Day 71: 18 miles hiked (trail mile 903)
This closed cell foam pad z-lite… forget it. It is so hard I feel like I’m sleeping on a slab of pebbly cement. Also, the fabled fire alarm bird paid us a few visits last night and squawked to the tune of “BEEP-WHOOPWHOOP” over and over and with such unwavering consistency that I began to sincerely wonder if we were close enough to a parking lot that there actually might be a car alarm going off.
By morning we were out of camp by 8am and made a pit stop by a picnic area for a restroom break and water resupply. Being in the National Park is so fancy: picnic tables, bathrooms, potable water, bear boxes, campgrounds and wayside/camp stores have made our hike through the Shenandoahs unparalleled in terms of comfort.
We saw a Pink Lady Slipper right off trail! Such a unique plant.
After a few miles, we peeled off at the first camp store in the park. The store is giant—filled with irresistible goodies—and we gorged on snacks and drinks in the company of the Hiker’s Union and Spots and Snapshot. Today was the first day the camp stores have opened back up for the year, so we’re thrilled to have our hike through the Shenandoahs accented by quick and easy resupplies.
Caramel and Curator showed up toward the end of our break and we hung with them for a bit before all departing together. That evening we all reconvened at an unofficial tenting site near an overlook. There was a tent site down the hill a way that was softer and a bit more sheltered from the wind, so we set up our tent there for the night. We ate dinner with our friends and then retired to our tent. My feet ached all day and I think it’s the new shoes breaking in. The consensus from our crew is that it takes a couple days to break in new trail-runners when hiking big miles on them right out of the box.
Day 72: 15.7 miles hiked (trail mile 918.7)
What an incredible day! It was cold and windy when we awoke so we let the sun warm the tent awhile and departed our site around 9am. We hiked strong for the first 10 miles and stopped at a picnic area around 1 for a quick lunch of pb&j bagels. Thanks to some confusion we had around a water source, and with the assistance of the cool weather, we managed to make it the first 12 miles with only a half a litre of water apiece.
We have dubbed these smooth Virginia trails the “Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Trail.”
At 15 miles we hiked off trail a couple hundred yards to a campground store that had high reviews on our Guthook map for being thru-hiker friendly. When we hiked up, we saw our crew from the night before drinking beer and eating snacks at a picnic table out front. We purchased some snacks and drinks and each paid $1 for a 5-minute shower. You had to insert quarters to get the shower flowing and it was hilarious that when the time is up the shower just cuts off without any warning with a loud “CLUNK”.
Thankfully we timed it alright and managed to get clean and enjoy the hot water awhile. I also got to plug my phone and power bank into an outlet outside the store for a couple hours. Our friends made the decision to join us at the next shelter and we all left in our respective pairs to make our way there. Ranger and I hung behind to make an Annie’s vegan mac and cheese dinner in our pot so we could wash the pot in the sink after.
On our way down to the shelter, we saw a rabbit who let us get within a few feet of it while it munched on dandelion flowers.
When we arrived, we scored a decent tent site near Caramel and Curator behind the shelter. The huge crew that hiked out of Waynesboro the same day we did has now passed us so that we are staggered one shelter behind them the rest of the way and will have better campsite selections.
Day 73: 8.1 miles hiked (trail mile 926.8)
It was a cold night. These z-lites really don’t cut it in 30-degree temps with their low R-value. This was the last straw for me, and I will be ordering a different pad as soon as possible. We left camp at 7am and hiked in cold drizzly weather until the turn off for the Big Meadows Wayside. Chris had a cup of coffee, I chugged an apple juice, and we did a light resupply in the general store.
We ran into our crew at Big Meadows Lodge about 8 miles in, around 11am. Apparently, we all had the same idea of dodging the rain. We were seriously considering booking a room, but it was decided for us when we learned the lodge was completely booked. Once inside the lodge lobby it started pouring outside. We made the decision as a group to wait out the rain by enjoying the lodge restaurant and taproom. Mason, a section hiker we met at the shelter the night before, joined our table for lunch.
Mason, Caramel, Curator, Spots, Snapshot, 92, Sticks, Ranger
We ate and drank steadily in the restaurant until the taproom opened at 3, then relocated. 92 showed up, followed by Krash and Hothands. Mason and 92 had both scored one of the last rooms available at the lodge and were quick to offer their floors to anyone who was interested. Considering how chilled we were the night before, compounded by the rain and further dropping temperatures, we decided to take 92 up on his offer. Caramel, Curator, Spots and Snapshot pushed on to the next shelter only 3.5 miles up trail while Krash, Hothands and Deadeye took Mason’s floor.
View from Big Meadows Lodge of rain falling over the Shenandoah Valley
We had a relaxing evening hanging out with 92 in his room and slept decently on our z-lites on the floor (thanks to additional layer of padding provided by the carpet). Also thrilled to be out of the cold and wet for the night.
Day 74: 17.6 miles hiked (trail mile 944.4)
We said our goodbyes to 92 and left the lodge at 7:30am. It was a cold morning, so we hiked fast. We made it to Skyland Lodge around 10:30 and nibbled on some snacks in the lobby. At Skyland we also bought an AT ornament for our Christmas tree.
Later, we enjoyed almond butter bagels for lunch in a beautiful picnic area right on trail.
After hiking awhile, we ran into 92 and his friend who was doing an overnight with him at Byrds Nest #3 Shelter. It was a cool shelter with a fireplace but by this time we had made up our minds to push on.
Nearing our pickup point, we stopped awhile to observe four juvenile buzzards, playfully trying out their wings on a gusty cliff side. It was a comical display; they rocketed around together on the brink of losing control a couple times, squabbled a little bit on land, let their feet dangle down awkwardly as they flew, and floated in place or even drifted backwards while they let the wind woosh beneath their wings. We watched them for a few minutes before leaving them to their escapades.
We made the call to stay at Open Arms Hostel tonight in Luray because they offer free pickup from very near where we intended to call it a day, and it’s supposed to be another very cold night.
Allison and her super sweet dog Blaze picked us up at 5pm from the trailhead where it crossed a major road at nearly the 18-mile mark.
At Open Arms we ran into Hothands and Krash again who were killing a bit of time waiting for Deadeye to catch up. Alison took care of our laundry while we got showered and then took us into town to a Walmart for a resupply. During our drive to the store, she pointed out some of the main sites in Luray. We are both impressed with this quirky town which seems to have much to offer. Since we only must go 30 miles or so until our next hostel we got a tiny resupply, including a couple personal-size frozen pizzas and some fresh foods to cook in the hostel kitchen.
We shared the kitchen and dinner table with Jim, a wanderer who left his corporate job a few years ago to travel in his van and has never looked back.
This was yet another incredible hostel experience for the books; one of the best in fact. We are so glad we made the spontaneous decision to stay here.
Day 75: 21 miles hiked (trail mile 965.4)
After a night of terrific sleep and a hearty breakfast, we got a ride back to the trail with Alison and Blaze. From the top of a mountain, we called our mothers to tell them how special they are.
This afternoon we stopped at Elkwallow Wayside where we once again encountered Mason. We all hung out and snacked awhile before pressing on.
At dusk we saw a couple deer on trail. One was an adult and the other a juvenile that had lost its spots already. Like the deer in the Smokies, the deer in the Shenandoahs are also less timid around people and these two seemed to cock their heads at us in curiosity.
At 21 miles in we stopped about four miles from the edge of the park in a wonderful unofficial tent site (mainly defined by flatness, abundance of trees, absence of widow-makers, and ease of bear-bagging). Tenting options were mediocre throughout the Shenandoahs so this tent site was a treat!
Day 76: 15.1 miles hiked (trail mile 980.5)
We broke down camp at 8. Only about a half hour into our hike 92 caught up with us, having already hiked 6 miles from the shelter we passed him at last night. He proposed that we try out a marine training technique he used to have his recruits do where each person in the group leads at the fastest pace they can steadily maintain for a mile at a time before falling to the back. We did this from 8:30am to 3:15pm.
92 caught a Ring Neck Snake!
We also had a flock of wild turkeys run across the trail! Can you see them? Little specks near the left tree line and across the trail.
At one point we stopped at a trail magic cooler left by the local 4H club. It was stocked with gummies, oranges, and juice boxes, and was a delicious treat!
We lunched at Mosby’s Campground. We are passing through some big historical areas from the civil war and this area was supposedly where a confederate troop encampment was established.
Thanks to the swift hiking pace we made it 15 miles to our pickup point for the Stumble Inn Hostel in Front Royal by only 3:15pm. One of 92’s buddies was in town to visit him and he graciously offered us a ride to our hostel.
Break time at the Jim and Molly Denton Shelter - this shelter was FANCY: 2 levels, picnic table pavilion, solar shower, Adirondack chairs and a horseshoes game
Whew! Almost to our destination!
The hostel exceeded expectations in cleanliness and kindness. Ranger and I shared a bunk room with 4 twin bunks, but no one else showed up so we had the whole room to ourselves. Spots and Snapshot had the private room across from us while Mason and Mountain Slug occupied the other bunk room. We did a speedy resupply in town at a Martin’s grocery with robots patrolling the isles, ate dinner back at the hostel and turned in for an excellent night’s sleep.
Ranger with a flower from the Tulip Tree or Yellow Poplar
Day 77: 25 miles hiked (trail mile 1005.5)
First thing in the morning, the Stumble Inn owners called us all upstairs to the dining room for a family-style hiker breakfast. David made a vegan African peanut stew with rice for Chris and me. Everyone else got biscuits with sausage gravy and other traditional breakfast fare.
David dropped us back off at the trail this morning. Spots and Snapshot needed to be dropped off at a different junction and needed to swing by the post office for Spots’ new boots, so Danielle took everyone else in the van. David explained to us how they were starting up a foundation as a part of their hostel business called AT Kids. The couple had thruhiked the trail via a flip flop back in 2018 and decided to open a hostel/nonprofit to teach kids from local communities about backpacking.
Native blackberries are in bloom; the berries are sure to soon follow!
We were back on trail by 8:30 and used 92’s marine training hiking technique to cover miles as quickly as possible. We have begun referring to these as “Ninety-Twos”.
Halfway through the day, we sped past a day-hiker, and she called out “do you want some trail magic?” We screeched to a halt and she dug a couple cold Gatorades out of her pack for us to chug. Her trail name is Daisy and she and her 21-year-old daughter are planning a thru-hike for next year. For now, she is doing trail magic and always carries snacks and drinks with her for AT Thruhikers when she day hikes.
Daisy
The morning zipped by, broken up by two snack breaks, and we stopped at a shelter for lunch at 15 miles in at 3pm. Immediately after lunch we stepped into a section dubbed The Rollercoaster. It is an intimidating 15-mile section of trail just before Harpers Ferry that consists of many steep and rocky ups and downs, each between .5 and 1 mile up and then back down the other side. We barreled through this as quickly as we could, enjoying the challenge of it. Just before sunset we passed 1000 miles!
Guthook elevation map of the Rollercoaster
The reason for this giant push was to make it to the ATC-owned Bear’s Den hostel by nightfall. In this we succeeded, hiking out of the woods and into the hostel—positioned right on top of one of the rollercoaster mountains—just as the final light was disappearing. Now we know we can hike 25 miles in exactly 12 hours.
Hiking at sunset is one of the best experiences! Everything becomes drenched in warm, vibrant colors.
Approaching the Bear’s Den, an ATC owned hostel that has the look and feel of a castle
Hiking 25 miles is also the length I will go to avoid sleeping on that god-awful z-lite. I guess on the bright side we are enjoying this excuse for a little string of hostels. We are now only 90 miles from my replacement sleeping pad, the x-lite.
Caramel, Curator, 92, and Blue Jacket were already here, along with a few others. We were thrilled to see Blue Jacket again since he is getting off in Maryland to figure a couple things out before hopefully getting back on trail.
92 (in loaner clothes), Ranger, and Blue Jacket
We cooked up some vegan mac and cheese in the kitchen and met Whistler, a man who had to get off trail in 2019 and picked back up where he left off in Hot Springs to LASH the rest of the trail to Katahdin.
We are sleeping in an 8-bed bunk room, but we are the only ones in here! Everyone else is down in the basement in the big bunk area.
Such a neat idea, to capture the spirit of a place in each season.