Date: 2016-05-02
From: Terrapin Station Hostel via Chester Gap

To: Dick's Dome Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

As usual, the crew was up earlier than I was, and after my night of game of thrones and talking to Ali, I was pretty unwilling to move. By move I did, and despite my best efforts to be slow I managed not to be the last person out of the hostel. Spidey and I left together at just about 8 and headed back up to the AT through the foggy, rainy morning. We turned on to the trail and began a long descent to the road into Front Royal. The sun came out soon, the sky cleared and it became hot and muggy. It was an incredibly welcome change from the cold rain and mist we've been dealing with for the last couple of days. Right before the road, the trail was made of dirt and became extremely muddy and slick, a theme for the day. Past the road, the trail skirted the fence around a zoological institute then climbed a very gradual hill before dropping to Denton Shelter, one of the most beautiful shelters I've seen. It can probably sleep ten, but has a huge front porch with Adirondack chairs, a separate gazebo, a horshoe pit and a solar shower. The crew showed up soon after me and we all ate lunch there. We then descended to the road where Blues had just gone to meet his sister and mother for lunch. They had left us a huge cooler of trail magic, and we ate cookies and drank cokes next to a lovely stream. The climb up to Manassas Gap shelter reminded me a lot of Connecticut, actually. I stopped in for some water before pushing on through forests covered in Trilium, a beautiful orchid-like pale pink flower. It is in full bloom and just covers the forest floor. Eventually I made it up and past to the side trail Dicks Dome shelter, which included a serious amount of rock hopping over a creek at the end. The shelter is a tiny geodesic dome for space for about four people. And who should I find but Sooner or Later! We sat on the stoop of the shelter (which has part of the creek running right under it. We called the campsite waterworld) and chatted for a while about what he's been up to the past few days. White rabbit came by. We went to explore along a little trail where the PATC is about halfway through building a new shelter, to be called Whiskey Hollow. It has a nice platform and all the rafters, but only about a third of the roof. Not a real shelter option, but Bolt is hammocking under the roof, and Large has his tent set up there on the platform. Spidey claimed the last spot in the shelter and we cooked dinner. Pendexter, Dill and Toast showed up and camped across the creek. Blues showed up after lunch with his family but decided that he was night hiking to the next shelter. As soon as he left, it began to rain pretty seriously. The river swelled and became muddy, and Toast, who had apparently set her tent up in a stream, ran into the shelter wearing very little clothing and asked if she could sleep in the small area at our feet. We said of course and she moved her things in and dried off. She is talkative and funny and fitting five was not really any trouble. Tomorrow I'll hit the Roller Coaster, the last challenge in Virginia, a 14 mile section of steep ups and downs all pushed together. We'll see. I'll pass the 1000 mile mark and end up probably at Bear's Den Hostel, or maybe the Blackburn AT Center. Should be fun.