Date: 2007-06-15
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Blackrock Hut
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

Today I entered Shenandoah National Park and officially began the northern Virginia section of my hike! It should be only about another 10 walking days from here to Harper's Ferry, which is the psychological half way point of the Trail.David Munn picked me up at the hotel about 9.30 AM and drove me to the Post Office then to the outfitter for denature alcohol then dropped me off at the Rockfish Gap AT trailhead where he had picked me up yesterday AM. His free shuttle services were greatly appreciated!I started up the trail into the Park about 10.30 in a dense fog and light rain. I stopped briefly at the SNP kiosk to complete the required backcountry camping permit and got all the paperwork wet in the stteady rain. Pike County and Bobcat came by while I was completing my permit in the rain but I later caught and passed both on an uphill section. My pencil wouldn't write in the rain and the multiple carbon copies seemed like overkill in this digital age.Going past the radio towers on Bears Den Mountain I noticed someone had set 4-5 tractor seats in the ground as sitting chairs. There must be a good view in good weather because the radio towers themselves didn't look to be a scenic view worthy of permanent seating! Either that or someone had way too much time on their hands, and way too many spare tractor parts they neede to get rid of.I arrived at Calf Mtn Shelter for lunch about 2.00 PM to find Weatherman already there for the evening. It was too early for me to quit for the day so I re-tied my boots and hit the trail again. Pike County and Bobcat arrived just before I left. I had managed to stay reasonably dry from the waist up but the tall grass in the meadows sections soon soaked me from the waist down.Weatherman had asked me when and where I had started. I usually answer this question by saying 'April Fools Day from Springer Mtn, GA'. This time I answered it as 'I started 2 1/2 months ago and have walked about 850 miles so far'. Two things struck me immediately. I have been on the trail a heck of a long time; hiking nearly every day for most of the day with a pack that rarely weighs less than 40 lbs and most days weighs more. It has been a long time away from Brenda and Riley and I miss both my girls very much. The other thing that struck me is that I've finally begun to make real progress up the trail. The mid-point has always been a goal too distant to pay much attention to. Now it is only about 10 walking days away! I had joked with folks at my office before I left that I hoped I would make it a respectable distance up the trail before I keeled over and died. It suddenly occurred to me that 850 miles probably qualifies as a respectable distance. Somehow this brief conversation hit home to me that I am making real progress but that it has been a long slow trip.I left the Calf Mt Shelter about 2.30 PM and spent the next 5 hours hurrying up the trail to make the next shelter before dark, more than 13 miles away. The weather was still quite foggy but actully pretty good for hiking; about 51 degrees with a light breeze and the rain had stopped. The trail had a nice surface and was well graded making for fast walking and I arrived at the Blackrock Hut about 7.30 PM, a little earlier than I had expected. Tony Tiger and Handyman were there already and talking about eating lunch tomorrow at the Loft Mt Campground grill. Sounds good to me!Just before arriving at the shelter I heard a noise in the thick undergrowth along the trail. Not being able to see it I presumed it was another deer (I'd already seen 8 deer today) and kept walking. After I walked past the spot a bear cub jumped down from the back side of a tree trunk and ran off! I never did see or hear momma. My first bear on the AT and first for Shenandoah Park!