Date: 2014-05-09
From: N. of Taylor Mtn. Overlook

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 118.9

Buffalo is finally back! I'm chilling in Waynesboro for probably most of the day. The last 130 miles have been great! I had to spend a few days hiking off the weight I gained with all that greasy town food (so great!). The AT crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway a bunch and the first night I cowboy camped just a few yards from it on accident (it was dark out). on the 4th, I got some trail magic from Hard Tack and Jen and their dog, and met a bunch of hikers whose names I had only seen in registers. On the 5th, I met a german couple, Robert and Svenya, when they had stopped to warn us about the rattle snake in the trail! I grabbed my stickpic, which allows me to attach my camera to the end of my trekking pole, and got an up close video, then hooked the snake on my other trekking pole and moved it off the trail. (See photo for May 5th.) It rattled a bit at me, but no strike. They are the laziest animal ever! That night, I hiked in the dark through the fog to Punch Bowl shelter, but it was so foggy, I didn't see the shelter, just a few yards from my tarp, until the next morning! Shy Bear and Redwood came in even later than I did!On the 6th, I put in some good miles in the morning, then relaxed by the Brown Mtn Creek shelter for a couple hours. Spring has come to the valleys at least, and the AT is turning into the long green tunnel, which is better than the long cold dead tunnel that it was early season! It is also getting pretty warm. The climb that afternoon had me pouring sweat. I met Shy Bear, Moose, West, and Gentle Spirit on the climb, and then Boomer and Smudge (the guys my folks met right before I got to the highway) at the large grassy field that is Hog Camp Gap. We tossed around Moose's frisbee, then all cooked around the fire.The 7th started out cool, and I got in 28 miles by dark, stopping at the camp of a group of UVA students who just finished finals and escaped to the woods for a night to rejuvenate. they were very interested in thru hiking, and shared some of the wonderful town treats they had packed out, like organic apples! Moose rolled in after dark, planning to do a 49 mile day to get to Waybesboro by morning (he's crazy in a great way!) and Shy Bear soon followed. I sat around the fire with Moose until he left at midnight, then caught some zz's. I had hoped to make it to the Post Office before it closed on the 8th, but after 15 hot miles, sitting in the shade by Mill Creek for a couple hours was a better plan. Eventually Shy Bear, Gentle Spirit, and I made it out to Rockfish Gap, but we couldn't figure out where to hitch from, so we settled with buying food at Kings Kettle Corn, a food stand at the highway interchange. We finally found a wide spot in the road and got a ride in seconds! After that giant bag of cinnamon kettle corn, I was not hungry for dinner, but the guys I hitched with and a girl named Violet were going to Ming Garden Buffet, so I had to join them. I ate almost 3 plates! We probably should have taken showers first, since that place was a lot fancier that it looked from the outside. AMAZING food, and a whole lot of it!So here I am, noon on the 9th, and I am just now getting hungry again. Waynesboro is wonderful for hikers! There is free camping, and a pavilion with a solar charging station by the river, and the YMCA offers free showers! Not sure how long I'll be here, but I still need to resupply, so...I'm getting hungry, so I'm gonna sign off, but I will say that I am about to enter the Shenandoah National Park, and I've heard there's a lot of wildlife up there, so that should be cool. I am loving this trail! Nothing like the PCT, but an epic journey in its own right.