Date: 2004-05-17
From: US 522 at Front Royal, VA

To: Day 58: Rod Hollow Shelter, VA
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Since I knew I had a long hike scheduled for AT Day 58, my wife and I got up at 4:00 a.m. and we reached the US 522 AT trailhead near Front Royal, VA by 6:50 a.m. The sign put up by the AT trail maintainers warning of the muddy section at the start of the trail was still up and since it had rained for the past several days, I decided for once to heed their advice and take the short (50 yards) detour along the road before rejoining the trail at the fence bordering the east side of the National Zoological Park. As it turned out this precaution proved to be pointless since the trail was very muddy in many places on this warm, humid/foggy and often rainy day. There was also a lot of tall grass and other foliage near the trail and since it was coated with rainwater, my legs got soaked from the thighs on down ¢ including my socks and shoes. The latter was the main problem since getting my legs wet was quite pleasant and I was wearing my Gore-Tex jacket to keep my arms, torso and head dry. Getting my shoes and socks drenched, however, was another matter since this clearly contributed to the painful friction sores I was developing on my swollen toes and ankles.The walk along the National Zoological Park was particularly interesting since with the dense foliage, fog and the high chain-link fence toped with bobbed wire; I kept fantasizing that I was walking along the border to ¢Jurassic Park.¢ The latter fantasy became particularly acute when I came to a short section of the fence that was downed (apparently due to some work they were doing) since it was easy for me to imagine a 15 foot high man eating raptor charging out of the dense greenery to do battle with me and my walking sticks. Mind games can be great fun when you are all alone on the trail!Despite the wet conditions and my increasingly sore feet, the terrain for the trail was in fact quite forgiving and I made quite good time. When I stopped off at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter at the 5.2-mile point, I ran into Sugar Daddy and a couple of other new-to-me hikers who were accompanying him. I stayed only long enough to eat a snack, sign the register and wish them well. At the 10.2-mile point I came to the Manassas Gap Shelter where I stopped for lunch, filled out the register and chatted with a young male SOBO section hiker who was trying in vain to dry out his sleeping bag and clothes in the shelter. At the 15.1-mile point I arrived at the blue-blazed trail to the unusually shaped, but frankly rather ugly Dick¢s Dome Shelter. I ate a snack at the shelter and loaded up five quarts of water since I wasn¢t sure if I would make it to the next shelter and I needed to be prepared for dinner and breakfast as I camped along the trail.The latter precaution may have eased my conscience, but it sure added to the weight of my pack and to make matters worse I discovered that with the very dense foliage, fallen trees, rocks and the sloping terrain along this portion of the AT it was not possible to pitch my tent before I had covered the full 24.1 miles to reach the Rod Hollow Shelter. Since it was nearly dark and I was quite tired when I started down the blue-blazed trail, I didn¢t even bother to hike the extra 20 yards or so to check out the shelter after I came across a prepared campsite. Instead, I decided to set up my tent, prepare and eat dinner and get to bed as quickly as possible. However, since I was being pestered by a lot of bugs flying around (apparently attracted by my delightful odor and my head light), I didn¢t manage to get to bed before 10:00 p.m. despite my most efficient efforts.Now although a 10:00 p.m. bedtime isn¢t a problem for most folks, when you¢re through hiking the AT and you have a 3:45 a.m. wake-up alarm, and you expect numerous nocturnal bathroom and re-hydration breaks (I drink at least one quart of Crystal Lite flavored water a night to ward off chronic dehydration.), and you toss and turn all night on the hard ground anyway due to exercise and injury induced restlessness, the additive effects of sleep deprivation can in fact become a problem. Nodding off at rest stops and a general lack of zip in your step is especially noticeable in people like myself since I am also not drinking any coffee on the trail because of its diuretic effects. All things considered, I knew I was going to be tired the next day.