The Shenandoahs

Day 72

I woke up feeling even better, but I didn't have much of an appetite and ate very little at the continental breakfast. We stayed in the hotel room until we had to checkout and headed to a laundromat to do our laundry. At some point we decided to take another zero to rest, especially considering the church hostel was now open and offered a free dinner and vesper service. After doing our laundry we went to the library for a few hours. We bought a few items for lunch at Kroger, but I still didn't have an appetite and ate little. We went to the free church hostel and had their potluck dinner. Again, I didn't eat very much. At the vesper service, the pastor talked about how great it was for us to be able to walk. He talked about how people are in their cars too much and don't get to engage the world from inside, but we, as walkers get to engage with nature and people a lot more easily. Soon after vespers we went to sleep with all the other hikers in the big auditorium room.

Day 73

We woke up and ate a little of the breakfast they had provided at the church. We hitched back to the Trail in the back of a pickup truck After a few minutes of hiking through the dreary, wet air we reach the entrance station for the Shenandoah National Park, where we registered for free. As we hiked on my stomach began to really hurt and I moved very slow. I felt like I was still sick, but pushed on for several miles before we sat for a snack. I thought maybe I was just weak and needed food so I ate a lot even though I didn't feel like eating that much. Once we began hiking again I felt all better. We hiked a few more miles to Calf Mountain Shelter where we ate lunch. We decided to spend the night there even though it was so early and we hadn't gone very far, mostly because it was supposed to rain in the early evening and we were going too slow to reach the next shelter before then. After a little while the sun came out to stay, but we stayed inside the shelter. Nepsis read while I read and napped. By the end of the day we wished we had gone on, but it was too late so we went to sleep and planned to wake up early and hike a long day.

Miles hiked today: 7.6 Total AT miles completed: 865.5 Total AT miles left to hike: 1319.8

Day 74

We woke up at five o'clock and started hiking. The terrain wasn't too bad. After a few hours we began to see several weekenders hiking on the Trail too. We also found a fairly large turtle on the Trail. The Trail kept weaving back and forth across the Skyline Drive which runs through the entire Shenandoahs. In the afternoon we passed by Loft Mountain Campground and went to the camp store to get a day's worth of resupply. When we were back on the Trail for just a few minutes Nepsis stopped and pointed forward. Just ahead, right on the Trail was a mamma black bear with two little cubs. They saw us and dashed into the bushes. When we got closer, we saw one of the cubs in a nearby tree, peering down at us. He jumped down and ran away. Nepsis noticed they had flipped over a large stone and were eating the bugs underneath it. A mile further we took a side trail down to one of the famous Waysides that sold the blackberry milkshakes I had read so much about during my research for our journey. When we got there I was hugely disappointed to find out their milkshake machine was broken. We bought dinner though, which neither of us could finish. I went to the bathroom and discovered I still had diarrhea. We hiked back up the side trail and when we got to the top I had to quickly rush into the brush with some more diarrhea. Just a bit further on I had to go yet again and took some medicine afterward. In a couple of miles we made it to Pinefield Hut where we spent the night.

Miles hiked today: 26.2 Total AT miles completed: 891.7 Total AT miles left to hike: 1293.6

Day 75

We passed over a few of the bigger mountains in the Shenandoahs, but they really weren't big at all. We hiked fast and in the afternoon we passed the 900-mile mark. On our way down a mountain a couple of girls were hiking up with daypacks and gave us each some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and small cans of coke. When we got to the gap, a woman had set up snacks and cold drinks as trail magic. We had just eaten lunch, but I still enjoyed a beer and a few snacks. We hiked on quickly and arrived at Lewis Mountain Campground where we purchased calzones at the camp store. Less than a mile from there we stayed at Bearfence Mountain Hut for the night.

Miles hiked today: 20.6 Total AT miles completed: 891.7 Total AT miles left to hike: 1293.6

Day 76

We woke up and hiked fast to Big Meadows Wayside so I could finally get my blackberry milkshake. Once there, a sign was posted saying no milkshakes because their soft serve ice cream machine was broken. I couldn't believe it, but thankfully the waitress told us she could still make us the milkshakes if we gave her time to let the normal ice cream set out a bit. We ate a second breakfast there and thoroughly enjoyed the milkshakes. I forgot to get a picture before devouring it, but thought I'd get one at the next Wayside. After our meal we took a side trail to Lewis Falls. The guide book said it was only half a mile away, but it was closer to a mile and a half. After enjoying the view of the falls we hiked a few more miles to the Skyland Resort & Restaurant where we consumed beer and expensive food with other hikers. We didn't leave until 6:45 pm and had six and a half miles left to get to the next hut. It was a race against darkness. After our legs kicked back into gear, we booked it, hiking so fast it seemed like we were constantly on the verge of breaking out into a run. We crossed Stony Man, a bunch of rocky cliffs, and down a rocky path toward the hut. In our way, we saw a few bears, including one walking down the path in front of it. I videoed it while we followed it for awhile, before it veered off into the woods. It started getting dark when we were on top of the Pinnacle and we raced down the other side as it got darker and darker. Byrds Nest #3 Hut came into view at about 9 pm just shortly after it got really dark. We were happy to be there and went to sleep quickly, despite the brave mice approaching close to our faces before scurrying away.

Miles hiked today: 22.4 Total AT miles completed: 934.7 Total AT miles left to hike: 1250.6

Day 77

We woke up and started hiking slowly. My legs were quite tired from the previous night's ultra-fast last six and a half miles. It was lightly raining for an hour or two before we reached the Elkwallow Wayside in the afternoon, my last chance to get a blackberry milkshake. They said the machine was down for cleaning which seemed way too silly. Every single Wayside had a problem with making their signature dish: the blackberry milkshake. We got lunch anyway and ate it under a pavilion outside with a bunch of other hikers. After awhile a few of them went back in and came out with blackberry ice cream cones. I went in and they said that not only were milkshakes unavailable, but also the ice cream because it was too hard to get out of the tub. That made me really angry, but I didn't protest. It isn't any good to get angry at such a silly thing. None of us hikers felt like moving on, but slowly we all one by one slipped on our packs and headed down the Trail. After several long miles we made it to Gravel Springs Hut where we spent the night.

Miles hiked today: 17.5 Total AT miles completed: 952.2 Total AT miles left to hike: 1233.1

Day 78    

We woke up and hiked ten miles out of the Shenandoah National Park. On the way out we saw one last cute cub which brought our total bears seen in the park to ten. It was a great way to leave. A few miles from there we hitched a ride from US 522 to Front Royal where Stonewall Jackson once battled the Union to take over the town. We found a cheap hotel and a pizza joint before walking around the town and getting a chocolate malt. In the evening we stayed in the room resting and watched a couple movies and TV shows before going to sleep.    

Miles hiked today: 13.4 Total AT miles completed: 965.6 Total AT miles left to hike: 1219.7

              

 

 Let's see if I can post the video: