Date: 2018-10-16
From: Front Royal, VA

To: Gravel Springs Hut
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

For breakfast I had coffee, a banana, and my last piece of meat supreme pizza. I packed up and left the hotel at 8:20. A short time later a woman moving boxes around in her car asked me if I needed a ride to the trail. I said "Yes!" Susie works at the Smithsonian property which borders the trail and is familiar with hikers. The Smithsonian has rare animals on the grounds she said. She took me right to the trail crossing. I thanked her and she gave me a hug. I started on the trail at 8:30! The trail started on boardwalks as it went along the Smithsonian fence. Later it climbed a mountain on switchbacks. I saw two brothers in their 50's hiking from Waynesboro to Harper's Ferry. Later I saw two older guys section hiking, all heading north. I stopped at the Floyd Wayside shelter. Earlier I saw signs to a spring as I climbed up a switchback but I ignored them and went straight to the shelter. Then I found out I had to walk all the way down the mountain to where I saw the first signs for the spring. I went down and found the spring. The water was only deep enough to fill up half the bottle. So, I used the bottle's cap to scoop up the water. It took 100 scoops. At 11:11 I entered Shenandoah National Park. After filling out and issuing my own permit I tied it on my backpack with the metal ties it came with. The trail in the park was in good shape. Most of the time the trail followed old roads. A few vistas gave good views west and south. Sometimes I think I'm a magnet for drawing strange people to talk to me. One was today. A white haired woman came by going north with her black lab. She talked about a body being dropped off in the park. Then she mentioned a hiker found dead in his tent in Florida. According to her a bear killed a dog in the park while the dog was on a leash. She pointed out my bandanna I have on one of my trekking poles. She pointed to a camouflage one around her neck. She says it camouflages her from the bears. O......K......got to go. The trail was great. The woods were quiet except for an occasional vehicle on Skyline Drive. At 4:45 I dropped down to Gravel Springs Hut (they call them huts in the park but they are just regular style shelters). I got water at Gravel Spring then sat down at the picnic table. I debated about continuing but decided to stay. It is a good climb up the next hill and I'd be camping 700 feet higher. Higher means colder. I went up behind the shelter to one of the campsites. I placed my food up the bear pole. After setting up camp and getting in my tent I heard a lot of banging down at the shelter's metal bear box. I decided I had to investigate fearing it was a bear. As I went down I saw a headlamp in the shelter and it was Finn, a Sobo. We talk a few minutes then I retired to my tent as darkness fell. In the distanced I heard Barred Owls. Haven't heard them in quite a while. Today I went over North Marshall Mountain, the first mountain over 3,000 feet since northern Massachusetts. Also, a few days back, I hit the 1,000 miles to go mark. As of tonight I've hiked 1,233 miles on the AT and have 957 to go.