Date: 2007-06-25
From: Waynesboro, VA. 

To: Shenandoah National Park
Miles today: 0.0

Hi everyone! I'm in Waynesboro, Va, at the gateway of Shenandoah National Park, which I'll be entering within a few hours, hopefully. Waynesboro happens to be the filming location for Evan Almighty, out in theatres now, I think. It's a pretty town, one of the largest I've seen on the trail. This past week has gone by quick, but quite a lot has happened. I broke my mileage record on Friday, doing 27 miles in one day! I didn't plan it, but woke up early, and just started walking. I even made it to my campsite with a few hours of daylight left. I followed it up with a 25 mile day, and before it was a 19.5. So, I have been hiking long miles recently, but feeling pretty good. Entering the Shenandoahs today, I'm hoping to finish them in 4 days, which amounts to 107 miles. It is supposed to be easier terrain, with snack bars, restaurants, and restrooms along the way! I'm planning one 35 mile day, and the rest are all in the 20s, so wish me luck! If everything goes well, I'll be out of virginia in a week, through west virginia (it's four miles), and into maryland! Aunt Tonya, I understand you all are away on vacation, but I'll give you a call close to the weekend, and maybe we can all meet up? The trail was pretty tough last week, with 4 days of long climbs. Each one was around 3000 feet of elevation gain over 3 or more miles of climbing. and at the end of the day, you got to descend all the way back down just to start again in the morning! I do have one story that was quite dramatic. On Sunday night I was staying at Wilson Creek Shelter. I was camped out in my tent. There were two other people there, camping as well. Around nine thirty, I started hearing the tell-tale foot prints of a bear (I've learned to recognize their sound. It's immistakable. I saw my 8th bear on saturday!). Well, it was pretty far away, so I fell back asleep. Maybe thirty or fourty minutes later, I woke up again, still hearing it moving around. It was closer now. I started listening to it, as it wound its way towards the shelter, through the woods. Eventually I heard it coming around behind my tent, still a little ways away. Well, I got my headlamp on and got out of my tent, where I gathered a pile of rocks. I threw a rock over where the sound was coming from and heard the bear run off. Not far. It started slowly circling again, so I threw another rock. Nothing. I shined my headlamp in the direction of the sound, and my blood ran cold. I felt a shiver run down my back as the light of my headlamp glinted off of two eyes in the night, staring at me, less than fifty feet away. The eyes were set apart a good enough distance, and high enough off the ground, that I knew this was no small bear. Well, I gathered enough wits about me (or lack of, as some would say) to grab another rock, and take aim at those eyes.   The bear ran off a little ways again. Next, I grabbed my hiking pole, some more rocks, and went and stood on top of a picnic table, hoping to make myself appear larger than I felt. For the next hour, I felt like a circus trainer in a ring with a lion, only it was pitch black, the lion was a hungry bear, and the only times I could see it were when those eyes turned my direction.   The bear continued to circle around me, always a little ways away, while I threw rocks at it. Eventually, I must have hit it because it scattered and never came back.   Well, it appears my time is up, so I have to cut this short. I hope everyone is doing well. Wish me luck in the Shenandoahs, and check out the new pictures!