That's how far I think I walked today.
Thats right, we took an unexpected 0. We woke up to rain and wind. The forecast was dreary too. So there we are sitting there in our tent all warm and comfortable.. it was a relatively easy decision.
Our past zeros aren't really zeros. We have always had chores and walked around a ton. Today, I got out of the laying down position 3 times I think. I walked the 30ft to the trees, peed, and walked back. Hence, I estimate 180 ft for the day.
And we did over 18 miles too.
We finished the Rollercoaster, officially entered West Virginia, and had a gas station fried chicken dinner. It was not as gross as it sounds. Tomorrow we hit Harper's Ferry, the "spritual" or "mental" halfway point of the trail, whatever the hell that means. What it really means is Harper's is an expensive tourist trap with too expensive hotels amd no grocery store. So I guess you could say we aren't really all that excited about it. We'll see tomorrow.
We have hiked over a thousand miles. It's hard to describe what that means. Even after hiking it, it's such a crazy thing to be able to say and seems unreal.
It wasn't an easy day either. We started with some mild ups and downs but about halfway into the day we entered what is known as the Rollercoaster. I'll just explain it by taking a screenshot of the section. I really like this Guthook App, btw. The rollwrcoaster is about 14 miles long and we are only halfway through it. That little red dot is us, on top of a hill. I took a picture of this spot, it's a pretty great spot to celebrate this landmark.
Woohoo! On we go!
The Quality Inn offered a shuttle at 1030. We planned to sleep in and then have the free breakfast right before packing and showers etc., but instead we naturally just woke up by 7. I went and got us some coffee at the local hippie coffee joint, a gluten free bakery cafe.
$5 for a large Americano?! Oh well, we are on our vacation from the Shenandoah vacation, which itself was a vacation from real hiking, which is also a vacation of sorts, though a physically demanding one at that. Third level vacation action.
On the hike out I saw a most amazing event. A levitating piece of bark! We've met wizard, magician, and know of at least one Harry Potter on the trail, but this could not be their conjuring. No, I'm sure David Frickin' Blaine was on the trail, probably hanging out with that Copperfield character, just having a magician competition in the middle of nature. Like those old McDonald's commercials with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. This level of amazement must mean they were playing for keeps. This might have been the trick that blew the other one up. Poof, no more creepy Copperfield eyes.
Also of note was a really nice shelter and the epitome of a mushroom. A purple one at that.
We got to sleep in because we only had 7.7 miles to get into Front Royal where we planned to stay at a hotel. Mostly a downhill hike too. Easy peasy.
On the way down we made a major discovery! We discovered the fount from which our dear friend, Adam Carney, sprung forth to grace this world with his majestic reddness, Ginger Spring.
Took a bit to get a hitch in to town, but once again we got picked up by a guy who picks up hikers a lot as he drives around the countryside for his job. Gotta love these repeat offenders who know what to expect from us dirty hikers. They all say they get a kick out of the whole thru hiker concept.
We checked into the quality inn, which has a POOL! Lunch, swim, resupply, laundry, and a permethrin treatment for our tent. We keep getting tiny holes in our bug mesh that we know are not from things we might have done. We think maybe bugs trapped in the tent after we pack it are eating holes? That's our guess, and maybe the treatment will kill em before they do more damage. Maybe.
We also got some presents from mom! A selection of beef jerky and macadamia nuts. Yummy care package :) Thanks mama.
We got to eat another bacon breakfast at the last wayside grill in the Shenandoahs. This time in the form of a bacon egg and cheese muffin. Since this is the last full day of the park, we also decided to pack out some wine for the night.
After that, we basically just walked all day. Right at our planned destination the sky started to rumble and we set up camp quickly to avoid the rain. We made it in time and now are enjoying wine and books.
We only had a few miles till we reached the Skyland Resort. We planned on just getting coffee and chillin for a stretch, so we ate our chocolate chocolate chip muffins that provide us with 660 calories per muffin. So coffee alone should have been fine, that is until we saw they had an AYCE breakfast buffet, including said coffee plus some juice.
So much fruit and meat! I had 3 plates of bacon. Enough said.
We left breakfast late in order to take full advantage and the rest of the day we were floating on a calorie high.
Becca says that these last few days of hiking are like a vacation. We hit the flattest section yet on the way into Big Meadows wayside today. Just a long green flat tunnel.
At the wayside we gawked at the tourists and the people changing a very poopy 2 year olds butt on a picnic table and reflected that yes, it was a good idea to go inside to eat even though we had to leave our packs outside.
Speaking of eating, we had a lot. Fried chicken, salad, mac n cheese, biscuit, coffee, a few IPAs on the lawn and finished with drumsticks.
With a nice lunch done we hiked on and unfortunately found that the springs we were counting on had dried up. But we had enough water to camp where we were and just eat dried food. Our campsite was.prime too. On top of a small rockface above the trail with views of the sunset.
Well, we are starting to understand this "flat" virginia thing. We may go up and down a lot, but the path is so well kept it flies by.
With word of t storms headed our way we set our sites for the relative shelter of Lewis Mtn campground to check out camping.
We saw that despite Father's day weekend there were sites and on the search found Zissou and Pickles who had room for us at their site.
At the campground store we were met with surprising hospitality and given towels, soap, and even a bath mat for our use with the coin operated showers.
After washing up we somehow fit 2 microwave pepperoni calzones into each of our stomachs. Then proceeded to the campground to play rummy with Zissou, pickles, and 2 brothers from new York under their giant strung up blue tarp. Although we still hiked 14 miles, the ease of the campground, the hospitality, and the low key socializing created the feeling of a restful nero.
Well, as I said previously, we slept in. I think we needed it. The campsite was perfect and our previous low mile days afforded us no real rest. It also worked great with the timing of the first SNP campground store.
We hit the store at lunch and stayed for 2.5 hours having baked bean sandwiches with Wild Wolf Pale Ale and sodas. They aldo had a book section. I saw a real page turner and gave it to becca to pose with. She did not even read the title before posing just as i asked her. She trusts me too much i think.
The hiking here is the easiest terrain so far. Despite the late start, a long lunch, and a dinner stop at 5, we got 15.6 miles around 8pm.
And passed the 900 mile marker too!
People were arriving at the shelter past 9. And being loud. All in all, I think easily 20 to 30 people stayed there. The bubble won't pop. We heard word of the camping at the YMCA becoming a party and getting out of hand. Like people peeing themselves and the cops coming. Won't be surprised if this year's crop of parties gets that site closed.
We woke up at 530 to try and put some miles between us and this herd. Maybe it was just a coincidence that we all started today?
The morning sun was gorgeous and the hiking relatively easy. We stopped at a site in the woods which was perfect. The setting sun was filtered through the ridgeline thinned canopy and a constant breeze dried the sweat of the day.
Becca fell asleep around 530 and we didn't end up waking till 8am for day 80.
Ugh, another park with restricted camping. We only made it 8 miles to the first shelter because ain't no way we could do 20 after a night with friends and s late start. We did get an excellent breakfast from our wonderful hosts. Hopefully we can find stealth sites in the future so we don't have to do either 12s or 20s. What's so wrong with 15s that they couldn't space shelters the way we like? Stupid SNP.
But not in that order. We got into Waynesboro after a short hike. As we stepped over the guardrail onto the road we noticed an amazing little sign. It was filled with the phone numbers of trail angels willing to help hikers get in and out of town. Our first try was Roy. We have good luck with Roys, as with our austin landlord. Roy came and got us 10 minutes later in his hikerproofed car. Towels laid out on the seats and eindows down. He mentioned that nobody will be wanting to sit next to us st the theater. he took us to starbucks, way across town. The perfect place to await lunch and in walking range of the theater and a Wallyworld for resupply.
Lunch at Ruby Tuesdays across the parking lot to take advantage of the salad bar. Then a shortish hike to the theater for mad max. We actually saw 3 other hikers in the lobby. Popular movie day I guess. Mad max was fun. Thats all I will say. This is a hiking blog, afterall, not a movie reviews one.
Then, right as we exited, the sky opened up. Fortunately it was only for a few minutes and so we were able to stay dry and hitch into Wallyworld. Amazingly, right before checking out, we saw Howzit and Perc enter the store with Howzit ' s aunt and uncle Sean (sp?) And Kerri. As we described our plans to camp at the YMCA, we were asked if we wanted to stay at their rental cabin instead. Done deal. We piled into the SUV, along with Camel and CJ and went off to the house and then on to dinner and beers. Another fantastic night provided by newly minted Trail Angels. Thank you so much Sean and Kerri.
Oh man, we got to bed late, but we slept like rocks on that bed and having nice pillows was exquisite. Victor made us egg sandwiches for breakfast and we got a bag of cherries for the road. We were hoping to hike with our hosts today, but some foot trouble got in the way, and instead they just dropped us off at the trail. We are so thankful for these newly minted trail angels, and hope they have fun maybe repeating our experience for hikers to come.
Today, though easy terrain and little climbing, was again hot and our tired brains had one thing on the mind, camp. So here we are 14 miles later next to z cascading stream, updating the blog, eating shells n' cheese, and planning our day in Waynesboro. We are hoping to stink up the theater during the matinee of the new mad max film. We've heard good things, which frankly is surprising since the commercials for it make it look like just another CGI filled bastardization of a beloved franchise. Regardless, can you say "Free Popcorn and Soda Refills?"
The morning was yet another huge climb. We were somewhat bewildered when other hikers passed by without their packs. Turned out Milo slack packed for a bunch of people to the destination of the day, Devil's Backbone Brewery. We missed out and sweated nearly to death up the mountain. Oh well, we are now just even more Bad Ass compared to the slackpsckers. Or at least that's what we keep telling ourselves.
It was a hard morning that mellowed out nicely at the finish. Only 11 miles today. Then we thumbed it down to the brewery.
The Brewery was supposedly "hiker friendly", but we found it weird and not all that welcoming. It must have been designed by people from Bass Pro Shops, with stuffed animals covering nearly every inch of the walls. Gross. The food was delicious but expensive. And although they still offer camping for hikers on site, we decided to check out other places. That was Dinner #1.
Turns out this road we are on has several breweries, wineries, and a cider house too. Craft alcohol is all the rage in America, folks. Jump on board.
We got a hitch from a couple who went way out of their way to deliver us to Blue Mountain Brewing. This place was much more our style, with a band and 100% less dead animals on the wall. That makes it like 100x more classy right there. We got the sampler of their current 10 draft beers and a cheese and meat plate from local farms. Each offering tasted excellent, even if we didn't necessarily like the style. Surprisingly, I loved their shandy, which somehow still clocked in at 5% ABV, and was hopped with cascade hops. Perfect beer for this hot, sunny, muggy, dehydrated day. However, i ended up getting the draft cider because I think it went better with the cheeses. This I consider Dinner #2.
In the parking lot we easily got our third hitch to Wild Wolf brewing from Victor and Caroline. However, they offered to take us to their house for showers and free beers and a bed. WHAT?! Of course we took that offer.
Victor and Caroline just moved here from long island and had just signed papers for a 15 acre farm, the future sight of their farm to table restaurant. So congrats to them and best of luck while you work towards your dream. Amazing.
We drove near the top of a mountain to watch the sun set before heading back to their temporary apartment in the guest house of a nice place right off the trail. Back there, Becca and I showered and Victor made a giant sandwich out of a whole sourdough round. Each quarter was held together not with a toothpick, but with a chop stick! Dinner #3.
I should have taken pictures, but sadly I forgot. Finally, they put us up in their bed, because they tend to stay up way late. Amazingly generous people. If you read this, thank you so much you two!
This was our test day to see if we would try to adopt/buy the adorable Ollie Luckdragon. She's just a pup, so could she walk 15 miles? We're we ready to give up the freedom of being dogless? Would this neglectful douchebag hunter that obviously does not give a crap even let her go for a reasonable price?
Meanwhile I was on Jurek watch 2008 day three. When will he pass us? It could be any time now! How can I justify walking deep into the woods to poop knowing Scott might pass me mid doof?
Obviously a stressful day.
We ended up seeing Scott near the Priest Shelter. Becca had given me the idea that I should make sure to have "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor (you know the one, the song Rocky trains to) ready to play for him. So we ate lunch and soon saw him running up with the two running groupies thar had passed by southbound in order to meet Scott and run with him. I figured he would just run by with a smile, because... you know.. he has to run 50 miles today! Instead he stopped for a bit to talk to us and thank us for the tongue in cheek motivational music. He even stopped a bit down the trail when I noticed the photo I snapped of him sucked and I asked for another. He even asked a groupie to snap one of us. I was really surprised by his friendliness or at least willingness to stop for a bit on his massive quest.
Jurek watch 2008 complete, now I can doof whenever I please.
Next we hiked down the priest to where Ollie Luckdragons redneck backwoods worthless owner should be waiting. At least there was word of trail msgic. At this point Ollie,being a tiny adorable puppy, was tuckered out and we think her foot pads looked a bit raw. Ollie had no future as a 2015 trail dog. Poophead would get his hunting beagle back without a fight from us. But for the descent, I got some real sweet Ollie time because I had to carry her for nearly half the way down.
When we got down he was there, looking like that mutant from Goonies, Sloth. He put her in the bed of the truck and at least linked her to a cable so she wouldn't fly out. She needed to be layed out on the soft seats. Poor Ollie. We delivered her back into a life of probable neglect :(
But at least there was indeed trail magic. A former thru hiker named Milo served us up some homemade pulled pork sammiches and sodas and beer. Then his pal Kent came with more beer and watermelon salad. This brightened up our night. We camped by the river and watched fireflies on the suspension bridge before heading to bed.
So a big day.
For those not in the know, Scott Jurek is running the AT. He's doing about 50 miles a day. Day 16, he has almost caught us on day 72. I am hopefully going to get a picture of him flying by. This is Day 2 of Jurek Watch 2008 because there were rumours he might be by yesterday. Today I checked his face book and I think he'll be by early tomorrow. Here's to day 3! And it's Jurek watch 2008 because that sounds best in the announcer voice in my head.
In other news, we have adopted a puppy for the next day. A run away was following people up and down a mountain and nobody really wanted to be the next evil dirty hicker. We volunteered though and we ate planning to meet its owner at the end of our hike tomorrow. She is adorable and we would totally adopt her if dude didn't want her as a hunting dog. Poor thing is going to be neglected on some hicks farm for all her life.
The morning was another huge climb and at the top was a beautiful bald with wild strawberries. On the horizon was a scary lookin thunderstorm though so after a short picking session we had to run for cover. On the way down is where we met the pup. At the bottom of "The Priest" we meet Mr Quentin Davis and give her back. So sad.
I don't care what the calendar says, it's summer. It's so muggy we start sweating as soon as we start walking around camp, at least at the lower elevations.
Our morning was about 4000 ft of elevation gain, and our afternoon was losing it. But with other ups and downs on each side of course. On the way down we passed the 800 mile marker! Yeeeyeeeee!
We also saw what we think is a young pilliated (sp?) Woodpecker. We haven't seen an adult, but they are supposedly huge. So either this was a broken adult that couldn't fly and they aren't that big afterall, or it was a fledgling not quite ready to fly and they are indeed huge. This guy was the size of a small chicken.
I'm tired. We are at a beautiful campsite by a brook. Time for dinner.
We got to sleep a little late and in order to try to get ahead of this bubble we woke up early too. I don't think it was quite time.to get rid of my sleeping bag and forgo a blanket as well. My core is plenty warm in my jacket but my legs are a bit cold. Soon that should be over and I will be sleeping just fine temp wise.
The air is so thivk with humidity that the morning light in the forest seemed to last throughout the day. The entire day the tree filtered sun looked rosy orange. It was actually quite beautiful, but impossible to catch with our cameras.
Most all of the morning was down, and a nice not steep down all the way to the river. To cross the river we went over the longest foot bridge on the AT. Hilariously(?) It is also The Foot Bridge, as it's named after a Mr Foot.
Then we hitched into Glasgow from some really nice sweetheart guys who moved stuff around to stuff us in the truck. Unfortunately he is the kind of manic drug recovering born again who has.to constantly praise Jesus to remind himself not to buy meth. He was a terrifying driver, but we made it. Obviously himself poor, he assumed we were unintentionally homeless and offered us $20.Like I said, a big sweetheart. BuT we had to decline and politely explain that we saved for this trip and also tell him exactly what is the AT.
We ate lunch at a Pizza joint where they I sister hikers eat in the back room. We ate, and decided to immediately resupply and get back to the trail to avoid the bubble of hikers sraying at the free campsite at the town park. The hitch back wasn't as easy, but we made it and were welcomed to the lot by a dude with beer.
The filtered morning light has continued throughout the day and the hike back into the woods was just as gorgeous.
