely arbitrary and completely at odds with their AT thru-hiker policy, and told him as much. But, the ranger wasn’t swayed at all.
So then, Luna announced he wasn’t going to pay and would just go into the woods and hike around the ranger station where the ranger couldn’t see him. The guy called after him, telling Luna that now he’d have to “call it in” as trespassing. Luna said he didn’t care, and left to bushwhack up and around the ranger station to avoid the absurdity of paying $15 for what he’d already gotten for free just a few days earlier.
I’m not sure how many extra miles he had to add to his day with that stunt, but that’s 100% Luna’s style. He’s not going to cave to any rule that he feels is irrational and inconsistent with the existing NPS policies.
NOVA
After having a good chuckle at Luna’s story, Fancy Feast and I decided it was time to get hiking. Fancy was still uncertain how she could have possibly gotten turned around on the trail last night. And so now she wanted to hike with me this morning – just to avoid it from happening again. We made it to the next shelter about two hours later without incident, and I still can’t figure out where she went wrong.
The first miles of the day were moderately easy, and the terrain was nice and familiar once again. I was traversing Sky Meadows State Park where I’d hiked so many times back when I lived in Northern Virginia. In fact, this is one of my favorite places to hike during October when the leaves are changing. I had my eyes peeled too, since the biggest snake I’ve ever seen in my life was spotted during one of those day hikes in Sky Meadows! Luckily, no snakes this time though!
This part of Northern Virginia is also steeped in Civil War history, with many historic battles taking place nearby. Back during the war, there was only 150 miles between the Union’s capital (in Washington DC) and the Confederacy’s own capital (in Richmond, VA) . So the middle ground between the them was pretty fertile for battles, including the Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Front Royal, and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. And now there are historical signs along the AT to remind of the what occurred here.
ROLLER COASTER (Part I)
The afternoon was an emotional (and physical) roller coaster for me. Just before I got to Ashby Gap, I tripped and fell, scraping up both of my kneecaps. It was so stupid. I caught my shoe on a root and just pitched forward. And, since my pack is still pretty heavy from my resupply in Front Royal, I went down hard. After that painful and embarrassing stumble, I ended up hiking the majority of the day alone. And, then my finally spirits lifted when I found some unexpected trail magic near one of the trailheads.
At mile 996, I finally encountered the infamous “roller coaster,” a 14-mile stretch of steep climbs and descents, without any notable views. Even though the afternoon was hot, I decided to push a bigger day today and try to see if I could get through at least some of the roller coaster. I figured I could tackle some of the hills today, and the rest tomorrow morning, it would divvy up the pain a little bit.
At the end of the third hill and descent on the roller coaster, I finally passed mile 1000. Holy crap. I just hiked 1000 consecutive miles!!! If that’s not something to be proud of, I don’t know what is!!
But, the day wasn’t over yet. I still planned to make it to Sam Moore Shelter this evening, so I had three more peaks to get up and over. I didn’t make it to the shelter until after 7:30 pm this evening and I was beat. Today was a 25-mile day, and the end of it was hard with a capital H. This heat and humidity is insane. I think I’m going to need to get going early tomorrow if I want to make it over the remaining 8 peaks on the roller coaster before it’s too hot to move.
Fancy Feast rolled up to the same shelter as me about 25 minutes later, just as I was setting up my tent beside a nearby stream. I’d get to hear the burbling water lulling me to sleep and wouldn’t have to walk too far to tank up in the morning.
Day 56
June 27, 2019
- Route: Sam Moore Shelter (Mile 1002) to Harper’s Ferry, WV (1024.8)
- Daily Mileage: 22.8 miles
Although Fancy Feast caught up with me at camp last night, Luna wasn’t as lucky. He texted me this morning that his back was still bothering him, so he only made it as far as the prior shelter. That puts him 6.5 miles further back, just before the beginning of the roller coaster.
He’s supposed to meet up with his friend Freefall this evening in Harper’s Ferry, but that would mean hiking a 29-mile day. Even if his back was feeling 100%, I don’t think that’s a realistic goal. The roller coaster is much more difficult that I expected, and he’s got to make it through the entire thing today.
ROLLER COASTER (Part II)
I was up around 6 am, and packed up and on the trail just before 7 am. It never really cooled off below 75 degrees last night, and I want to try to finish these hills before the day got even more unbearable.
The remaining 8 hills were just as difficult as I expected in the heat and humidity. I stopped for water at Raven Rocks Hollow around 10:30 am and I had that horrible heat casualty feeling coming on again. My lips were numb, my heat was racing, and I felt too dizzy to walk. I took advantage of the brook at Raven Rocks Hollow to pour about half a liter of cold water over my head so I could cool down. Then I sat down and took a 45-minute rest break to make sure I was stable enough to walk again.
When I finally made it to the north end of the roller coaster, the trail turned pretty rocky, and there weren’t any shelters or water sources to rest and recover at. I’d have to wait until I got to the Bear’s Den.
The Bear’s Den (aka Blackburn Trail Center) is a cabin owned by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club with a full-time caretaker who lives on site to greet hikers. Even more important, they also had a good stock of sports drinks, sodas, and snacks for sale and plenty of shady places to rest. As I guzzled down a bottle of cold Gatorade, all I couldn’t help but think how this day was going to be a brutally hot one.
SO HOT & THIRSTY
After the Bear’s Den, I got some nice views from some rocky outcroppings, but then the trail returned to the forest for much of the rest of the day. When I got to David Lesser Memorial Shelter around 3 pm, I was completely out of water and was simply parched from the heat.
Unfortunately, the shelter’s water source was more than a 1/4 mile down a steep hill. I dropped my pack inside the shelter, and was just getting ready to head down, when two young hikers came up the trail. They had bad news.The seasonal water source wasn’t flowing. Dang it! That was NOT what I wanted to hear.
With that news, there weren’t any more choices. I had to keep on walking. I’d been hiking up along the West Virginia border all day long, and it was so dang thirsty. Guthook showed there was supposed to be a convenience store down near Key’s Gap, but I’d have to walk an extra 0.7 miles (round-trip) on a busy road to get there. The extra miles no longer even mattered to me. I really needed something to drink more than anything.
LIGHTENING
After my resupply detour, the rest of the hike into Harper’s Ferry should have been easy. The terrain profile showed me climbing up to a ridgeline, then descending down from Loundoun Heights to the Potomac River. As I was climbing up to the ridgeline, I could see major storm rolling in. Getting wet from the rain didn’t really bother me. After all, I was already drenched in sweaty clothes. But, there was also plenty of insane lightening streaks tearing through the sky, and they appeared to be closing in on my location.
After about 20 minutes of pretty heavy rain, the storm seemed to be directly over me. Then I saw lightning strike a tree about 400 meters up the trail. Holy crap! That made me freak out! Even though I wasn’t at a particularly high elevation here on the Virginia/West Virginia border, this seemed really dangerous.
There wasn’t really anywhere to descend to get off the ridge an avoid the storm, so I just did my best to minimize the risks. I avoided standing under any lone trees, and I stepped off the trail altogether (which was now a river of water). But there wasn’t much else I could do to protect myself other than closing up my umbrella, putting my trekking poles down, and taking shelter under some smaller trees/bushes.
I stood there for the next 15 minutes, just riding out the storm and hoping it would pass as quickly as it moved in. As I waited, the loud claps of thunder literally made my ears ring and the lightening repeatedly turned the black sky bright. This was definitely one of the scariest moments I’ve ever had on the trail. Luckily, the worst of the storm was short-lived, and it eventually moved off allowing me to resume my hike in safety.
HARPER’S FERRY
The remainder of the hike into Harper’s Ferry wasn’t too difficult. The sun eventually came back out, but everything on the ground was slick with water. When I got to rock cliffs and cascading waterfalls near Loundoun Heights, I had to really watch my step as the trail steeply descended. I definitely didn’t want to fall again.
And then, before I knew it, I was on sidewalk of the extremely long auto bridge crossing the Shenandoah River. After walking close to 500 miles in the state of Virginia, I was now officially out of it. And now I was making my way into my fifth state on the AT. Welcome to wild, wonderful West Virginia!
It was after 6 pm, by the time I got into town, so I’d need to wait until tomorrow to go to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) Headquarters. Harper’s Ferry isn’t the true halfway spot on the trail in terms of mileage, but it is considered the spiritual or mental half-way point. This is where thru-hikers get their official AT photo taken so it can be added to the ATC photo archives.
The ATC Headquarters is also when I can find out how many hikers are still ahead of me. When I got my thru-hiker tag back at the Amicalola Falls visitor center, I was the 2,467th person to come through and register for a 2019 NOBO thru-hike. However, I know just a small fraction of hikers actually tend to make it the entire way each year. Now, I’m awfully curious to see what my ranking is when I show up tomorrow morning.
Week 8 Overview
- Lowest Mileage Day: 5.2 miles
- Highest Mileage Day: 25.3 miles
- Number of nights sleeping in my tent or AT shelter: 5
- Nights spent at a hotel or hostel: 2
- Number of days with rain: 3
- Number of bears seen in Shenandoah: 6
- Number of unsuccessful attempts to get a dang blackberry shake: 3
- Times I seriously worried about being struck by lightening: 1
- Total miles hiked this week: 140.4. miles