Oh Shenandoah, I'm Bound Away
Over one hundred miles of the AT in Shenandoah National Park. It follows the Blue Ridge here and is in close proximity to the Skyline Drive for most of that. That's good news for me since it means there are lots of opportunities to meet Angelika along the way so I can basically slackpack my way through all of the Shenandoahs.
5/8 Beagle Gap to Loft Mountain Campground - 21.3 miles
Steve is heading home today, so he dropped me off at Beagle Gap on his way. We had a good week together, so we say our goodbyes and head in our respective directions. We'll connect again at the beginning of next month.
I have a long day planned today, the longest hiking day so far at 21.3 miles so I can go straight to the Loft Mountain Campground where Angelika is waiting for me.
The first point of interest is Little Calf Mountain which has a nice open pasture at the summit.
The wildflowers are still blooming along the trail. Today I notice that the Mountain Laurel blossoms are starting to open. We had these growing near our house in New Ipswich near the river.
There's also lots of Spiderwort growing along the side of the trails, all in bloom.
The highlight of the day is the summit of Blackrock Mountain. It's at just over 3000 feet with a large talus slope at the top. There's a nice view of the Shenandoah Valley from here.
From Blackrock Mountain I make my way to the Loft Mountain Campground where Angelika is waiting for me. She texted me the campsite she's at, but the place is so huge I'm not sure how to find it. I finally consulted Google Maps and tracked her down by her shared location.
There's barely enough time to cook dinner before the rain moves in. It's slow at first, but by the time we move everything inside the van it's picking up steam. We're expecting thunderstorms overnight and more rain tomorrow.
5/9 Loft Mountain Campground to Hightop Mountain Trailhead - 17.4 miles
After yesterday, 17 miles seemed short. I was able to leave right from the campground, so we could take our time with breakfast and getting ready. I was on the trail by 8:00.
It was a little cool, and the trail was socked in by clouds. I started out wearing my rain shell since the forecast called for rain most of the day.
Within the first mile on the trail I was confronted by a deer. The deer have no fear of humans here. It stood its ground on the trail for a good while and gave a rather disgusted snort when I persisted on coming its way. It begrudgingly let me pass.
Within a half hour or so the sun started to break through and I was starting to ascend so the rain shell came off and I was down to short sleeves. I wasn't expecting any views today, so snapped a picture along the way in case there wasn't another chance.
The trail here runs very close to Skyline Drive and crosses it periodically. Angelika and I made plans to meet up for lunch at Simmons Gap. Just before getting to the road crossing I crossed the 900 mile mark. It was great to have Angelika's company and the leftover cheeseburger I had for lunch was way better than the usual tortillas and jerky I normally carry in my pack.
Just as we wrapped up lunch, the clouds rolled in and it started to rain lightly. I put my rain shell back on and headed out. Within twenty minutes a small thunderstorm rolled in bringing some heavy rain with it. It lasted less than half an hour, but long enough to give everything a good soaking. I had remembered to put on my gaiters before I left this morning, so my boots stayed fairly dry.
The highlight of the day was Hightop Mountain. It was over three miles and 1000 feet of climbing to reach the summit. By the time I started climbing the rain was gone and the sun was starting to peek through again. The rain shell came off and stayed off the rest of the day. At the top there was another rock outcrop near the summit with views to the west.
Angelika was waiting for me at the trailhead parking lot. We had a quick snack and headed off to the campground at Big Meadows. It's the weekend so the campground is full with lots of other campers. Tomorrow I start where I left off and hike back to the campground.
5/10 Hightop Mountain Trailhead to Big Meadows Campground - 18.7 miles
When we got up this morning temperatures were in the 30's. Our van heater wouldn't start, so we had to bundle up and make breakfast in a chilly van. After breakfast, getting dressed, and sorting out our heat issues we drove over to the trailhead to start the day's walking. Even though it was cool, the sky was clear and it was good hiking weather.
It's the weekend, so when we got to the trailhead the parking lot was full. As a result, Angelika wasn't able to hike in with me as she planned. We made alternate plans for her to meet me on the trail at the end of the day instead. She did get to meet some German hikers in the parking lot while I was getting ready and was able to chat in German for a while.
Today I summited Saddleback Mountain, Bald Face Mountain, Bearfence Mountain, and Hazeltop Mountain. For the most part the trail was unremarkable. There were no real views or points of interest along the way. The only view I got today was about a mile before reaching the campground.
5/11 Big Meadows Campground to Thornton Gap - 17 miles
Angelika and I leave right from the campground this morning which is always a time saver. The trail starts out much more interesting than yesterday with views to the west from Franklin Cliffs.
Along the way we meet through hiker Preacher who is stopped along the trail to have his breakfast. He tells us he's been hiking since 4:30 this morning and is planning to go 30 miles today. That's much longer than I could hike enjoyably. He started the trail the same day that I did, so we chat about what's happened so far. He had norovirus in the Triple Crown area along with a lot of other hikers. He tells us he suffered a serious back injury when a tree fell on him requiring several operations and lots of pain management. He says God told him to start walking, which he did, and eventually he was able to stop taking pain medication. Now he's hiking the Appalachian Trail. We meet a lot of interesting characters on the trail each with their own story.
The Trillium blosums are starting to fade, but Bluets are blooming along the side of the trail now to take their place. I read in Virginia they're also known as Quaker Ladies.
Angelika turns back after about 3.5 miles when we reach the top of Hawksbill Mountain. I continue on past the Skyland Resort and the high point of the AT in Shenandoah National Park at Stoney Man Mountain (3837 feet). I'm seeing lots of day hikers on the trail today since it's Sunday and Mother's Day.
A highlight for the day is lunch at a rock outcrop on Little Stoney Man which has fantastic views to the west.
After lunch I pass through Pinnacles Picnic Area and go over Pinnacle Mountain. The next highlight for the day is reaching the summit of Mary's Rock. This peak has a stone summit with nearly 360 degree views. I text my daughter Mary back in New Mexico to let her know she has a mountain in Virginia and I'm standing on it.
From here it's 1.7 miles down to Thornton Gap where Angelika is waiting for me in the van. She's been shopping so we have pork chops and Caesar salad for dinner back at the campground and get to bed early. There's possibility of rain in the forecast tomorrow so we're hoping to get an early start and try to beat it.
5/12 Thornton Gap to Marshall Mountain Trailhead - 16.3 miles
Angelika and I got an early start and headed out from Thornton Gap together. The weather forecast says we could have rain in the afternoon, so I'm hoping I can beat the rain to the van.
The trail starts out climbing Pass Mountain on a gradually ascending trail. At the top of Pass Mountain, Angelika decides to turn back and I continue on for another six miles or so with nothing noteworthy to mention. Angelika meets me for an early lunch at the Elkwallow Picnic Area. It's nice to have Angelika's company for lunch. We refrain from wallowing.
From the picnic area the trail ascends Hogback Mountain which has some nice views and, as a point of interest, a hang glider launching site.
Today's hike wraps up climbing South Marshall Mountain and then meeting back up with Angelika at the Marshall Mountain Trailhead. I get to the van just as a light rain starts to fall. By the time we get back to the campground, the rain is on and off but still just light. The weather forecast says we'll get heavy rain tonight and tomorrow with flood warnings. We decide to take a zero day tomorrow and head into town.
5/13 Zero Day
The rain kept on all night and into the morning. We're expecting rain all day today, so we're calling a zero day to wait out the weather. We drive into town to do some shopping, go to the library to work on bookkeeping and bill paying, have a nice late lunch at a Peruvian restaurant, and then head back to the campground. It's been raining all day, sometimes heavy, so we are dressed in our rain shells and using umbrellas when we're outside doing errands.
Now is a good time to give an update on my hiking boots. Let's just say, these boots weren't made for walking. After having such good luck with the old pair of boots I started out in, I was looking forward to many miles with their new younger brothers. They are the same make and model, but purchased a few years later. After just a couple of weeks on the trail the soles started to detach from the boot and the orange sticky tabs on the soles fell off.
Let's just say this was a big disappointment. I switched over to the other new pair I brought along and went to work putting this pair back together with some Shoe Goo. I'll keep these for backup and hope that the other pair get me through the rest of the trip. I'll send pictures to Keen. Maybe they'll try to make good on it. I bought them over a year ago now even though I just started wearing them a couple of weeks ago. I'm not holding out much hope for customer service.
5/14 Marshall Mountain to Manassas Gap - 19.8 miles
After we got ready for bed last night, the skies opened up and it poured buckets for most of the night. When morning came the rain had stopped but outside the world was very wet. The weather forecast tells us rain should hold off until the afternoon, so we get as early a start as we can hoping to get done before it starts again.
On the drive back to the trailhead, we are in and out of clouds as we gain elevation. Sometimes we're in fog, sometimes we're in between the overcast clouds with a little sun peeking through and the fog down in the valleys. It makes for an interesting drive.
Once on the trail, the first order of business is to finish climbing Marshall Mountain. It's a short steep climb with a nice view near the summit.
On the way down, I discover that last night's rain has caused some flooding on the trail. I should have anticipated this, but the amount of water has given me a bit of a surprise. Much of the trail is literally a creek. Trying to avoid it means walking through wet grass and foliage, so which ever way I go I'm going to get wet. I just have to suck it up and plan on walking with wet feet most of the day.
There are several creek crossings along the way which are also swollen. At one point it looks like I'm going to have to wade in water over the top of my boots, until I spot a bridge about 50 yards upstream. It's on a private road, so the trail doesn't go there, but I'll take my chances rather than getting even wetter than I already am.
After Marshall Mountain is Compton Peak and then we reach the end of Shenandoah National Park.
After Chester Gap, the woods become distinctly more dense. There's a lot more undergrowth in the forest here than in the National Park. Maybe its the forest management or that the park land had been clear cut at some point long ago. I can't say for sure, but the forest is noticeably different here.
The rest of the day is uneventful. I stop for lunch next to a stream near the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute property. Shortly after that a Trail Angel has left a cooler on the trail with cold drinks and snacks. It's been a while since I've come across any Trail Magic, so this was a nice surprise.
Next up is a long but gradual climb up High Knob and then down into Manassas Gap to meet Angelika. It's been a long day and my feet are wet and aching, but it feels good to get a lot of miles in today.
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