Date: 2015-05-29
From: Harpers Creek Shelter

To: Paul C. Wolfe Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

The Priest is known as one of the toughest climbs on the entire AT. Three Ridges seemed worse. Granted I descended The Priest but it was a lot smoother and had more switchbacks. On Three Ridges the rocks made another appearance as well. No views to be had at the top but the ones in the saddle made up for it.I made my way down to Maupin Field Shelter by 11:00 and had a fun conversation with some weekenders. A little later a former thru hiker named Tortuga showed up and we talked for a while about the trail. After finishing my last huge climb of this stretch I was ready to goof off a little.The trail made its way back to the Blue Ridge Parkway where it looked like it was going to be a few miles of easy hiking. As soon as I crossed the road and headed into the woods I found where the rocks had gone. It was slower going than I wanted and lasted on and off for about seven miles. Well played, Virginia.There were actually a couple of really great places in that stretch though. The first was at Cedar Cliffs where I could see across a huge valley. Thunderstorms were developing at the time and I could see them moving across the land below. A very cool sight.The second was a rock outcropping that had a view straight across to Wintergreen Resort. I learned how to ski there almost 12 years ago. When I saw the trail layout across the valley I knew what it was immediately.Oh, and about two miles before I got there I ran into some water left as trail magic. I was all excited until I looked up to see a naked old guy standing there. I tried to go by casually but he started talking to me about the water. Now, I've spent many days in the YMCA and I know the older generation likes to run around naked for some reason. The thing here is that we were no more than 100 yards from the Parkway and directly on one of the most popular trails in the world. If a seven year old girl comes around he's probably going to jail. I'm not sure why he was naked though. I just told him I was good on water and ran up the hill. Eventually I started descending towards town and found another water source. As I was filling up I was greeted by a ridiculously close clap of thunder. I did my usual rain dance and covered everything up as quick as I could. As soon as I shouldered my pack the downpour arrived. It was a solid 30-45 minutes of rain. People ask me what I do when it rains. Well, I was 3.8 miles from the shelter so I started walking. It's really all you can do. By the time it stopped I was drenched. I got to the shelter around 7:00 and had the best intentions of drying my tent out from the storm we had overnight. Unfortunately the air is so damp that it was pointless. I walked over to the shelter, talked to All The Way and claimed a spot.Apparently there is a dog on the trail named Snoopy that is notorious for leaving his home in Buena Vista and following hikers. Well, Snoopy has picked All The Way for now. He's tried calling the owner but had no response. They'll part ways tomorrow in Waynesboro regardless since nobody is interested in carrying a wet dog in their car.So, only a few of us here tonight including 3D from Raleigh. We're all soaked and ready to be in town. 5.1 miles to go. The Wife has decided to come North one more time and has the Mother in Law with her. I'll meet them in the morning at the gap.That's it. Giant hills, rocks, naked guys, and a thunderstorm. It's been a full day.