Date: 2023-05-22
From: Rod Hollow Shelter

To: Four Mile Campsite
Miles today: 26.3

While still breaking camp, I saw Shower again, from Stanimal's Hostel in Waynesboro, on his way out with a hiking buddy.I set out at 7:30. It would be plenty of time to get through the roller coaster -- a trail segment about 15 miles long with several long climbs and descents -- but it was rough, and got pretty warm.The first couple climbs were steep and tough. On the second one, I ran into Plunger and Skippy again. We hiked together for a while. I asked Plunger if he saw the plunger in moldering privy at Chestnut Knob Shelter. He did not, and said he got his name from a cold plunge early in his hike. I took off after they took a break -- they had started at 4 somewhere before the shelter area where I stayed. I passed Shower and his hiking friend, and later leapfrogged with them again - I need to ask for his name. I took an extended break at a nice tenting site near Buzzard Hill, after the fourth climb. On the way to my break spot, I passed a sign post with supporting rocks around it, but no sign. I had day hiked much of the roller coaster segment twice, and I knew a sign was supposed to be there to mark 1000 miles for AT NOBO thru hikers. I was angry that some shithead took the sign.I ran into Plunger a couple more times as we hot water past the Sam Moore Shelter, maybe climb 6 or 7. On the way up to the Bears Den overlook, which might be climb 9, I ran into Skippy too. We chatted for a bit. In the state, she has thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the Hayduke Trail, and the Grand Enchantment Trail. We exchanged parts of our experiences, her with the Hayduke Trail and me with the Colorado Trail. She is thinking about hiking the CT if she finishes the AT with enough time to do that and not go beyond the six month travel visa.I checked out the Bears Den hostel to see if I could snag a treat, but they were closed. I saw Rocket doing the same. I returned to the Bears Den overlook, and had lunch with Plunger and Skippy around noon.The tenth climb up from Snickers Gap wasn't bad. The eleventh one was pretty long and felt steep in spots, but I finally got to the WV/VA border on the way up. Yay! Then I was also rewarded with a great view at Raven Rocks. Sweating enough water to feel like I'd washed off my forehead at a sink, I took a much needed water and electrolytes break there.The twelfth and final climb wasn't steep, but it carried on for a while, and I was getting tired of the climbs. But I finally got through it, and from there onward the trail mellowed out a lot - I could hike about 3 mph through much of the stretch.I made it to the junction for the Blackburn Center around 4, and didn't go there. I wish I had gone there to at least use the spigot, because after about an hour, I had to walk a quarter mile downhill to get water from a spring at the David Lesser Memorial Shelter.I decided to press on, because I saw easy access to some country store east on Keys Gap, where I arrived around 6:30. This country store just turned out to be a convenience store at a gas station. The grill wasn't working, but I got some prepared foods in the refrigerated section, plus a few snacks, fruit, and ice cream that made for a decent dinner. I left around 8, and got to a dry campsite about 4 miles from the town of Harpers Ferry to set up camp around 8:45.And no giardia symptoms whatsoever.