Date: 2015-05-02
From: Riprap Spur Trail @ NoBo 878.7

To: US 250, Rockfish Gap (Waynesboro)
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

The big question for me this morning was whether or not to hike. Last night my leg was swollen, so I propped it up and iced it. This morning it looked and felt better, so I decided to hit the trail with Princess. Today we had Mr. Gizmo shuttle us to the Riprap Trail parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Riprap Trail crosses the AT just a few yards from the parking lot, and at that point we headed SoBo on the AT. From there we planned to hike 17 miles back to Rockfish Gap where the AT crosses US 250 near Waynesboro. This is our last ride with Mr. Gizmo. He shuttled us last year and he's told us a lot about Waynesboro. He's not a hiker, but he loves maps and knows the trail and it's access points very well. He's been shuttling hikers for a number of years and helped assemble the list of shuttle drivers in the Waynesboro area that's available to AT hikers. Mr. Gizmo gave us another early start and we were on the trail by about 8:15. The weather was cool (mid 40's), the trail was dry and the sky was clear - perfect for hiking. For the most part, the trail was relatively level today. There were some strenuous uphills, Calf Mountain and Bears Den Mountain, but they were relatively short compared to the mountains further south. Overall, the trail in this area is in great condition and good hiking with wide clear paths, and we kept a very fast pace. Although there were some rocky sections that slowed us down a bit. We saw quite a few hikers (we were SoBo) that we know coming north out of Waynesboro. We saw Code Red and then Tree Ninja for the first time in a while. Silverback said he took two zero days to deal with a bad foot blister problem, and Maverick was right behind him. They are both planning on longer distance days in the Shenandoahs. Later on Little Calf Mountain we saw Spooner and a friend who is section hiking with him for a few days. Plus we saw a lot of day hikers since it is Saturday and the weather is beautiful. Many hikers look forward to the Shenandoahs as an opportunity to move along faster (increase daily mileage). The trails are generally easier with less elevation changes and smoother trails, plus the days are lengthening so you can hike longer. There are a number of waysides along the trail with food and supplies, so hikers don't have to carry as much food (lighter packs). There were some notable highlights from our hike today. The views from several Skyline Drive overlooks we passed were very dramatic. There was a cairn marking the top of Calf Mountain, and the top of Little Calf Mountain was a small grassy plateau. The trail across Bears Den Mountain was very rocky with some unusual shale and many of the blazes painted on the rock. At the top we passed by a series of communication towers and also some huge fire ant colonies. Somewhere about 2/3 of the way, my leg started bothering me more and I started to slow down. It was also about the time that we had some short, but steep climbs and descents - like Bears Den Mountain and south of McCormick Gap. And for me the last 3 miles or so seemed endless, twisting and turning around and through lots of rocks. When we finally reached the finish line, we called Bill at the Tree Streets Inn and he came out to pick us up. Back in the room, it was clear that the cellulitis is worse than this morning. Several of my friends in the medical field suggested that I have to take some time off and deal with it. So we got some ice and propped my leg up and I chilled most of the rest of the afternoon and evening. With a brief excursion to the Green Tree restaurant for dinner. Princess will be hiking without me for the next 2 days at least while I work on recovery. It's unfortunate since the weather looks great this week and the terrain isn't too difficult. But It Is What It Is (IIWI is the trail name of a hiker we met last year). So my trail reports won't be based on first-hand data for a few days.