Date: 2015-04-24
From: Cove Mountain Shelter

To: Petites Gap
Miles today: 21.9
Weather: clear sky

4/24, 21.9, petites gap, tent, 6000 ftIt wasn't our warmest day, and it certainly wasn't our longest at 21.9 miles. No, today was, as best we can remember, our day with the most overall climb. Overall climb is figured something like this on the AT. If we climb 100 ft, then hike down 100 ft, then climb back another 100 ft to the original altitude, we have climbed a total of 200 ft. Today we climbed just over 6000 ft. What really feels good is our pace was such that we covered the nearly 22 miles in 12 hours. But I have jumped ahead. Legs go back to the beginning.Maverick set his tent last night because there was a minor ant infestation at the center support of the shelter. With lows forecast in the upper 30's I was comfortable with my spot at the edge of the shelter. We awoke this morning without an ant incident so all was well, but waking at 6 it was still 7:30 when we started hiking. We knew it would be mostly uphill today from reading our guides and examining the elevation profiles so our plans were let's see when we get to each shelter along the way, and decide in the afternoon what our goal will be. We made the first shelter 7 miles away at 10:30. We were hiking amongst several other thru hikers, each at our own pace, but we seemed to stop at the same locations so we found ourselves sharing the picnic table at the shelter with others at each break. We were now at the base of our largest climb but making good time so we decided to have lunch at the next shelter, 4.9 miles uphill. We sat down at the picnic table and joined the others at 1:30. Given the climbs we were making great time, and best of all, still felt strong. The weather today was also very helpful as the sun was shining, a slight breeze was blowing and temperatures stayed in the high 50's all day, perfect for hiking. The next shelter was 5.3 miles, so we were pretty sure we would be arriving around 4:30. Beyond there another shelter was more than 12 miles away, so we knew our choices would be stop a little early, or press on to a spot and set a campsite. When we arrived at the shelter, 17.2 mies into our hike, we were not ready to stop and we were aware that a large group of younger thru hikers was racing in to be together there. We decided to cook and eat dinner there, then hike on until 7:30 and set camp wherever we could. It was a good choice because by the time we left the shelter was full and three tents were set up with more hikers yet to arrive. We hiked on and hoped to make Petites Gap where the trail crosses a road. There are often campsites near these crossings because of the relatively flat terrain, and proximity for weekend hikers. We hiked on and in fact did make the gap and found several other tents already set there. We headed up the ridge a few hundred yards north of the gap, and selected a suitable location. It was now nearly 8 pm, but with dinner taken care of, we needed only to set up our tents and crawl in. I settled into my tent by 9, and look forward to the warmth of my sleeping bag since temps are headed into the upper 30's again tonight. By hiking further this evening we now have a moderate day and then a short day to make the next hostel Sunday night. We hoped this would be the case since the next hostel provides shuttle from and to the trail, dinner, shower, laundry,ed with linens and breakfast, for one price. They also have limited resupply available for purchase so we can set ourselves up to make Waynesboro by Wednesday. I have a contact in Waynesboro who is providing some trail magic as he is preparing to thru hike in a couple years, and wants to visit about that. It should be a nice evening and I will stay somewhere in Waynesboro. I passed the one third mileage mark yesterday at 732 miles, and Waynesboro marks the beginning of the final section of Virginia, the Shenandoah National Park. Many have asked about my progress so here is a way to measure. I knew in order to complete this entire journey in 6 months I needed to average 12 miles per day. My average to this point is 12.7. More importantly, in order to finish on my most desired timeline, by the end of July, I need to average 14.7 miles per day from today. Entering the section of the hike where most big mileage days are accomplished I feel very good about my progress, and in some ways I am ahead of schedule. The important challenge from here will be to stay healthy, and on trail as much as I can without burning out emotionally. I am thankful I have a couple of visits from friends and family ahead, and some other trail magic offers to keep things interesting. It has been a great adventure this far, and I expect little change in that. Thank you for coming along and I look forward to sharing the remaining 1,411 miles with you all.Silverback