Date: 2008-05-02
From: Black Rock Gap

To: South of Milam Gap
Miles today: 39.5

Thursday, May 1, 2008 and Friday, May 2, 2008Black Rock Gap to south of Milam Gap, 39.5* miles Jim, Laurel, Memere, Grey Feather and I spend the morning and early afternoon roaming the neighborhood, a parcel of 300 acres that abuts their property. We probably walk 5 miles or so of up and down.Goodbye and THANKS to the Pritchards! Memere, Grey Feather and I strike out for Waynesboro, arriving in time for a late meal at Scottos Italian restaurant, after which we drive to Skyline Drive, mp 87.4, Blackrock Gap.Memere will leave the Element 54.8 trail miles north of here, at Skyline Drive mp 36.7, in the Pinnacles Picnic Ground parking areaFor a month now, I¢ve had the idea of hiking a high-mile day.   Can I do 54.8 in 24 hours? Starting as I am at 9:45PM, the first 2 14 hours falls on 1 calendar day and the last 21 3/4 on the next.I can't see any sense sitting around waiting for midnight before I start. I¢m just gonna start now and see what happens.To date my longest hiking day is 30 miles, from TN 421 to VA 859, one of the easiest sections of the AT. I hiked in daylight at a speed of between 2.5 and 3mph.The only night hiking I¢ve done is 2 miles on the Mahoosuc Trail from the parking area off Success Pond Rd to the AT, where I stealth-camped to be in position for an early start over the Notch and Arm.Tonight should be a good night for night-hiking. Though there¢s no moon, the stars are bright. I¢m in the Shenandoahs, where the trail is easy.I¢m excited and confident and looking forward to what tonight brings.High 50¢s, 60.I can see well enough to hike, but that¢s all. To the left of the trail, there¢s a long flattened fire hose, in preparation perhaps for a controlled burn. Hose disappears from the left side and reappears on the right.Trail to my right to Blackrock Hut. To figure out where I am, I get close to the concrete signposts and shine my headlamp at the strip of metal which, in raised letters, tells where I am and where I¢ve been and where I¢m going. Thankfully these signposts with metal strips are frequent in the Shenandoahs.From Blackrock Cliffs, I see the lights of a city. Waynesboro? Harrisonburg? I waste 15 minutes taking one blurry time-lapse photo after another.Enough of this. Hike on.A little trouble finding the trail after it crosses Skyline Drive, but I find it after 5 minutes or so.Sign for Loft Mtn Campground 4 miles ahead.Browns Gap.I¢m full-backpacking, which is slowing me. 54.8 will be out of reach. but I just know I¢m going to beat 30. Thoughts of beating my 2-year-old "personal best" quicken my step.At midnight I¢m at Skyline Drive, mp 82.2, 4.7 AT miles from the start. Calculations. Technically I guess it¢s here I should start clocking the miles.Friday May 2, 2008BUT I¢m also going to clock miles in 24 hours AND, because it turns out I hike until 10:45PM May 2, I'm going to clock miles in 25 hours AND, I¢m going to put those 25-hour-miles on my journal!With an asterisk.It's not cheating if you explain what you're doing. : -)))P.S. When I post this entry with the asterisk, and this is the honest truth, TJ changes the daily miles from 39.5 to ZERO. Zipdrive and Leif must have anticipated somebody fiddling with daily mileages.I have to go in and remove that asterisk. That's why you don't see it up there in "daily miles". Trust me, I'm not cheating.Hiking during the day I have no idea how much pollen I¢m walking through. At night a veritable blizzard of floating, blowing pollen grains reflect in the beams of Memere¢s headlamp. Seeking the light, moths are flying in my face. I hitch up my glasses and tie the kerchief across my nose and mouth (leaving plenty of breathing space).I see a rabbit right on the trail ahead. Stop for a photo. Not good. On this hike, for decent photos, I need a tripod.Another Skyline Drive Crossing where, due to darkness, I can¢t find the AT on the other side.1:15 Loft Mtn Campground. Next landmark will be Pinefield Hut.A beautiful night, gentle breeze, 50¢s 60.3:00 I come to a rushing stream. I can¢t see blazes across it, but it seems like the trail goes across. Hiking at night like this, along with vision, my depth perception is compromised. I take it slow across the stream, feeling the way through the soles of my trusty Crocs. No problem.For some reason tonight my ankles are hurting like heck.3:50 on a descent, headlight catches the eyes of 2 deer off to the right. They back off slowly. Stand there as I walk by.Wind has picked up, but it¢s not cold. Just refreshing.4:35 I see a golden crescent moon above whatever mountain I¢m at now. That, and the pre-dawn light, illuminate the trail a little bit.6AM, I turn off the headlight. Memere, those batteries lasted 8 hours. I¢ll get you some new ones. THANKS for letting me use your light.7:15, I¢m sleepy. I pick out a stealth spot near the road that goes towards the ranger station. Change my socks and crawl into my bag and soundly nap. Wake at 9AM to birdsong, flies and pesky gnats. It¢s going to be a hot one today. I put on shorts.Pretty white butterfly with white wings and a jet-black body.Apple tree in full bloom with a swallowtail on it and a bumble bee. No honey bees.Today is violet day. All leaf and petal shapes, forms, colors, sizes, I could spend a week cataloguing the different kinds. One looks like a pansy.Blue cohosh, wild mustard, garlic mustard, phlox in rich coral pink, pale shell pink, rosy pink.It¢s hot, maybe low 80's, and I¢m draggin¢.Hello to a man, woman and 2 sweet dogs out for a day-hike.Wow, here¢s something I haven¢t seen before. A striking ¢red-violet¢ color violet. Get a photo but it doesn¢t capture the redness of the color. I want that violet so bad I have to fight with myself not to dig up a piece and take it home. My conscience prevails, but just barely. I once had a passion for collecting beautiful and unusual plants. At times, like with this red-violet violet, I feel the urge to "own" it just as strong as ever.Pass the trail to Hightop Hut as I¢m walking up to the summit.Beautiful spring south of the summit. My trail drink is gone. I draw off a liter of spring water. Unlike so many other hikers who do just fine drinking untreated water, I¢ve never dared to. I add a Micropur MP 1 tablet. It'll take 4 hours for those tablets to work.At this elevation, there are still some bloodroot out, white trillium and a pale pink (a white flower that is past peak) dwarf trillium, leaves almost black.4 young men wearing backpacks approach me, running. No poles.4 people carrying nothing hiking out to their car. They decide to take the closest exit to Skyline Drive and walk the road back.I GET MY WISH!   I see a bear! He/she is sitting beside the trail about a mile south of Lewis Mtn Campground where the AT, which here is like a woods road, runs close to Skyline Drive. A big one, about 300 pounds I think. He/she runs down the hillside to the right, stopping at the base. No chance for a photo.I¢ve been looking for a bear all spring!!!!I pass the trail to Bearfence Mtn Hut without stopping. I haven¢t stopped at any huts.Sit and rest at Bootens Gap for 20 minutes.4 long switchbacks and a spiral up to the top of Hazeltop.8:25 Sign to the right for Bearfence Rock Scramble, AT straight ahead, parking to the left. 8:30 I have to put the headlight on. I see the blizzard of specks again, pollen and dust.My headlight picks up the eyes of 2 more deer. Like the first pair, they scatter off, then stop not too far away and I walk by.The tablet I added to the spring water is making me sick. Every time I decide it's not worth carrying the weight of my water filter, I think this time the tablet won¢t make me sick, but it always does. The treated water is making me thirstier, I think, than if I hadn¢t drunk anything at all. My mouth is dry and sticky. Just for their water content I eat my red pepper and my bosc pear.10PM I¢m 0.2 south of William Gap, 2.2 south of Milam Gap and 4.4 south of Big Meadows.10:45 I¢m parched and sick, I won¢t walk any farther. I¢m about 0.4 south of Milam Gap. I'll figure mileages in the morning. To the left, there¢s a nice soft spot to cowboy camp, about 60 feet from the trail. I¢ll take that, confident I¢ll be up and gone before anyone hikes by in the AM. Goodnight.