Day 100, 21.9 miles
Mountain Home B&B and Cabbin/SOBO mile 1225.8 to tentsite in Shenandoah NP/SOBO mile 1247.7
Wow, perfect day! For so many reasons!
First, after two good nights’ sleep, a lot of nourishing food, and truly wonderful company, I feel like a million bucks.
Second – insoles! YES! I hiked today with zero pain. ZERO. I have not hiked with zero pain since….Day 2?
Third – Shenandoah National Park is a joy. The trail is usually smooth, the ascents are usually gentle, and there are “Waysides” or other types of food service places every 19 miles or so. Which means I can eat at one of them every day. I never need carry more than a day’s worth of food.
Said goodbye to everyone this morning after another delicious homemade breakfast by Lisa. I will return to Mountain Home B&B someday when I come back to the area for LifeQuest purposes. What a gem of a place.
Flew up the trail! I have not felt this good since I started the AT 100 days ago. No pain while hiking. Rested, nourished, and hydrated body. Insoles supporting my feet. Felt like I was on cloud nine.
Did just over 19 miles in seven hours, and most of that was uphill, about 3800 feet of gentle elevation gain. That’s fast for me on non-flat surfaces. Sat at the Elkwallow Wayside and ate a chicken burger, a blackberry milkshake, two Ginger Ales, chips, and chocolate milk. Then filled all my water bottles and hiked another 2.5 miles and 500 feet of elevation gain up the trail to a dispersed campsite.
Two deer came into my space while I was getting ready for bed. I spoke gently to them, and they walked around eating vegetation. I am in their home, and I thanked them for temporarily sharing this part of their land with me. One got really close. I never moved toward it, though I did reach for my water bottle at one point and it took a few steps away. It circled my tent, looking at it, then looking at me, then it walked away and continued chowing down on the surrounding plants. Gorgeous doe. In my video, I call it a boy, but I do think it’s a girl.
What a great day. I feel so lucky to be out here.
Day 101, 20.2 miles
Tentsite in Shenandoah NP/SOBO mile 1247.7 to Rock Spring Shelter area/SOBO mile 1267.9
Another lovely day in the Shenandoahs. The deer joined me for breakfast then wandered off just before I began hiking.
Lots of elevation gain again today with some lovely viewpoints throughout. Most interesting view was of a guy hiking naked. Met him only a few miles into my day. Young guy. He took off his hat, covered his bits, and stood to the side to let me pass. I told him I wish I could be as free as he is. He said that I could, and I reminded him that I would have more bits to cover when passing someone. He was a sweet and respectful guy. Good for him. I did not take a photo as that seemed like it would have been disrespectful.
Met the nicest NP employee while taking a break at a picnic area. This guy was clothed of course. He and I spoke for a while as I rehydrated myself.
Stopped by the Skyland Resort to eat some food, and I ran into Reason and Rainwater! It was good to see them again.
Am now at Rock Spring Hut campground, which has quite a few groups of people in various tenting areas.
Tomorrow it will be cooler, and I am happy about that. Today was in the low 80s. Buggy too, lots of gnats. Can’t really complain though, it was a good day.
Day 102, 21.3 miles
Rock Spring Shelter area/SOBO mile 1267.9 to dispersed camping spot/SOBO mile 1289.2
I used to get up at 5 and start hiking shortly after dawn, usually by 6:15. Now that the daylight hours are getting shorter, I am up at 6 (predawn) and hiking by 7:15, about half an hour after the sun has risen. I still usually get to the day’s campsite well before sunset (now 7:30pm).
Was up and out before anyone else in the shelter area. Made it to Big Meadows Lodge within two hours and had breakfast. Scrambled eggs, French toast, two servings of blackberry lemonade, milk, and coffee. The waitress knew I was a thruhiker and threw in some free bacon. I tipped her well. Bought some light resupply at the adjacent gift shop.
Flew along the trail after that. Once again, lots of ups and downs with nice viewpoints here and there. Warm again today (upper 70s.?) and buggy with lots of gnats. Still, the trail remains the smoothest I’ve had yet on the AT, and the ascents never feel difficult. I think I had 4000 feet of elevation gain today? I usually have between 2000 and 4500 a day.
Lots of day hikers since it’s a weekend. Everyone seemed in good spirits.
Stopped by Lewis’s Mountain Campground and bought a massive lunch for myself. Tuna sandwich, two Ginger Ales, chocolate milk, a large Milky Way, and a big ice cream cookie sandwich.
Flew along the trail again. Wish I could stop for real and massive meals twice a day every day. Sure makes a difference in how I feel.
Passed Route 33 and topped off my water at the Ranger Station before heading about a mile uphill to a dispersed campsite. Lots of blowdowns here, but I can’t see any widow makers above where I pitched my tent.
Found two pinholes close together on the roof of my tent! Wha..? Maybe my stakes put those holes there when I packed up this morning..? My stakes are always in their own bag when I pack my tent though. Don’t know what else could have caused it. Patched the holes inside and out with Tenacious Tape. Guess we’ll see how well that works next time it rains. These tents are supposed to last for at least one AT/PCT/CDT thruhike. I can’t have any leaks.
In spite of a storm-free forecast, I just heard thunder. Might find out if my patch job worked sooner rather than later.
Day 103, 24 miles
Dispersed camping spot/SOBO mile 1289.2 to Blackrock Hut tenting area/SOBO mile 1313.2
Boy did it rain last night! Saw heat lightning and heard distant thunder while I drifted off to sleep, then woke later to the sound of drops hitting my tent. I quickly secured my vestibule flaps, two of which I had left open for ventilation, then drifted back off to sleep.
Woke up at my usual get-up time of 6 only to hear it still raining. I delayed packing up until 6:45. Got going in the rain, my tent was soaking wet of course, but everything else stayed fairly dry.
The air was cooler and I was wet, so I hiked quickly to stay warm. Tons of ascents as usual, and for the first half of my day everything was misty or in the clouds.
Stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at Loft Mountain Camp Store and met Zepplin, a SOBO. Also met two LASHers. I will likely see them again off and on over the coming weeks.
The sun finally came out as I hiked my final 7.4 miles. Got some lovely views at lookouts, and saw the best view ever at Blackrock. Gorgeous!!
Made it to my intended goal of Blackrock Hut. I am proud of myself for the 24-mile day, especially since I got a late start. Set up my wet tent, dried out the inside with my microfiber towel, then let it stand a while so the breeze could air it out. When it was dry enough, I proceeded to get ready for bed as usual.
Looks like I will be the only one here tonight.
Tomorrow I should leave Shenandoah NP after hiking 20.5 miles. This has been a lovely section of the AT. Also, the insoles are working. No more foot pain.
Day 104, 20.7 miles
Blackrock Hut area/SOBO mile 1313.2 to Rockfish Gap/SOBO mile 1333.9
Leaving Shenandoah NP today!
In spite of a clear forecast, it rained some more last night. Oh well. I stayed dry within my tent.
The rain was over by morning, and I enjoyed a dry hike today. Another 4000 – 4500 feet of elevation gain, just like yesterday. Lots of little steep climbs that added up. Still though, the trail is so smooth most of the time that keeping a 2.5mph pace felt easy. I flew along. Really love this kind of trail and hope the south shows me more of it.
Didn’t have too many views today. Also, no more Waysides or camp stores for easy eating. I did enjoy more fall colors though. Also chatted with a few day hikers. One couple, whom I met close to Rockfish Gap, offered me a ride into Waynesboro. I happily accepted.
I very much enjoyed the Shenandoah NP section of my AT hike. Wondering what the rest of Virginia will bring.
Am now at Waynesboro’s Quality Inn. Felt good to take a shower and wash five full days of hiking stench off my body. That’s the longest I have gone on the AT without a shower. I sweat through my clothes each and every day, and I am sure I stank to high heaven when I arrived. Also felt good to get laundry done. Tomorrow I will dry out my tent and get resupply. Will also try to plan ahead for the next few days (more rain is coming).
I am proud of myself for doing consistent 20-25 daily miles through Shenandoah NP. Those insoles and the trail conditions and the near-daily access to lots of food helped make that possible.
