Date: 2015-05-07
From: Skyland 

To: Elkwallow Wayside
Miles today: 18.3

Princess left around 6 this morning with her brother Ranger. They headed north on the trail and planned to go as far as the Elkwallow Wayside on Skyline Dr. Since I wasn't hiking today, the task fell on me to pick them up at Elkwallow at the end of their hike. It's unfortunate for me that a short tunnel on Skyline Drive is closed for repairs until May 18, and the tunnel is only a few miles north of here, between Skyland and Elkwallow. So I couldn't drive directly to Elkwallow on Skyline (less than 20 miles), and instead I had to drive 25 miles south on Skyline, down the mountain to Elkton, north to Luray, back up the mountain to Skyline (on the north side of the closed tunnel), and then about 9 miles north on Skyline to their finish point at Elkwallow. The tunnel closure extended a half hour trip to a two hour trip - each way. But since they decided to go NoBo instead of SoBo, I got to sleep in while they started from Skyland and then made the two hour trip to meet them when they finished at 1:00. Everything worked as planned. They were already at Elkwallow when I arrived, I grabbed a quick milkshake at the wayside, and 2 hours later we all made it back to Skyland a little after 3:00. My only point in detailing all this is that the shuttle transportation component of slack packing can sometimes be daunting. We were incredibly lucky that Ranger and Gay decided to visit us, and we were able to use their car to make that 4-hour detour around the closed tunnel. Hiring a shuttle driver to do the same thing would have been extremely expensive. As it turned out, Ranger and Princess had a great hike. The trail was interesting, Ranger enjoyed the opportunity to get back on the trail for a day, the weather was great and they met some interesting hikers. After everyone got cleaned up this afternoon, we met in the lodge taproom for drinks and dinner and heard about their adventures on the trail. Ranger hiked with us last year from Springer to Harpers Ferry, and he remembered details of this section of trail better than Princess or I. They talked about the trail around Stony Man at the exit from Skyland and the views from the overlooks. He remembered the facilities at the Pinnacles Picnic area including good water. He also remembered that the descent from Mary's Rock is rocky and steep, but he had forgotten how long it is. The rest of the trip was a climb up The Pinnacle and then down, followed by Pass Mtn, Neighbor Mtn and then 4 more miles into Elkwallow Wayside. They took pictures at several of the overlooks, but the prize for the day was a cluster of yellow lady slippers that Ranger spotted. They both took several photos and I've posted Princess' shot. When they finished they had covered 18.3 miles in around 6 1/2 hours. That's a very good pace considering that Ranger hasn't been hiking. But they had slack packs rather than heavy backpacks. They were in a mist or overcast until close to the end, so it didn't get really hot until the sky cleared and the water they carried was enough to avoid stopping to filter more water. Ranger enjoyed the hike enough that he is thinking about possibly joining us again after Harpers Ferry and staying with us longer. We've trying to convince him that it's a good idea. But it involves some compromises since we like slack-packing and he prefers camping.He liked it enough today that he wants to hike again tomorrow before he and Gay head back to Georgia. Princess and I both felt that I could use one more day's recuperation, so I'm going to play the shuttle role again tomorrow while Ranger and Princess hike from Elkwallow north to Front Royal. While Princess & Ranger were hiking today, I had a leisurely morning at Skyland. Yesterday I mentioned 2 hikers from Illinois that Princess talked to in the trail. Coincidentally, this morning they sat down at a table next to me for breakfast in the Skyland Lodge. I realized who they were and we talked for a few minutes. The fellow who hopes to hike to Duncannon is named Papa Viking. His friend Larry plans to head back home at Harpers Ferry. A few minutes later I saw Silverback outside, but I didn't see his family. After dinner, Princess saw 3 ladies in the dining room that she has passed several times on the trail. Their names are 57, Little Tree and Tenderfoot. We're clearing out of Skyland early tomorrow morning to move to Front Royal. Wheels-up is at 6, so I'd better get some rest.