Date: 2021-04-21
From: ReidÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap

To: Rockfish Gap
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Got a ride back to the trail at Reid¢s gap from Rusty at 7:30. Suffice it to say it was an unforgettable experience. First encounter of the day was with a man walking his dog, which I recognized as an Airedale. The gentleman was surprised I knew the breed, as it wasn¢t very common, but my in laws had two over the years. As payment for my knowledge, I got two enthusiastic and muddy paws prints on my shirt. This is fine. Hiking plan for the day was to have to plan until I hit the Paul Wolfe shelter, 14 miles up trail. There were no huge climbs today, though I would go back over 3500 feet at one point on Humpback Mountain.Early in the morning as I was going up a ridge I saw two men dressed in matching burnt orange robes and sandals coming down the trail. They both carried wicker drums and one had an incense stick. I gave them a Midwest-nice ¢good morning¢ but only got stares in return. Apparently their oneness with the cosmos didn¢t extend to my corner of it. Ah well, at least I didn¢t get a recruiting pitch. Climbing up Humpback mountain their is a 3 foot high rock wall at least a mile long that goes up and over the top. The shear manpower needed to build that boggles the mind. Coming down the mountain I ran into a couple that I had seen a week before at Thunder Hill shelter where I passed on due to the wind and dead trees. Always nice to see a familiar face or two. I made the shelter well before my self appointed cut off time, so I decided to push on 5 more miles to Waynesboro. It helped that the trail was much less rocky once over the mountain. Interesting things on the way to Waynesboro:Lowe Family cemetery plot was right next to the trail. The grave markers were just plain stones, no engravingsMet a SOBO section hiker named 5 liter because he carries so much water. His pack resembled a tanker truck. Passed the ruins of a homestead cabin with just a chimney and a few foundation stones left. Was on the phone with my wife and was going to flick a stick off the trail (it¢s hard for me to pass by sticks and branches without cleaning them up. I have issues) when I realized it wasn¢t a stick. Immediately hung up the phone (sorry, honey) to take a video of the 4-5 ft snake stretched across the trail. Just before Rockfish Gap I rounded a corner and saw a tent set up across the trail. It was a young family of 5 out camping for hand first time and they were practicing with their tent before getting to the shelter campsite. I wished them well and said a prayer for their safety. When I got to the gap I had a half mile walk to the visitor center to try and get a ride into town. I think that at 4:30 EST that Rockfish Gap may have been the windiest place in America. Twas¢ brutal. As I got to the center a yellow truck pulled up, it was a local trail angel who gives hikers free rides into town. 15 minutes later I was checking into the Residence Inn (thanks mom and pops!)After showering I did walk 15 minutes to a Walmart to pick up a few things. I swear to Odin that they¢ve cloned the same 98 people and stocked every Walmart in America with them, just so you always get the full Walmart experience. I¢m taking a zero day on Thursday to do chores, laundry, a mail drop and to try and get my pack sorted out. Back in the trail heading into the Shenandoah National Park on Friday.