Date: 2017-08-19
From: Bears den hostel 

To: Mosby camp site
Miles today: 30.0
Weather: few clouds

After eating pizza ice cream and soda as part of the hiker package at the Bears den hostile last night I slept well. How is asleep by 9 p.m. but then I was wide awake at about 3:45 a.m. I tried to sleep a little longer but decided to get up and get ready for the day anticipating that it would be the light about 5:30 a.m. and that upstairs the hospital offered make your own all you can eat pancake breakfast. So I got up I went upstairs I made coffee and pancakes. I made a lot of Pancakes. I ate a lot of Pancakes. But I did not eat all of the pancakes I made a left 3 for whoever would get up next and then I went back downstairs to finish getting ready. I was completely packed and ready to go at 5:30 but to my surprise it was not light. So I went back upstairs and had another cup of coffee and read a journeys magazine produced by Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Has it was approaching 6 a.m. it was still completely dark outside but I knew it couldn't stay dark much longer so I went downstairs rounded up my gear and after one more stop in the restroom I hit the trail after a playing some insect repellent. I guess the change in latitude from Vermont to Virginia and a small progression further past mid summer had a more substantial impact on Sunrise timing than I had anticipated. It was light enough to see when I actually got on the trail by 6 o'clock but that was about a half an hour later than that hit been getting light when I was in Vermont. Further when I had been in Maine in early July it had been getting light enough to see between 4:30 and 5 a.m...As I continue to hike southbound into the more defined to rain of the roller coaster I noted a lot of Wildlife in the early morning. I saw the tales of at least for deer and 1 barrel running away from the sound of my approach. The bear was visible for only a second but that is number 5 seen on my truck so far. At about 7:30 I reached the Sam more shelter and I stopped and just to sign the log book and then continued hiking southbound.About 8:30 as I was crossing a stream I was reminded to stay hydrated so I took a short break and drink some water. Some quickly turned into a half a liter and after five minutes of rest I was three quarters it will leader down so I decided to go ahead and refill that bottle while I was at a water source. I prepared my aquamira solution and finished drinking the remainder of my first leader of water for the day and then refill the bottle from the Stream. When the solution was ready I treated the water and then I packed up and continue taking southbound. Just before 9 I crossed Morgans Mill Road and there I saw a large number of cars. Nearby was a large number of people with a large number of dogs preparing for day hikes. I continued Southbound.Around 1030 I arrived at the rod Hollow shelter. And that indicated that I had also past the southern and of the roller coaster about 3/10 of them mile earlier. That represented 10 miles of hiking in about four and a half hours including break time. Even with the elevation gain loss of the roller coaster I have her space had been better than 2.2 miles an hour. I guess the pancakes with syrup on top of pizza and ice cream from the night before he deserves to car Bologna pretty well. However again since I did not want to overdo it early in myself bound hike I really didn't want to be going any faster than that. I stopped at the rod hello shelter long enough to have a snack and sign the log book and then I continued south.Write about noon I crossed us route 50 which at this point is evidently also us Route 17. Four lanes of high speed traffic passing east west through the Ashby gap. I noticed that just a few miles south of this point I would be passing through and crossing trails to and from sky meadow State Park. 450 South climbed up and noticed that the sides of the trail had been weed whacked. Given the tick threat I appreciate it this. About 1230 I came to and opened field across with stay trail past well continuing to slope gradually upward.In the middle of this field where number of sign post indicating the crossing of a number of trails. These seemed to have level of difficulty markings on them and iPod to take a few pictures before continuing to hike south.After I passed through the sky meadow State Park area at about 1:30 I saw a trail maintain ur. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt gloves and a baseball hat with sunglasses and he was carrying to tools for cutting grass and branches. I stopped and thank him and told him that I had noticed his work as I was climbing up the hill and that I appreciate it it. He said we try. And he let me take his picture. Shortly thereafter I saw another maintainer with a weed wacker and I thanked her as well. Picture.Shortly before 2 p.m. I arrived at the dicks dome shelters. I remembered that yesterday one of the people I met at the Bears den hostile, that is "the seeker", had said that I should not stop at the first shelter but keep going 100 yards or so further and there would be a brand new one there. So I did that and didn't fact find a much nicer shelter. The first one head not had a log book and it but the second one did call the wine noticed that the log book was labeled whiskey Hollow shelter. I stopped drink the rest of the water I was carrying and filled to fresh one later bottles with treated water. I also made it peanut butter and jelly tortilla for lunch and ate it while I signed the log book.  I had already hiked over 18 miles today but I felt good and was only 2 o'clock. I knew I could get at least as far as the Manassas kept shelter 5 miles further but hope time might make it as far as the Jim and Molly Denton shelter 10 miles further. I also noticed that the the front tip of my left hiking shoe was beginning to peel away from the upper. I know this was probably from tripping on rocks or roots but I made a mental note to try to glue it back down when I got the chance. Efficient up my insect repellent and then got back on the trail. With the .3 side trail included I was back on the 80 itself buy 2:30.Just past 3 p.m. coming other way I saw "earth man" - one of the guys that had spent the night at the Bears den hostile last night. We chatted for awhile and he told me that he had taken a shuttle to front Royal and from there he had hicked North. He said he had recently passed his 10 mile mark for the day. I guess that would have been just before he got to the Manassas gap shelter. He said he had not liked the up and down between the Jim and Molly Denton and the Manassas gap shelters, which are about 5 miles apart, and he said that he had arranged to get picked up at the Ashby Gap Road crossing. That is route 50 and 17. After chatting a little more, talking about the trail conditions, we said farewell. good luck and nice meeting you and we both continued hiking.Around 4 o'clock I stopped at the Manassas gap shelter. I filled and treated a liter of water and I signed the log book. While I waited I talked to a day hiker who was there. I did not get his name, but he he evidently had originally been from Montpelier Vermont, and we talked about the long trail. He said he had just hiked up from route 66 about an hour and after we talked for a while he left to head back. I got back on the trail and headed south hoping to reach the Jim and Molly Denton shelter sometime between 6 and 7 p.m.I reached Manassas gap and walked under interstate 66 around 5 p.m. picture. I got to the Jim and Molly Denton shelter about 615pm. I had a quick dinner of cliff bar, drank some water, refilled all my bottles, and I decided to hike to the Mosby Camp site, a little less than 2 miles further. I got there some time after 715. There, I met another sobo flip flop hiker. Her trail name was Intrepid. We introduced each other briefly, and then I started setting up my tarp. She already had her LL Bean ultralight tent set up. I also helped het hang her bear bag, and then I hung mine. Just as I was finishing setting my tarp, we started hearing the sound of thunder coming from the southwest.  We weren't sure that's what it was at first, but soon enough, it was pretty clear. Intrepid climbed into her tent and zipped it up. As soon as I could, I got under my tarp and finished setting up. As the sound of thunder kept getting closer, it began to rain -- slowly at first. But like the thunder, it soon intensified, and within 10 minutes of starting, it was raining torrentially. Simultaneously, it also got dark, and we could see the flashes of lightning lighting up The sky.  The worst of it lasted about a half hour, and then, around 8:30 p.m. it started to taper off.  The thunder continued, but now it was to our south east. I had been glad for the fortunate timing, for the shelter, and for the company of a fellow hiker. I was also glad I could recline on my air mattress and stay dry - both things reducing the likelihood of electrocution. I had also surveyed the campsite quickly and was glad there did nor appear to be any trees in danger of falling or blowing over. By about 9 p.m. the scary storm had quieted down, though we could still hear it I the distance.  I hoped there would only be this one wave. The whole thing was a surprise -- the forecast had been for north rain until Monday or Tuesday (and this was Saturday).As the rain stopped, the sounds of bugs started.  Loud. Lots of them. Crickets, cicadas, frogs, And so on.  A cacophony! I managed to get to sleep anyway.