Town Chores

I woke up Thursday and just didn't feel like hiking. After sitting around in the RV a while I remembered a town chore I needed to do. My phone still just had the original SD storage card in it, so I spent the day getting a larger one, transferring my stuff over, and then downloading all of the test of the topo maps I'll need too get to Maine. Spirit was wanting a new phone so we did that too. 

On Friday I still just didn't feel like hiking. It became RV chore day, restringing a failed pleated curtain and washing bugs of the front of the rig.

Mason-Dixon

So many milestones:  2000 miles a few days ago, then 1000 miles on the AT itself, then the West Virginia and Maryland state borders.

I can see hikers responding to these artificial but still real milestones. "I just want to be done with Virginia", "I'll get to Harper's Ferry and then decide what's next", "I want to do the four state challenge".

I'm goal driven by nature. Very goal driven. It is such a prevalent strength that in excess it sometimes it becomes a weakness.

States, Memorials and Witches

After hiking over a month in Virginia, today I entered a new state, West Virginia!

Home of Harper's Ferry and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, this stretch generates disproportionate importance to hikers. Many hikers use this as a dividing line between the north and south halves of the trail, and complete the hike in two years. Many others start here and hike south, then flip flop up to Maine and hike back to here. 

It is also the dividing line between the "Appalatchian" Trail to the south and the "Appalashun" Trail to the north.

Thunderstorms and Songs

National Hiking Day (June 1) falls on a Saturday this year.  I see lots of day hikers all weekend. In the final stretch of Virginia, there's a13.5 mile segment called the Rollercoaster, named for the closely packed descents and accents. This appears to be a favorite section for many local trail runners and day hikers. 

Whenever I hike there is a song blaring away in my brain. I guess it is triggered by the pounding rhythm of the feet. Some folks hike or exercise with music ear buds and that apparently helps maintain a tempo. For me the tempo picks the song. "Sheela Sheela That's my little Sheela..."

I have a bunch of minor cuts and welts on my legs from the grass yesterday. Skin is amazing; it will patch itself up just fine. I wish my gear could repair itself. I'm glad the weather allows me to just wear shorts and a t-shirt so that most often the scrapes are on my arms and legs so do not require repairs. "Gloria G L O R I A Gloria..." 

Today is hot and muggy so I'm looking forward to the forecasted thunderstorm.

Halfway

I crossed 2000 miles today. Spirit had spelled out 2000 in twigs arranged on the trail, so I let out a whoop as I crossed over it.

Halfway. Halfway between what? Sure, halfway from Key West to Halifax. But that is just the topography. I'm halfway from the person I was when I started to whomever I will be when I finish.

That's a change I welcome.

Elite or Ordinary?

Today I meet Buttercup and Trilium, a couple of marathon athletes backpacking the length of Shenandoah Park. They were thoroughly in awe of thru hikers, which was ironic because they out hiked all of us. 

I've heard the occasional thru hiker expecting favoritism from hotels or other businesses, such as hiker rates, free shuttles, extra hours or other favors. I've even heard, with some sense of entitlement, "But we're thru hikers, so they should. ..."

At each of the shelters there is a spiral notepad for hikers to record their progress and thoughts. An entry at Rock Spring Hut reads "You thru hikers think you are so special. You're not. You're just ordinary people."

 

I agree with the author in the log book.

Blessings in Disguise

Recently cut grass triggered itchy eyes and throat, sneezing and a runny nose.

I had hay fever as a child. Many summer afternoons were spent on the couch waiting for an allergy attack to pass. My eyes and throat were the main targets. The eyes would get insanely dry and itchy but if I rubbed or even touched them they puffed up into red dry balls. Touching them only made it worse. My throat was parched and the roof of the mouth and sinuses itched fiercely. If I lifted my tough to the back of my mouth to sooth, it set off a sneezing storm. I had to just lay there, motionless and breath. I'd fantasize about driving a fork into my sinuses to stop the itching. 

My Mom had the worst part, staring into my puffy eyes and hearing me wheeze, helpless to relieve her child's suffering. 

As I reflect back now I am grateful for the childhood allergies.

Shenandoah

Shenandoah is a full National Park with all the usual backcountry and frontcountry features. But it is a linear park, a hundred miles long and pencil thin. The frontcountry follows the Skyline Drive, while the backcountry follows the Appalachian Trail often only a hundred yards away. It is easy to switch between the two, so visitors can get a sample of the backcountry. 

The front country has full service campground with Ranger talks, camp stores and cafes. That means hikers can get food!

Entering Shenandoah National Park

Beyond Waynesboro, the Appalachian Trail traverses over 100 miles in Shenandoah National Park. I'm entering on Monday of Memorial Day weekend, hopefully as the crowds are headed out.

Town Food: Waynesboro

I think I've put 5-8 pounds back on, even adding a few more pounds after I halted Operation Fatten the Turkey. 

Ming's Chinese Buffet here in Waynesboro is rather famous among hikers and I've been hearing about it for hundreds of miles. It helped power us through the easy 14.5 miles to town in just 5.5 hours. Six dinner plates and nine desserts later I have to agree it is the best buffet I've been to.

Pleasant Days

On Monday the 20th the warm humid weather is here.  Maybe to stay?  Maybe for just a few days? 

I'm seeing more familiar faces now. More people are doing rougphly the same 18-20 miles per day so I see them more than just once. There are still a few faster hikers who fly by doing massive daily miles in Virginia, and also some who started a month before me and are going slower to fully enjoy the trail. But it's nice to see familiar faces.  I've been hiking with Shaman since Daleville.

Back on the Trail Again

I broke out of town! I was ready again at 8:30 but it took until 10 am to get the group on the trail. The miles came easy anyway, 18.5 for the day.

The weather was much like a lush Oregon coastal fog, with the gentle dripping of leaves all day and more rhododendrons in bloom. 

Incremental Zero

Plan: 18 miles

Weather Forecast:  increasing chance of rain through the day to 90% by 3 pm.

Actual:  Packed up and ready at 8:30, checked in on some other hikers and hung around to chat. They are zeroing due to the weather forecast. I join them for lunch, then hang around some more. Ultimately I took an incremental zero. 

The weather turned out perfect for hiking, neither hot or cold, no rain, no wind. Finally at 5pm there was a brief sprinkle, but not much.

I enjoyed the time with other hikers and pigging out at restaurants, but in retrospect would have preferred to hike. 

Sounds: Daleville

Last night the National Weather Service issued a localized storm advisory for dime-sized hail and 40 mph wind from 9 pm to midnight. I checked the radar and it was 15 miles to the west, headed east. I opted for camping inside a shelter for just the fifth time. But nothing showed up except some wind in the tree tops. I guess it went southeast and just missed us.

As the first morning light glimmers, intense bird song erupts. There have been birds every day but this is far greater than I've heard before, even in tropical jungles. As the sun rises different species join in or fade away. For about 90 minutes all sorts of beautiful song and noisy raucous are mixed into a cacophony.