Date: 2009-07-01
From: Rockfish Gap (Waynesboro)

To: Ivy Creek Overlook
Miles today: 31.6

I woke up at 5:30 am, gathered my belongings for the big trek today, grabbed some of the breakfast casserole that Jill and Zack had made, and then hopped in the car with Zack en route to Shenandoah National Park. It was a cool morning ¢ maybe about 55 degrees ¢ but the sun was already out. We passed through the gates of Shenandoah NP and began the long climb up to the ridge on Skyline Drive. I was just exhausted from staying up the night before, but excited because I was about to attempt a 31.6 mile day. On Skyline Drive, we passed a variety of animals (i.e. many deer, wild prehistoric-looking turkeys) and we were just in awe at some of the open points overlooking the mountains below. At one point, Zack shouted ¢Check out that fawn!¢ There was a baby fawn directly at the side of the road, standing maybe one foot tall. The fawn¢s feet were wobbling all over and the mother doe was directly to its side. It was an amazing site to see. Zack dropped me off around 7:30 am at Ivy Creek Overlook. He wished me well and then sped off on his way to Staunton to begin his day at work. I immediately headed off into the woods, as I really had to push it today in order to get back down to Rockfish in time for Zack to pick me up on his way home from work. Zack had given me his iPod for the day (since mine had been inundated in the huge rainstorm/tornado close to Pearisburg and no longer functions) and I initially began to listen to the Virginia Ramblers, Zack¢s bluegrass band with whom he has played for several years. They are so good, so check them out! I then proceeded to put on Bill Bryson¢s ¢Walk in the Woods¢ and listened to all of the shenanigans Katz and Bryson had done during their own mini-trek on the Appalachian Trail. As I was wearing new shoes, I probably shouldn¢t have immediately tried a 32-mile day, as there is always a break-in period. Being young and largely filled to the brim with confidence, I went with it anyway. Within 20 minutes, I had to stop and put on blister pads and bandaids, as my feet were already becoming cut up. It was relatively easy terrain through the Shennies, mostly the terrain kept within 3,000 ft. and 3,800 ft. with many gradual ups and downs. I have been told that we have most of the hard stuff behind us until we reach the Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts. I was at Blackrock Hut by noon, with blazing heat from the sun all around. Running out of water has been a consistent them on this AT trek and I imagine that it has been the same for other thru-hikers. Fortunately, I had just run out of my one liter of water, so I headed down to the hut to fill up at the nearly non-existent spring. I saw in the shelter register that I had been gaining ground on some friends and that I was only a few days behind Rapsberry and Raindancer. I passed Jungli a bit later on and we had chatted for 20 minutes or so. Our encounter in the post office in Waynesboro was a bit rushed, so I was happy to take my time with her to catch up for a bit, despite being a bit in a rush. Later on, I ran into Toubob. We were both absolutely drenched with sweat and both pushing a good pace. Clouds began to shield over the mountains and it began to pour. Minutes later, the sun came back out, shining its rays back on the mountain. This ¢rain on¢ and ¢rain off¢ process occurred over the next few hours and I had to put my rain pack cover on and off rather frequently. I did not bring an actual rain jacket and, for this reason, my clothing had been drenched. By the time I had arrived to Bear Den Mountain, the sky turned entirely black and I knew that I was a bit in trouble, especially being on the top of the mountain. There were these huge metal weathervanes up top and I wanted to get my body off the mountain as quickly as possible so that there would be chance of being struck by lightening. At this point, my fast-paced gait turned into a full-out sprint. The rain just began to pour down and lightening strikes and the cracking sound of thunder were all around me. My entire body became soaked with rain again and my shoes became entirely saturated. Gore-tex shoes are great for keeping water out when you step in a puddle; however, if rain gets INSIDE the shoe, then it keeps everything wet and creates blisters and extreme discomfort. I made it all the way down to the entrance to the park by 6:45 pm and, by this time, I could feel that I had developed a huge blister on the back of my right heel. Zack was waiting at the shoddy Rockfish Gap Visitor Center. I also saw Segue there, who I hadn¢t seen for several weeks. Upon reaching Zack¢s car, I was smiling ear to ear, for I had just finished a massive 31.6 mile day out on the trail. On the way home, Zack had told me that in the front page of the Staunton newspaper, there was an article of a thru-hiker who had been bitten five times in the hand by a rattlesnake and had to be airlifted to UVA hospital. Craziness¢¦Arriving back at Jill and Zack¢s house, I was so sore that I could barely get out of the car. My muscles were dead tired and my bones were just brittle. I was so tired that I nearly fell over on multiple occasions. We had a great Chinese food dinner ¢ probably not the best thing for an AT thru-hiker ¢ but it tasted wonderful. That evening, I had to pack everything as I would be leaving the comfort of Jill and Zack¢s home and I would be returning to the AT to continue my journey. I prepared a box to send home my winter gear (i.e. 20 degree sleeping bag, larger GoLite Pinnacle pack, socks, shirt, gloves, and other incidentals) and I began to go through all of my food in preparation for the next few days. I also had to do my laundry again and to begin to dry my shoes with one of their space heaters. I was absolutely exhausted, but I didn¢t get to bed until 12:30 am as I was busy getting everything together. Tomorrow will be a tough day since I will be very tired, but I¢m looking forward to getting back out there.