Date: 2016-06-24
From: Days Inn

To: Pinefield Hut
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up to sunshine at 6am. Wohoo finally the rain has subsided. I got up and jumped in the shower while Otter took Ghost outside. By the time I got out of the shower Otter had gone and come back from Starbucks with coffee. Yes!! I was pretty much packed and ready to go. Otter was gonna stay one more day as the antibiotics was giving him terrible digestive issues and really didn't wanna be in the woods. He was taking stuff to off set that side effect. He was planning on getting dropped off where ever I was on Saturday. I loaded my stuff into the car and we were on the road by 7am. We stopped at a gas station on the way so I could grab something to eat for breakfast. I got dropped off by Otter at Turks Gap at around 7:45am. His plan was to bring the rental back to Stauton and then get a ride back to the motel and take it easy. Judging the condition of Skyline Drive this morning I assume it was pretty nasty up here the last few days. I started off and my body was in fairly good shape and seemed to jump right back into hiking mode. The biggest thing I noticed today was how many times you cross Skyline Drive when you are hiking the AT through Shenandoah National Park. I understand it's because the trail used to be where the road is now and they needed to relocate the trail when Skyline went in, but the amount of times it crosses almost ruins it for me. I hope as you get further north it becomes less but I don't think it will be. Don't get me wrong it's very pretty and the park is wonderful but it seems like every few miles you cross and then cross again. I stopped at Blackrock Hut for a snack and to refill water. The trail overall this morning was easy grades with some climbs but it is laid out in such a way that it's not overly difficult. The top of Blackrock Mt had some nice views and the AT skirts the summit which is just lose boulders which you can climb up and see the view. I took some pictures and moved on. I stopped at Brown Gap and ate lunch. I then began the climb up Loft Mountain where there is Loft Mt campground. I was planning on stopping at the camp store for some resupply stuff and to charge my phone. The trail was rather rocky which made the going slow. In Shenandoah Park the trails are marked with concrete pillars with metal bands at the top telling you what's in that direction and distance. It's a different style of trail markers and they must last longer than wood but the look of them are rather ugly. I'm not a fan. The AT skirts around the campground and there were many concrete pillars telling you what campground services where nearby. I walked 3/4 of the way around when I finally found one for camp store. I walked up to the camp store and plugged in my phone and iPod. I went inside to pick up some lunches and to buy a cold drink. I hung at the store for about a half hour then pushed on. In a mile there was a side trail that went down to Skyline Drive where there was Wayside which was like a park cafeteria which did burgers and hot dogs. There exhaust fans were broken so they could only make cold sandwiches and hot dogs. I ordered 2 hot dogs, a small soda and a bag of chips all for only 11 dollars. Good grief I forgot national park food is not cheap. I ate and packed up and had to walk the .50 miles back up the hill to the AT. Walking down to Wayside it was a 1/2 mile straight down and I knew the hike back up was going to stink. I got back to where I left off on the AT and continued north. There was a ledge look out about a 1/2 mile north of where I got back on the trail. Nice views and to the north there was a towering thunderstorm. I pulled up the radar and that cell was moving east. Phew! However there was another cell north of that which was moving due south. The next shelter Pinefield Hut was about 4 miles away so I didn't waste any time and moved. After about a mile of a steady downhill it turned around and became a steep uphill. My foot started to hurt where I had fractured my foot about ten years prior. This usually means the support in my footwear are shot. Luckily Jeff ordered me a new pair of inserts and will be bringing them next weekend. I struggled the last three miles. My foot throbbed and I had no choice but to keep walking. I was also racing the clock as the storm was getting closer. Well at the top of the ridge where there had been a fire last year the storm hit with lightning, thunder and rain. Ugh!! I was only about .75 miles from the shelter and I didn't make it. Luckily when I arrived there was still a spot upstairs in the shelter up against the wall. I threw my bag up, hung my food from the bear pole and rolled out my pad and sleeping bag. Definitely time to crash as I just had done a 22 mile day. When I arrived waterfall was at the shelter on the main floor. I hadn't seen her since Marion where she, her guy and myself ordered pizza and had it delivered to the shelter. That was at partnership shelter in southern Virginia. I guess the guy she was hiking with (can't remember his trail name I gotta look it up) went home. Didn't get the whole story. Also sweep was there set up next to her and I saw her last when I was racing to catch Ompi. I met her right before I got into Bland. Finally right before I turned in for the night Gasket showed up and I hadn't seen him since Damascus. He had waited for side winder to feel better and then took two days off to watch a sports event. I didn't catch what event it was. It's kind of nice to have all these familiar faces around me. Also I should mention there was a ridge runner at the shelter named Carl. He was really nice and I think I saw him doing trail work the first day we got into the park.