Date: 2020-07-22
From: Hightop Hut

To: Rock Spring Hut
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: mist

I double-dipped the Shenandoah waysides today, lunching at Lewis Mountain campground store and filling up at Big Meadows restaurant later. One of the joys of hiking the Shennies. It was pleasant hiking out this morning and I made great time to Lewis Mountain campground twelve miles away, heading over Hightop, down through Swift Run Gap, one of the two gaps where roads cross the park, and then a long gradual climb out. The trail was clear and easy walking.While cruising along listening to an audio book I almost missed the snake in the trail. Oh, another black rat snake, I thought. Wait... no, no, no, NO, not a rat snake, definitely NOT a rat snake! It was a black rattler, sunbathing in the middle of the dirt trail. I carefully kept my distance. He didn't move, didn't rattle, but clearly was watching me. I took some pictures then gave him a wide berth.Now amazingly, that is the first rattler I've ever seen. I've logged 3700 miles on the AT and never seen a rattler! And if I hadn't glanced down I probably would have stepped right over this one like any root in the trail without a second thought. How many have I unwittingly passed before?By noon when I reached the campground store I was ready for second breakfast, lunch, and elevensies all at once, and purchased accordingly. The campground had showers available and it was tempting. But I figured I'd be a sweaty mess again in an hour so why bother?Well, I was right but for the wrong reason. An hour after leaving the sky darkened and the wind whipped up. It felt great as the humidity and temperature dropped. But of course then came the rain. At first it was light and I hoped it would be like yesterday's refreshing shower. But it suddenly intensified and I belatedly donned my poncho. The rain was so heavy it quickly overwhelmed the trail and turned it into a stream. I hiked through an inch or two of water for the next five miles. The trails here are very well graded and well drained, but the storm was a monster. It would slacken for a couple minutes, then resume its furious tempo, again and again. Two hours later, soaked from head to toe, I reached the Big Meadows Lodge. The main restaurant was open. With my big lunch and the wet walk I didn't have a large appetite, but I nursed three scoops of Shenandoah's famous blackberry ice cream. An hour later I was shivering from the A/C, my iced tea, the ice cream, and my still-damp clothes. Outside it was no warmer. Thoughts of hypothermia gripped me. What a turnaround from the heat of a few hours ago! I had to start hiking, and quickly, to warm up.And hike quickly I did. Full of energy, I bounded up the trail for the three or four miles to the shelter. Sugar rush? Low humidity? Cooler temperature? Rested feet? Whatever the reason, if I could bottle it I'd be rich.I'd considered hiking to Skyland resort for a late dinner - the trifecta of thruhiking Shenandoah (or hat trick, if you prefer). But I was deterred by the unavailability of tenting nearby and the high cost of a room in the resort. So I aimed for the next shelter and planned for breakfast at Skyland.The Rock Spring Hut turned out to be quite busy with about ten other tenters and shelter-dwellers. Most were hiking portions of the park. But one, a long gray-haired woman called Freethinker, was six weeks into backpacking a series of blue-blaze trails. Although she thrued in 2011 with an old boyfriend, she didn't think much of the experience. Her dad, who thruhiked both the AT and PCT in the early 80s, inspired her love of backpacking and the outdoors. But she prefers the side trails - the blue-blazed trails. She goes out for a week-long loop, resupplies from her car, and goes back out again. She has favorite tenting spots on trails she's been visiting for forty years. For her it's definitely not about the destination. It's about getting away from our crazy world and enjoying simple pleasures.One of the couples tenting nearby, from Fairfax, are out for a couple of nights, but it's the first trip for the wife. They have twin toddlers at home. The rain doesn't seem to have dampened their spirits but the little ones seem to be on her mind. She also made a point of telling me they and the kids had been confirmed asymptomatic Covid cases some months ago.We built a fire out of wet sticks. Without my magically flammable Fritos it took forever and never really sustained itself. Still, it partially dried some gear and was a good social activity. I haven't had a fire circle since the Smokies, and then it was only Sunshine and I.