Date: 2008-06-14
From: U.S. 522, Front Royal, VA

To: South of Sky Meadows State Park, VA
Miles today: 17.2

I woke up at 6:15am after another really good night's sleep. I started the coffee pot to brewing and then started packing up to walk today.I made arrangements for an 8:30 shuttle. This Quality Inn is very hiker friendly...they have a computer, a good breakfast and provide an 8:30am and a 10:30am shuttle back to the Trail.I watched the Weather Channel and see we have some thunder showers coming in later today.I saw Forecast and Aggie. The doctor prescribed doxycycline for Forecast to take while he waits for the results of the Lyme disease test.I ate my breakfast and was waiting at 8:30 for my ride. I got dropped off at 8:45am and started walking north on the Appalachian Trail.There were 5 other hikers coming out on the 10:30 shuttle, but I don't know who they were.It was a warm and humid morning. There's lots of moisture in the air. There's a 90% chance of thunderstorms later on.I saw a couple of half grown rabbits in the Trail within the first mile.I saw some small bear scat with what looked to be bird feeder seeds in it.I forgot to mention in yesterday's journal that Jonathan had read about me breaking my headlamp and he went out of his way to take me to an outfitter over in Winchester.I was able to find a new Petzl Zipka Plus. This model has a retractable headband that folds up nice and compact. It has four different light settings too.I got to Jim and Molly Denton Shelter and ran into three girls that were out walking for a few days. It was Minnie Mouse, Evil Queen and White Rabbit and I think they said they were doing 65 miles.They said I would be running into Tom Johnson soon. He used to be president of PATC and was out doing some trail maintenance. I had heard about him before, so was looking forward to running into him.I finished eating my snack and sat on the bench for a while, then walked on.It wasn't long and I saw Tom Johnson working on the Trail. I stopped and talked for about 15 minutes.He said he had heard about me from Hammock Hanger...and maybe that's where I heard about him. :-)It was good talking to him. He gave me his email address and I walked on.I found a mulberry tree and ate a few mulberries. I hadn't had any of those since I was a kid.I came up on a doe that went bounding off when she saw me about 2 miles before Manassas Gap.I passed by Manassas Gap and sat down at a picnic table where three trail maintainers were sitting having lunch. I had my lunch while we all talked.I had some tuna salad and crackers, Fritos and nuts. The maintainers had a garbage bag and let me get rid of my garbage....thanks! :-)I was walking along and I saw I was catching up to a day hiker. When I got close, the guy turned around and said; ¢Hello Stumpknocker".It was Charles from Fredericksburg and turns out he's followed my journal for a number of years. We stood in the Trail talking for about 15 minutes....the last 5 of which we were getting rained on.There was thunder in the area and I needed drinking water, so I said goodbye and walked on to Manassas Gap Shelter.It was raining hard when I got there. There was about a dozen boy scouts in the shelter and a nobo by the name of Hiking Dave.I walked down to the spring and drank about a liter of water, then filled up two water bottles. I went back up to the shelter and stood under the overhang for a while because it was still raining very hard.I started walking as soon as the thunder wasn't too near. It was still raining, but there wasn't anywhere to sit, so I figured I might as well be walking.It really felt great! It had been very humid and the sweat was rolling off me when I would climb any hills. I felt a little chilly and was happy about that! :-)I walked on and the rain let up some, but didn't stop. I think it was about 2 hours before it stopped completely.I walked by the sidetrail to Dick's Dome Shelter without stopping.I climbed the next hill and I could hear more thunder coming. It got real dark....almost like dusk. When I looked up in the trees, I saw a heavy fog rolled in....and it started sprinkling.I saw a spring and filled my water bottles for the night.I walked on and was right at the boundary for Sky Meadows State Park and you're not allowed to camp in there, so I walked back about 100 yards till I found a flat spot.I was too late! The rain came and it came hard. I set my tent up in a downpour, crawled in and took a bandana bath....mostly to dry off. I love my tent! :-)It rained really hard for another 30 minutes and I was dry and snug as a bug....life is good! :-)It looks like I'm set up in a jungle with all the lush green growth all around me.Another great day on the Appalachian Trail. :-)