Date: 2016-04-29
From: Bearfence Mountain Hut

To: Byrds Nest #3 Hut
Miles today: 22.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The crew, including me, mostly, was up around 6 for the early breakfast run to Big Meadows. My morning routine, I don't know how, but manages to be significantly slower than everyone else's, and everybody was out and I finished packing up while talking to Philip, the section hiker whom we stayed with and woke up. The morning was foggy and misty just like last night. I hiked quickly up and out of the shelter and into the cold misty morning. The hiking wasn't difficult, and I moved over the terrain. Everybody was hiking pretty fast and it took me quite a long time to catch up with Large and Blues. After a few hours of good hiking I turned off the trail up a gravel road then along Skyline Drive towards the Big Meadows Wayside. I pulled in just after 9. This wayside is incredible. It's like a diner and a camp store and gift shop combined. I sat down with White rabbit, Spidey and bolt and ordered eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast and pancakes. Breakfast hit the spot and the camp store was way more extensive than anyone was expecting. I could have brought essentially no food and still been pretty ok. We hung out together for a while outside and willed the sun to come out, which it did, kinda! Bolt, white rabbit and I paced each other over the next little bit and then took a break at an overlook where we had reception and the fog finally broke (we poked out above the cloud line). We split up over the next bit when I went to get water at Rock Spring Hut, and a few miles on I came to the turnoff for Skyland, the largest resort in Shenandoah. I wasn't planning on stopping in, but who should I see but Sooner or Later walking out. He apparently missed the turnoff to Big Meadows and decided to treat himself here instead. I was incredibly enticed by his description of the dessert, so I decided not to forego the chance to eat two non trail meals in a single day. As usual I felt like a fish out of water walking into the very posh dining room of Skyland and getting waited on. I ordered a big salad and then the dessert that Sooner recommended, the blackberry ice cream pie, which was pretty amazing. Treat Yo Self. As I walked out of Skyland, I found Bolt, Spidey, Large and Blues walking in. They were all in good spirits together. We were finally in the sunshine and having clear good hiking in the Shenandoah. As the trail began to descend off the higher peaks, though, the fog came back, and the wind was blowing enough that the condensation on the trees was coming down like rain. I moved down to Skyline Drive and then began to climb up to The Pinnacle. The fog wore off again up near the top, and I spent a very nice time laying out on a sunny rock drying off and enjoying the view down into the valley. I napped and watched the clouds roll down and disappear as they crested the Blue Ridge. I finally decided to push on the final mile to the shelter. The fog came back a few hundred used before the shelter. I found white rabbit there, who was extremely angry to hear that her father had gone to Skyland without her, as well as a ridge runner and a section sobo named Chilly. I talked with the ridge runner for a while. The four others showed up soon, and eventually we all made dinner. The fog burned off some and we were treated to a nice sunset as well as the company of a few very not-shy deer. It's been a good day.