Date: 2003-06-12
From: Rockfish Gap, VA - Big Meadows

To: Rockfish Gap, Va - Big Meadows, VA
Miles today: 61.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Rockfish Gap - Big Meadows 61.8 miles (908.2 total miles)Shenandoah National Park is great. The weather has been perfect, which I appreciate after all the rain. The views are beautiful, and the terrain is easy. There are deer everywhere, but there are lots of ticks too. The camp stores and restaurants give lots of rewards and incentives for hiking. And best of all, the trail magic is everywhere!We left Waynesboro in the fog on day 69. We got dropped off at the trailhead, which looked completely different than when we got picked up. In fact, we could barely see the trail. We filled out our Shenandoah Park passes, and headed up the misty trail. Coming out of town always leaves clumps of hikers, but we had a fun group.The trail was gradual for an out-of-town climb, and we made good time. We hiked past some radio towers, power lines, and other buzzing structures. We came to a strange field with some tractor seats set around a small podium. It was very foggy, so we all sat on the seats, as Sundance did his dance around the podium. Sure enough, within an hour we saw sunshine.We hiked down into a gap and found some sodas and cupcakes. The cupcakes spelled happy birthday to someone, but we couldn't tell who. They were very tasty. We got into the shelter doing only 7 miles on the day. We cooked hot dogs over the camp fire. It was a relaxing evening.I slept late on day 70. We have to be in Front Royal on Sunday, so that gives us some short days, and I can sleep later. There were some harsh thunderstorms all night, but when I got up the sun was shining through the trees. I left first, and walked about 3 miles to the first crossing of Skyline Drive. What a beautiful day! The sun was out, but it wasn't too hot. The mountain laurel was everywhere. And the sky was a deep blue. I waited for my friends. We did a slow 13 miles to the shelter. The trail was nice and clean, and never too steep. We stopped many times to enjoy the day. The shelter was crowded, so I decided to set up my tent (Sundance promised no rain). We had 32 hikers trying to cram in or around the shelter. What a perfect day on the AT.Day 71 was another sunny one. We stopped at about a mile for a nice boulder field for some climbing and some views. We continued on for a few miles to a Skyline Drive crossing and some trail magic. It was Radar! I hadn't seen him since NOC, and since he was off the trail, he was doing trail magic. It was fun to see him, again.We stopped at a camp store for food and a shower. We even did our laundry. It was just a 13 mile day, so we took our time. We did a couple more miles to the grill for burgers and shakes. It was just 4 more miles to a long night at the shelter.I was out first at 6:45 on day 72. The hiking was still relatively easy, but getting harder. It was a hot day, over 80 degrees. I hit the first shelter (8 miles) before 10:00. My feet hurt. I stopped and talked to some section hikers for about an hour and a half. We were doing 20 miles, which seemed tougher after so many short days, so I knew I had to move on.We stopped at about 2:30 at a picnic area. I was dragging when we left, and headed out alone. I was trudging through when I heard a rattling to my right. I looked down and saw a rattlesnake right next to me! I spun around and ran backwards, losing my balance. I stumbled about 5 steps away from the snake, landing facefirst into a pile of rocks and shrubs, with my stuff flying everywhere. I got up quickly, gathered my stuff, and let my nerves settle. I watched the snake slither across the trail. It must have been 5 feet long, and very fat around. My friends caught up, and we made a careful pass by after the snake went off.My adrenaline was pumping for the last 5 miles. We stopped at another camp store for some goodies to go with dinner. It was another crowded shelter area, but everyone was tenting so the shelter had room. I hid out in the shelter when a huge thunderstorm hit. I was glad to be inside and dry.We hit Big Meadows on day 73. It was 7 miles into our easy 11 mile day. We stopped for lunch and shopping. It was a foggy morning, but we saw 2 blackbears. The park has been wonderful. This is what most people imagine when they dream of hiking the AT. The miserable days are miserable, but the nice days are magical.