Date: 2023-09-24
From: Rockfish Gap, Shenandoah NP, VA

To: Route 11, Troutville, vA
Miles today: 132.6

Google Photos Photo AlbumDay 102Rockfish Gap to Wintergreen OverlookAT miles 12.3Miles hiked 12.3Today I officially begin my flip. Robin, Tiffany, and Raina are coming to C-ville for lunch and to drive me to the trail. I was looking forward to seeing them. We had a nice lunch (except that the cook confused well done with raw on Robin and Tiffany's burgers.) followed by a visit to Dunkin'. They were almost out of donuts because the donut truck was in a wreck that morning.We got to Rockfish Gap and took some pics before I set off. It was a bit sad but I was also happy that I got to see them and also that I'm knocking the last part out.After hiking in Vermont. New Hampshire, and Maine the trail conditions here were quite a shock. There was an actual hiking trail. I could just walk. Fast. I went almost 4 miles in my first hour without even trying to hike fast. Amazing.About 10 miles into my hike it started to rain and the trail became rather rocky near Humpback Rocks. Now things were more like what I'd become accustomed to. It was almost dark when I go to the Wintergreen Overlook campsite.  Therecwas already another SOBO camped there named Charmer. I quickly set up my tent and got out of the rain, fixed a quick dinner, and crashed.Day 103Wintergreen Overlook to Priest ShelterAT miles 22.3Miles hiked 22.5It rained all night and into the morning. I wanted to get an early start but decided to try and wait out the rain.  By 8 I couldn't wait any longer and decided to get moving. I made breakfast then changed into my wet clothes, packed inside my tent (the worst part of hiking in the rain), then packed up the wet tent and got to hiking. The rain finally stopped at about 10.I passed two section hikers who said they hadn't seen many other hikers headed my way. I got to the Blue Ridge Parkway at lunch time and took advantage of the picnic table and trash can. Another section hiker stopped for lunch and we talked about our hikes while we ate.Back on the trail I tackled my old friend, Three Ridges, then crossed the Tye River and began the almost 5 mile hike up the Priest to the Priest shelter. No matter how many times I've climbed the Priest it always feels like it takes forever to summit.On the way up I heard this loud, buzzing/hum and before my brain could process the sound I was getting lit up by some angry yellow jackets. Ouch!It was nearly dark when I got to the shelter and much to my surprise there were already 3 hikers there. I looked at the tent sites and they were wet weed patches. Ugh. The other hikers graciously made space for me to join them in the shelter. They were Speedo, Croc Star, and Teva. Teva is on the way to completing her Triple Crown. (The hiking Triple Crown is the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail.)Now that I'm back down south the possibility of bear visits is very real so in the absence of a bear pole or bear box I had to go out in the rainy dark and hang my food bag. I broke two tree limbs before finally getting my food hung. Why is the forest service around here such cheapskates?One thing I hate about sleeping in shelters is the possibility of shelter mice. That night I had a vivid dream that the other three were chasing a mouse around the shelter when I think/dreamed? a mouse was running across my quilt. I gave my quilt a couple hard shakes just in case hoping to launch the offending rodent (if it existed) out of the shelter. Once again it rained all night.Day 104Priest Shelter to Brown Mountain Creek ShelterAT miles 22.4Miles hiked 22.8As I'm walking in the morning rain to retrieve my food bag the weather forecast says it is overcast and there is only a slight chance of precipitation today. "Hey weatherman! Stick your head out the door."Dressed in my still wet from yesterday clothes I head out on the trail. For the past several weeks rain was a dreaded event because it turned an already impossibly messy trail into something that can't be described in polite circles. As I was walking in the rain I couldn't help but marvel at the sensation of walking on fire earth without negotiating mud bogs, twisted tree roots, and fields or sheets of slick rocks. I was able to just walk. One time there was a patch of mud. I stepped on it just because and my shoe barely made an imprint. Wow!The climb up Cole Mountain was hard but the promise of impressive views pulled me up the hill. And the whiteout conditions were magnificent. I don't know when I've seen more picturesque views of fog shrouded meadows.A strange thing happened when I came to Highway 60.  The rain stopped. On one side of the road everything was wet and drippy. The other side? Mostly dry. I was hiking on the wrong side of the road all day. Far Out said the water source at the shelter may not be reliable so I carried 4 liters (that's 12 pounds) of water the last mile to the shelter. Then I set up my tent next to a nicely flowing stream.There were 3 other hikers at the shelter besides the crew of SOBOs I'd recently met. Two were a couple in their 70s finishing up their annual section hike. The third was a friend of the group I was with. A young guy from Richmond named Camelback. We ate dinner then called it a night.The sound of that stream in the background made for some good sleep.Day 105Brown Mountain Creek Shelter to James River Foot bridge.AT miles 20.2 Miles hiked 20.3Today was a resupply day so it meant my pack was light. Yay!The hiking was very easy today with no real hard climbs and a mostly well groomed trail. Maintainers from up north could learn from this.I stopped at the Punch Bowl shelter for a quick lunch then got back to it. Bluff Mountain was a hardly noticeable climb and I was rolling down the trail. There were several blowdowns and tree limbs on the trail so I was throwing limbs off the trail and clearing blowdowns the best I could. Still, with those diversions, I did 20 miles in 8 hours. Amazing.Magda from Stanimals in Glasgow picked us up to take us to the hostel. We went to Sottos for dinner then to the local grocery and Dollar General for resupply. Food down south seems much cheaper than up north.Back at the hostel we went through the ritual of repackaging all our food. I set up my tent then with the help of Robin went through the process of applying for my old job as track coach. A very frustrating experience using a phone and not having all my info at my fingertips.It was way past both our bedtimes when that was done but I couldn't have done it without her help.Day 106James River Foot Bridge to Thunder Hill ShelterAT miles 14.6Miles hiked 14.8I woke up to hot coffee at the hostel and packed up my now dry tent and most of my pack. I hung my quilt and liner on a clothesline to air out and dry some. Then it was breakfast time. Blueberry pancakes. All you can eat. I ate 9 along with some mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate milk.I washed my dishes then went out to finish packing. Our shuttle was scheduled for 10 and it was on time. We were dropped off at the James River Bridge, the longest foot bridge on the AT. An interesting bit of trivia: there is a plaque dedicating this bridge to a guy named, wait for it, Mr. Foot. I'm not making this up.The hike started innocently enough with a comfortable stroll along the James River. Then it began going up. And up. And up¢¦ By the time I got to the top I knew it was going to be a loooong day. But! On the upside it was a beautiful, sunny day with great views through the trees that made for a relaxing walk through the woods.I stopped at a small spring for lunch and was soon joined by Speedo who then went off to eat and take an afternoon nap.  I was soon on my way hoping to make Apple Orchard Mountain. But at 6 I was only at the Thunder Hill Shelter, tired, hungry, and getting cold. There was a section hiker here from NC named David. We had a great conversation while I set up my tent and started fixing dinner. About an hour later the others came rolling in one. They also, were surprised by the difficulty of the trail. After dinner I stowed my food and retired to my tent.Day 107Thunder Hill to VA 43AT miles 20.6Miles hiked 20.8Another beautiful sunny day of hiking. Not as much elevation gain as yesterday which the legs really appreciated.  We went through the guillotine. A rock formation that looks like, you guessed it, a guillotine.  People are so clever with their names of landmarks. A little past the guillotine was the climb up to Apple Orchard Mountain which had fantastic views of the mountains floating on a sea of clouds. Also on the peak is a radar thing for air traffic control that looks like a big soccer ball. Pretty soon there was an overlook with a nice view perfectly located for a mid-morning snack. It's really nice to be hiking somewhere where you can take breaks and still get in good mikes without having to night hike.After the break I was once again in trail maintainer mode clearing several blowdowns off the trail. The maintainers had recently done a lot of work in this area so there's no telling when they'll be back.I ate lunch with my recent SOBO friends at the Bryant Ridge Shelter. I took a nice break there enjoying the sunshine so was slow getting back on trail. About 30 min into my afternoon hike I met up with a trail maintainer and told her about my trail maintenance efforts and the locations of the blowdowns I couldn't remove. She was appreciative of my efforts and info and made note of it to pass on to the rest of her crew.Water sources are starting to dry up and it took me about 20 minutes to get a liter of water before the last 5 miles to camp.About 2 miles before camp was this massive pile of red bear poop. I certainly do not want to run into that bear. I was very alert the rest of the hike.I slowed down some so I could watch the sunset through the trees. Wish there had been a good view point because the sky had many pretty shades of reds and pinks.Once at camp I met a section hiker headed north to Harper's Ferry. We all ate dinner and were in our tents before 830.Evenings are starting to be cool to getting cold. Won't be long until there's a morning frost.Day 108Bear Wallow Gap to Troutville - VA Rte 11AT miles 20.4Miles hiked 20.6Today is a slack pack day for the whole crew. Camelback¢s parents are meeting them and my buddy Shigley is meeting me. They are hiking to a hostel in Daleville and Shigley is picking me up at Troutville.There was no breakfast at the tentsite when we broke camp since we were all out of water and needed to hike to the next water source first. The stream was a slow trickle which has me concerned about water availability as we move forward. Streams and springs have been dry to barely flowing in a lot of places recently.Shigley arrived after I filtered some water and waited while I ate a quick breakfast. He was going to hike about 6 miles with me, then run back to his car, meet me somewhere in the middle, then meet me at the end.The clouds were hanging low so there were no views but at least it wasn't raining. Just before the overlook where he was turning around the clouds broke and we were treated to some nice views.Off I went planning to eat lunch at the picnic table at the next overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. When i pop out of the woods i hear a chorus of "Hey Taps, over here." I look and there is the crew. When I get there Camelback introduces me to his parents who begin offering me food. They had prepared a feast of shrimp fettuccine, garlic knots, salad, and apple pie. This was so much better than the cheetos, chicken, and cookies I had planned to eat.After profusely thanking the Camelbacks for lunch it was back to hiking. By now the clouds had lifted to give us another beautiful day of hiking.Surprisingly, there were not many people out on the trail today for such a nice day. I passed a few section hikers headed to Harper's Ferry and a family camped at a shelter for the weekend. There was a flip flopper getting water in a stream where Shigley met me near the halfway point. This guy was either having a bad day or was just not very sociable as he didn¢t engage in any of the usual hiker small talk.  We figured out what time I would make it to Troutville. The legs were starting to feel the cumulative fatigue of nearly 130 miles this week. At the same time it felt good to be cruising these nice Virginia trails.I got to Troutville about 30 minutes faster than I planned. That means dinner will be 30 minutes sooner. Shigley was already there meeting me in a meadow with great views of the Roanoke Valley. We drove to his girlfriend's house, showered, and walked into town to get dinner. After dinner I went to bed and immediately passed out. Long day. Long week. The old bones were tired.