Tag: 2024

“I was just fifteen and out of control, lost to James Dean and rock and roll.

I knew down deep in my country soul that I had to get away.

Hollywood was a lady in red who danced in my dreams as I tossed in bed.

I knew I?d wind up in jail or dead if I had to stay.

I thought happiness was Lubbock, Texas, in my rearview mirror” – Mac Davis

Mid-80s, rainy.

Up at 6:15. Ate breakfast and got ready to drive to the trailhead. Left at 7:05 and got to the trail at 7:35. It’s still raining on and off. Will run into occasional rain all day, but it’s warm!

Lol. Interesting trail magic as we crossed the BRP. Smoke ‘ em if you got ‘em. 

Stopped at 9:05 and mile 3.6 at an overlook for a snack and a view. Back on the trail at 9:20.

Got a great view of Wintergreen ski resort at mile 6.8. 

Summited Humpback Mountain at 11:40. We have 11.2 miles predominantly downhill for the rest of the day.

Got my first tick. He was just crawling on me.

Got to the Paul C. Wolfe shelter at 3:00. Great water from the creek. We have 4.8 miles to go. Should be to Rockfish Gap about 5:30.

Saw a yearling bear just after the shelter. We scared it and it took off running. Young and gangly.

Ran into a huge patch of wine berries. We ate our fill. Yum!

We got to Rockfish Gap at 5:30. We got a hot dog and a coke at a roadside stand while waiting for the shuttle. It was very hot this afternoon. Heat index at 100. 

Back to the hostel, arranged a shuttle to go back to the trail at 7:30 tomorrow, showered, did laundry, packed up my backpack. All ready to rock and roll in the morning. 

Used a beard trimmer at the hostel just to clean things up a bit. 

I’m trying not to carry much food into the Shennies as there are waysides and camp stores almost daily after the first day. I am carrying a bit too much, but better than some people I could mention 🙂

I am excited to get into the Shennies. This is one of the big 3 parks on the AT. To a lot of us, it also marks the end of the boring, nasty central Virginia trek. The last 7-9 days have been boring, steep, hot, and pointless. They were just miles you had to do to get from southern Virginia to Shenandoah. And some of those were damn hard miles. We pushed big mileage days to get them done. They were like work every day. I’m happy to put central Virginia in the rearview mirror and say goodbye to Waynesboro.

We have a kind of leisurely schedule for the Shennies. First day we need to do 21 miles because of water issues, but after that we re taking our time. We have an 11.5, 13, and 15-mile day planned. Shennies start what I consider to be the flat part of Virginia. From here on up to northern Pennsylvania, things are relatively easy. Emphasis on the word RELATIVELY. Even the Virginia rollercoaster is easy compared to what we have done. More on that later.

If my back would stop hurting every day, we would be cursing even on the hard days. I just can’t figure out how to get my back to behave. I will start taking ibuprofen and trying to stretch more, but this has been going on for about 3 weeks and seems to be getting worse. Even when slackpacking with a 10-pound pack.

Side note…the brothers we have been hanging out with for the last week are on a different schedule starting tomorrow. They may catch up to us at some point in the future, but we said goodbye to them this evening just in case.

Technical Notes:

• Mini donuts 600
• Trail mix 270
• Little Debbie oatmeal pie 240
• Trail mix 270
• Sausages 260
• Sausages 260
• Hotdog 375
• Dr Pepper 150
• Chocolate chip cookie 400
• Dinner 1000
• Seltzers 500
• Fritos 500
• Water liters 4
• Miles 19.1
• Time 10
• Elevation gain 3000
• Calories consumed  5000
• Calories burned 7000

Nice day off in Waynesboro, VA.

Did laundry, flushed the water filter, cleaned gear, and posted a week’s worth of blogs. That last took all afternoon.

Overkill and I resupplied at Walmart.

Overkill and I walked a mile to a great AYCE Chinese buffet for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality. Really good food. 

Got all my gear packed and arranged a shuttle to take us to the trail at 7:30 a.m.

Technical Notes:

• Mini donuts: 600
• Burrito: 760
• Body armor: 40
• Fruit: 200
• Chocolate chip cookie x2: 400
• Seltzer: 300
• Chips: 1000
• AYCE Chinese: 3000
• Water liters: 
• Miles: 
• Time: 
• Elevation gain: 
• Calories consumed:  6500
• Calories burned: 

Up at 5:00. Packed up all the gear I’m NOT slackpacking with and loaded it in the van to go to Waynesboro. Left the hostel for the trail at 6:20.

We got dropped off at 7:15 about 1.1 miles from the trail. There is a private road, Spy Rock Road, that allows hikers access but no vehicle access to the trail.

Today will be a tough hike. We have 6000 feet of descents followed by a 6-mile 3300-foot climb up to Three Ridges. 19.7 miles plus the 1.1-mile walk up Spy Rock Road. Temps might stay in the low 80s , so we got that going for us.

Got on AT at 7:52. Overkill realized she lost her water bottle with her Sawyer filter. My bet is it fell out in the shuttle. She has 2 spare water bottles and can use my filter today. She had enough cell service to order a new filter to get delivered to the hostel in Waynesboro tomorrow.

9:00 quick snack.

Stopped at Priest Shelter at mile 4.3 at 9:50. Had a snack and got water from the spring. This place had the best privy on the AT. Confessed our sins to the Priest. Back on the trail at 10:30.

To clarify, it is a tradition for thru-hikers to update the shelter log at the Priest Mountain Shelter with any sins they committed on the trail so far. Hence confessing to the Priest. There is some seriously funny stuff in that logbook.

Got to the Tye River at 12:40 and 9.1 miles. Passed an 80-plus youth group on the trail. Got cold water from their support team at the base of the mountain. Took a 10-minute good break.

Got to Harper’s Creek shelter at 2:00 and mile 11.8. This is the last water for the rest of the day.

And now for the fun part of the day for the next 3.4 miles. Back on trail at  2:25

Summited Three Ridges at 4:22. Texted the hostel with our ETA of 6:30 for a shuttle. That was a nasty climb. We knew it was long and steep, but good god the rocks! There were multiple places that were 80+ degrees of rock inclines. Wasn’t expecting that!

We hauled ass as best we could. The last 3 miles were a death march. We got to the parking lot at 6:20. The other pair of hikers we are with from Stanimals got there 20 minutes ahead of us. We all agreed that today was one of the hardest days we have had in a long time. We are all looking forward to a zero tomorrow. 

Shuttled to Stanimals in Waynesboro. Arrived at 7:00 ish. Showered and wandered into town for dinner at the Tailgate Grill about 3 blocks from the hostel. My kind of place. Great burgers.

Very tough day. Many people told us that this was one of the hardest sections in Virginia. This made 5 big days in a row…117.1 miles in 7 days and some of them were very big ascents and descents.

The vibe at Stanimals is interesting. Very much the commune vibe. Lots of pot and shrooms, but not obnoxiously so. Chill vibe from the other hikers and the staff. Lots of vortexing happening.

And again to clarify. Vortexing is when you get sucked into a hostel/town for several days instead of hiking out the next day. 

Technical Notes: 

• Pop-Tarts 380
• Little Debbie oatmeal pies 340
• Body armor 120
• Trail mix 200
• Peanut butter crackers 250
• Sausages 390
• Sausage 130
• Sausage 130
• Fig bar 210
• Bacon double cheeseburger 600
• Fries 400
• Twix 440
• Seltzer 300
• Chocolate chip cookies 300
• Water liters 5
• Miles 19.6 + 1.1
• Time 11
• Elevation gain 5473
• Calories consumed  4400
• Calories burned 8000

Up at 5:00. Thunderstorms and rain last night cooled things off a bit. Should be in the mid-80s and partly cloudy today. That was the first rain in several weeks. 

Headed out to the trailhead at 6:15. There was a tree down on the BRP as we drove to the trailhead this morning. The 8 of us manhandled it out of the road. Little upper body workout to start the day. And we had to stop to get a baby raccoon out of the middle of the road. Getting good karma this morning.

We got dropped off at 7:15 about 1.1 miles from the trail. There is a private road, Spy Rock Road, that allows hikers access but no vehicle access to the trail. The walk up to the trail is a good warmup….so I am telling myself.

On the trail at 7:45. The hike today is much easier than yesterday. Two good climbs but only about 1.2 miles each and not insanely steep. 

Stopped for a snack at 8:30 and 2.0 miles in.

Got water at mile 3.

Stopped for food at 11:50 at mile 9. Back on the trail at 12:05.

Summited Cole Mountain at 1:25 at 11.2 miles. We have 5 miles to go.

We saw a big rattlesnake across the trail around 3 miles left to go. About the size of my upper arm and 4-5 feet long. Took a bit to get him off the trail.

YouTube video of the Rattlesnake 

We met The Rascals for the first time today (Glass, Newt, Polar, 23). I will see them a lot on and off for the next 3+ months.

Got to trailhead at 3:50. Good day. Back hurts though. I moved my hip belt lower on my pack about 2-3 inches (as far as it goes). Will see if the longer torso on the pack will help.

Overkill and I went to the restaurant for dinner at 5:30, then picked up a few groceries. Got mostly packed up for the transfer to Waynesboro tomorrow. Got online and paid the monthly bills. Had a long call with Dana, then hung out till 10:00 when I went to bed. 

We need to nail down hotels for Front Royal and Harpers Ferry as those both fill up fast with tourists this time of year. We can do that on our zero in Waynesboro.

Technical Notes:

• Pop-Tarts 380
• Blueberry pancakes with syrup 400
• Sausages 650
• Little Debbie oatmeal pie 340
• Fig bar 200
• Trail mix 500
• Dr. Pepper 150
• Italian sub 1200
• Onion rings 400
• Pringles 400
• Cider 700
• Water liters 4
• Miles 16.3  + 1.1 + .6
• Time 8:10 + 30
• Elevation gain 3100
• Calories consumed  6000
• Calories burned 6700

Up at 5:00. Had blueberry pancakes for breakfast courtesy of the hostel. We headed to the trailhead at US 60 at 6:05. Should be about a 40-minute drive.

Clear, hot, going up to 98.

We were on the trail at 6:45. We need to be done before 6:00, which means we have less than 11 hours to do 22 miles. More like 9-10 hours. We have one big 5-mile climb midday. Overall, we need to move quickly today…3 miles per hour where possible.

Got to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter at mile 1.9 at 7:20. Back on the trail at 7:30.

Stopped at mile 5.1 at 8:30 to get water at a very dry “cascade”. Not the best flow, but Overkill was able to collect 2 liters with some patience.

Stopped at mile 10.7 at 11:30 for water and food. Very good water flow here, so we topped off. No water for the next 9 miles. We are just about halfway after 5 hours. Back on the trail at noon.

We just don’t make the kind of time on the trail that the younger folks do. We are staying around 2 mph average. No way we are finishing by 4:00. Lucky if we make 5:00. I’m not unhappy with our pace, just in slight awe of those who are doing 3 mph even in these mountains.

Just after lunch, we have a nasty climb. It’s only .9 miles, but it’s 832 ft/mile….ugh. This will take us past Punchbowl Shelter. 

And immediately after that climb, we ascend Bluff Mountain. Another .9-mile climb but only 704 ft/mile.

Summited Bluff Mountain at 1:15. 

Took a snack break at 1:30. We have 8.7 miles to go by 5:00. Mostly down…some of it VERY steep down. The sun and heat are brutal today. We need to be careful with water as what we got is all we get until just about the end.

We got to the parking lot at 5:25. That was 22 miles in 10 hours and 40 minutes. We were the last ones back to the hostel by an hour. We just aren’t fast…we are slow and steady. 

We crossed the 800-mile mark today. Woo hoo!

The trail mix I got yesterday was a fail. There were chocolate chips in it. That did not work once it got hot today. I put it in the hiker box and I’ll buy some different trail mix tonight. I need to expand my selection of snacks as well. I might look into some bars or cookies. Will browse the store this evening.

Success at the market. Trail mix without chocolate plus some fig bars, crackers, Little Debbie’s, sausages, and electrolytes. Got my slackpack all ready for tomorrow by 9:00 p.m. We have 17.5 miles to go tomorrow. 

Got an hour to chill out before quiet time. In bed at 10:00.

It seems like we have temporarily formed a new bubble. There are about 20 of us who are hiking around each other and leapfrogging each other for about two weeks. This includes Puzzler, Rose, Zach, Shaggy,  23, Tortilla, and several others. Partially because of the heat. People are doing shorter miles and hiking at night and split days. Also more slack packing and hostel time due to heat. The hostel in Glasgow is full again tonight. That is unusual for this time of year. My guess is things will spread out in the Shennies.

Technical Notes:

• Pop-Tarts 380
• Blueberry pancakes with syrup 600
• Beef sticks 480
• Cheese crackers 250
• Trail Mix 370
• Beef sticks 360
• Trail Mix 500
• Dr. Pepper 150
• Chicken cheesesteak 750
• Fried mushrooms 350
• Cider 400
• Water liters 5
• Miles 22
• Time 10:40
• Elevation gain 4519
• Calories consumed 4600
• Calories burned 7400

Up at 5:00. On trail at 6:20.

Nice overlook at mile 774.2

Stopped for snack and water at 8:00. So-so water. Had to scoop it.

Started to see the evidence of the wildfire from last fall. NOT a controlled burn.

Stopped for food and to fill water at mile  7.1 for today. We made reservations for bunks at Stanimals hostel in Glasgow. Shuttle should get us around 3:00 at the James River bridge. 

This little girl wanted to join us for lunch.

Walked through several miles of last fall’s wildfire. Very desolate.

Here is a view back to the FAA radar facility we hiked by late yesterday. Look closely in the top center to see the dome. Apparently, we hiked in a big horseshoe today.

Stopped at Matt’s Creek shelter at 2:00 for a quick break. We have 2 miles and 1 hour to our shuttle. Going to have to hustle.   We just descended almost 5000 feet and it was rocky, steep, and had big, sharp drops. Not fun! Levels out the rest of the way to our shuttle spot.

Crossed the James River on the footbridge in the hot afternoon. Made it to the shuttle at 2:57. Three minutes early 🙂 Grueling !

That was a grueling 5171-foot descent. Most of the second half of the day was in the wildfire area. The pictures just don’t do justice to the burn areas or the regrowth. 

We settled into the bunk rooms at Stanimals, showered, did laundry, went out for dinner, and bought basic supplies for tomorrow. The hostel offers a 5-day slackpack package from Glasgow to Waynesboro. First two nights at Glasgow, next 3 nights in Waynesboro including a zero day. $250 including a bunk, showers, and the driving. Not a bad deal since we were going to zero in Waynesboro anyway. The heat index is over 100 the next several days with some big climbs. Slackpacking those is going to help a lot PLUS these will be big 20-mile days which will SAVE us 1 day on our overall schedule. Anything that saves a day is a good thing.

Got my big pack all set up for slackpacking tomorrow. We will be doing 22 very hot miles from US 60 back to Glasgow departing at 6:00 a.m.

Technical Notes:

• Pop-Tarts 380
• Pop-Tarts 380
• Trail mix 200
• Crackers 210
• Snickers 220
• Snickers 220
• PayDay 240
• Dr. Pepper 150
• Dr. Pepper 150
• Spaghetti 2800
• Pringles 300
• Gatorade 140
• Water liters 5
• Miles 14.7
• Time 8:40
• Elevation gain 1884
• Elevation loss 5171
• Calories consumed 5290
• Calories burned 6500

Up at 5:00. Out of camp at 6:15.

Mid-70s, clear, no wind, going up to mid-80s.

Stopped at Jennings Creek at 7:30 for water. Back on trail at 7:55.

This is a fun way to start the day. Summited at 9:10. Headed to a shelter in 2.5 miles for water and food.

Made it to Bryant Ridge Shelter at 9:55. This is one of the largest shelters on the Appalachian Trail. It is a towering, double-decker with space for around 20 people. 

And now for a 4.2-mile 2500-foot ascent. Happy, happy joy, joy. Headed out at 10:45.

Well, that was not fun. Got to the shelter at the top of that lovey climb at 1:55. Nobody else here. Put up a clothesline to dry clothes and settled in for a nap. 

My back is not happy with me right now. I just can’t get my pack fitted so as not to give me back pain. Some days are better than others, and today is a bad day.

Nice siesta. Back on trail at 4:30. Got 5.7 miles to go to get to camp for tonight with a 1.5-mile climb.

Passed an FAA radar station.

Crossed under the famous Guillotine at mile 771.9.

Crossed the BRP again at 7:10 at mile 772.5. Only .3 miles to camp.

Made it to Thunder Hill Shelter at 7:20. No cell. Good water. Two older gentlemen in the shelter. Got all set up and ate dinner at 8:15. 

Big day today. I think 5864 is my biggest elevation day yet.

Really looking forward to a town day tomorrow afternoon. Should be in Glasgow by 3:00. Need supplies, a shower, laundry, fuel, and a pizza. We hope to get a shuttle into town as opposed to hitching the 6 miles.

Technical Notes:

• Pop-Tarts 380
• Pop-Tarts 380
• Trail mix 400
• Snickers 250
• Snickers 250
• Trail mix 100
• Trail mix 210
• Trail mix 210
• Dehydrated chicken 170
• Ramen x2 720
• Water liters 7
• Miles 17.3
• Time 9:30
• Elevation gain 5864
• Calories consumed 3070
• Calories burned 6500

Up at 5:00. Out of camp by 6:05. Didn’t sleep well last night. Big ants in the shelter crawling on me kept waking me up.

Got to Wilson Creek Shelter at 9:16 and 6.2 miles. Not bad time so far. Took a good break and had a second breakfast.

It’s windy, clear, and in the upper 70s going up into the mid-90s.

Ran into an owl while refilling water. 

Stopped by Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) at 11:15 for a snack. 4.8 more miles to the next shelter. We will rest there till early evening. Then 6.4 miles to Cove Mountain shelter for the night. 

Crossed the BRP a couple of times.

Made it to Bobblet’s Gap Shelter at 2:20. Will hang here until around 4:30-5:00 then head to Cove Mountain Shelter.

Got a little water from the barely flowing pipe, had a nap, ate a big snack, and headed out at 4:40.

Stopped at a creek 3.5 miles before our final destination and loaded up on 4 liters of water. No water at the shelter tonight. 

Got to Cove Mountain shelter at 7:50. Got the shelter to ourselves. Got all settled in and started dinner at 8:30. The plan is to be on the trail at 6:00 a.m. sharp.

Our goal is to be in Glasgow, VA in 2 days or 32 miles. Very doable.

Technical Notes:

• Pop-Tarts 380
• Quest cookie 220
• Snickers 250
• Trail mix 210
• Trail mix 270
• Fritos 400
• Dehydrated chicken 170
• Mountain House rice&chicken 560
• Pop-Tarts 380
• Water liters 7
• Miles 20
• Time 11
• Elevation gain 4131
• Calories consumed 3000
• Calories burned 7500

I just looked at some past mileage and thought I would list them:

• Days 63 to 69 – 104.8 
• Days 56 to 62 – 99.1
• Days 49 to 55 – 88.6
• Days 40 to 46 – 84.3
• Days 39 to 45 – 69.6
• Days 32 to 38 – 58.5
• Days 25 to 31 – 74.6
• Days 18 to 24 – 63.4
• Days 11 to 17 – 51.7
• Days 4 to 10 – 61.3

Up at 8:00. Ate mini-donuts I bought at the market last night. Worked on blogs till 10:30. Got all videos and photos uploaded and all the blogs written. Just need to upload the text and insert the photo links sometime soon.

Overkill walked to the post office and Kroger. Got her new shoes and supply box. She picked up ramen, pop-tarts, and Propel for me. 

I got all my food and gear packed and was ready to check out by 11:10. Met Overkill in the lobby and we planned out our next few days. We left the Super 8 for the trail at 11:50.

It’s 96 degrees, no clouds, and no wind. We are going to go 5 miles to Fullhardt Shelter and then make decisions on what’s next. We want to get the big climb out of Daleville knocked out. 

We crossed under I-81 and passed the 1/3 of the way point. Woohoo!

Walked past a random pair of nice sneakers sitting beside the trail at mile 4. WTF?

Got to Shelter at 3:00. Rose and one other guy are also here. Filtered and chemically treated water from the cistern at the shelter. We have not had rain in a long time, so that water in the cistern has been there quite a while. 

Met a guy doing 35-mile days. He started at Springer on June 1. His base weight is 9 lbs. This is insane!!!

We decided to stay here tonight. It’s hot, and we did not get much break last night. We will call it a reverse Nero !

We are going to try getting up and moving by 6:00, hiking till 1 or 2, napping/resting, eating dinner early, then hiking again until 8:30 p.m. With this heat, that could be a good plan.

Got 7 days’ worth of blogs uploaded and announced to the world. Made dinner at 6:00. My fuel can is almost dead. Forgot to get a new one in Daleville. Curious to see if it makes it two more meals into Glasgow. If not, I can borrow from Overkill. In bed at 8:45.

Technical Notes:

• Mini donuts 1000
• Pizza 800
• Mini donuts 200
• Dehydrated chicken 170
• Ramen 580
• Fritos 200
• Water liters 3
• Miles 5
• Time 3:00
• Elevation gain 
• Calories consumed 2950
• Calories burned 3000