Waynesboro, VA to Front Royal, VA 4/18/2009-4/24/2009

Photos: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2360642510104728652QPzdhF

4/18/2009 - 10:15 PM - Waynesboro, VA - 0.0 mi today - 852.5 mi total

Busy zero day! Showered at the YMCA at 7AM (first person in the building...Mum would be proud). When I was all cleaned up, we all (Chert, Grizzly, Wally, Pacman, and I) headed over to the pancake breakfast. Yum! Ate 9 pancakes and 5 sausages. OJ and milk went down well too. Next, we went to the Post Office, then laundry. Afterwards, I hit Kroger for a couple odds and ends. Updated the blog at the library and went back to camp. The other guys decided to hit the trail today, but I had more stuff to do and chose to stay. Called home and contacted Trail Angel Norman for a ride in the morning back to the trail. Splinter (a guy I had met in Damascus) cme into town and we got a ride from a local youth minister who told us about a time he got mugged and then gave the guy a hug...interesting character. He dropped us off at Ruby Tuesday which was a good 2 miles away from camp and gave us the most confusing set of directions for how to get back. I had the Colossal Burger. Yum! Got a taxi back as it was getting dark and we didn't think we would have much of a chance hitching without our backpacks. I just managed to sew a new sleeve for Harley's pack using just my headlamp for light. Quite pleased with myself, but we'll see how long it lasts. Now to bed. Good day of rest. Looking forward to Shenandoah.

4/19/2009 - 8:45 PM - Blackrock Hut - 19.9 mi today - 872.4 mi total

Got up at 7:30 and started to pack. Cloudy and muggy all day, but no rain. Started to walk to Kroger, but met Norman on his way out of church. He gave me a ride to the trail. Started hiking at 10AM. Filled out a backcountry permit at the Shenandoah National Park entrance station. Pretty easy hiking all day. Had lunch at Calf Mountain Shelter. As I was walking in the afternoon, a tree fell over about 25 yards to my left. It made a lot of noise and was a reminder that anything can happen in the woods. Glad that I had my SPOT with me just in case. Harley is supposed to be on a leash in the park, but having been off leash for the past month or so, he's not too happy about having to stay within six feet of me(and I don't like being tugged in every direction or tripped by the leash). I'm trying to work around it as best I can. I think I will just try to keep him close and clip him in when we get near Skyline Drive or a campsite. We crossed Skyline Drive 7 times today and will cross it 21 more times before we leave Shenandoah National Park. Got to Blackrock Hut at 6:45 and met 6 section hikers. All of them liked having a dog around. Pumped water and had dinner. The bear bag hangers here are pretty annoying. They are twelve foot tall poles with hooks at the top and you have to use another long pole to lift your bag to the top, but the two poles are chained together, so you don't have much range of motion. When your food bag is as heavy as mine usually is, it can be quite troublesome. I almost took my head off. Looks like an easy 20 tomorrow. Might be rainy though. Nice little fire tonight, though it didn't last long.

4/20/2009 - 8:30 PM - Hightop Hut - 21.4 mi today - 893.8 mi total

Got up around 7 and retrieved my wet food bag from the bear pole. Rained solidly all last night and looked like it wasn't going to stop all day. I begrudgingly put on all my rain gear. Took a break at Loft Mountain Campground with a couple from Richmond. It was nice to get out of the rain for a snack break. Pushed on to Pinefield Shelter for lunch. Met another thruhiker named Primitive. He started a week before me and I have been a couple days behind him the whole way. He's slowing down now as his girlfriend joined him in Waynesboro for the rest of the trip. Really like the wraps for lunch (cheese, summer sausage, and honey). From there it was 8 miles to Hightop Hut. Decided to shed my rain pants about three miles before the shelter as I was getting hot and sweaty and the rain had lifted. Big mistake. When I was one mile away from the shelter, all of a sudden there was a thunderclap and a huge downpour. I threw my jacket back on and made a charge for the shelter. It was no use. I was soaked to the skin by the time I got there. Harley was scared of the thunder and mopey from being wet. There were already 8 people at the shelter huddled together out of the rain. They were all very nice and made room for me and the wet dog. I dried Harley off as best as I could and then he went and snuggled on someone's sleeping bag (luckily they were dog lovers). Started to do my other chores and the rain broke and the sun came out. Virginia weather is getting to be more and more like Rochester weather! One of the section hikers (Trailname is "I'll Try") works for the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) and told me that I am in the first 20 thruhikers of this year and the first one with a dog. Woohoo! We'll have to see what number I am when I get to Harpers Ferry and have my picture taken at the ATC headquarters. We were able to get a fire going, so I dried out my clothes and socks. Crustless Pizza was awesome for dinner (came out more like a stew, but tasted like pizza). All of the other hikers were jealous of my home cooked meal. Forecast doesn't look good for tomorrow (Somebody had a Blackberry). May pull a short day tomorrow. I'm not in any rush.

4/21/2009 - 8:00 PM - Rock Spring Hut - 23.9 mi today - 917.7 mi total

Two months ago today, I began my journey at Springer Mountain in Georgia. I've come a long way since then (so has my beard!). Was the last out of bed this morning. Felt a bit lazy and let everyone else pack up so I had more space to manuever (it gets pretty cramped with so many people in a shelter). Left camp at 9AM, but had passed everyone within the first three miles. Stopped for a snack break at the 900 mile mark and ran into "Bluegrass", a NOBO thruhiker turned flip-flopper (EXPLANATION: He hiked Northbound (trail lingo = NOBO) from Georgia to southern Virginia, and then got off the trail to go to a Grateful Dead concert somewhere near the trail. After the concert, he couldn't get a ride back to the trail, so followed the band to Washington DC where he caught the train to Harpers Ferry, WV. From there he is hiking south until he gets to wherever he got off the trail. "Flip-flopping" is when you hike half the trail in one direction (the "flip") and then "flop" the other way. Most "flip-floppers" start or end both of their sections in Harpers Ferry, WV as that is pretty much the halfway point of the trail. Hope that all made sense. I realize that I use a lot of trail lingo in this blog and should probably explain myself a but more. If you're confused, write me a comment and I'll try to clarify next time). Nice guy, but he had a case of the "Virginia Blues" as he hasn't seen many thruhikers in a while (EXPLANATION: "Virginia Blues" is a pandemic that usually hits thruhikers somewhere in the middle of Virginia. Basically, a lot of people leave the trail in Virginia just because it is long (over 500 miles) and they start to get frustrated and depressed as it seems that you will never get out of the state. Having personally experienced the "Virginia Blues," I can tell you that you feel homesick, you wonder why you ever decided to hike this trail, your feet complain every step of the way, the weather is bad, etc... It's a bad state of mind to be in when you are hiking.). Cruised on through and had lunch at Bearfence Mountain Hut. The beautiful morning weather turned cloudy and eventually rainy over lunch. I decided to try to push through it as I knew there was a little restaurant at Big Meadows Wayside where I might be able to eat some real food. Rain came harder and I picked up the pac. Got to Big Meadows and must have walked right past the wayside without realizing it. By the time I realized where I was, it was too late to double back as they were closed (one of the downfalls of not carrying a map). Very dissappointing. I was soaking wet and would have paid anything to stay at the Big Meadows Lodge and just get out of the rain. It was closed for the season. Cue the "Virginia Blues." I didn't have much of an option, so I kept walking to Rock Spring Hut and the sun finally came out and the rain stopped. What a relief! I found the shelter empty and happily hung a laundry line to try to dry my clothes. Cooked dinner (Chicken and couscous) and watched a beautiful sunset over the valley. Funny how a crappy rainy day can get you down, but a couple hours later you can be on top of the world. Now just looking at the city lights in the valley. Harley is having an intense dream. Let's see if he growls at me tonight (last night he growled at me when I tried to move him so I could get in my sleeping bag. He very quickly realized that I'm the boss!).

4/22/2009 - 8:30 PM - Pass Mountain Hut - 15.3 mi today - 933.0 mi total

Got up at 7, but took my time getting ready much to Harley's chagrine (He likes to get moving in the morning). It was cold last night! Glad I still have my winter gear. Left camp at 9 under partly cloudy skies. Wasn't in a rush as I had planned to hike a short day. Got to Skyland Lodge (one of the attractions along Skyline Drive) at 11AM and found that the breakfast buffet had ended at 10:30 and lunch didn't start until 12. Frustrating! I ordered a box lunch for $12 (ouch) but it was good. First time I have had a sandwich with real bread in a long time. The cookie was delicious. It started to snow as I left. Cue the "Virginia Blues." I can't wait to get out of this state. Pretty easy walk from there. Found a note at Bird Nest #3 Hut from The Walkers, family friends, offering to have me to their house for a night or two. That was exciting. Found another note a couple miles later (They had left notes for along the trail near road crossings). Found a payphone at a road crossing and tried to call, but it went through to voicemail. Will try again tomorrow from Elkwallow Wayside. Looking forward to seeing them and spending a night off the trail (especially with the weather of late). Also tried calling home to no avail. From there it was only one mile to Pass Mountain Hu. Arrived at 4:30 to find an empty shelter and made dinner (lasagne...mmmmmm!). Thought about moving on so that I could get to a payphone earlier in the morning, but decided that I didn't trust the clouds and wanted to avoid a wet tent and dog if possible. Built a nice fire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVyQRbg9i54) which cured the "Virginia Blues." Off to bed now and an early morning tomorrow so I can meet Mrs. Walker at Tom Floyd Wayside tomorrow.

4/23/2009 - 10:00 PM - The Walker's House, VA - 23.6 mi today - 956.6 mi total

Alarm went off at 6 this morning. Harley didn't want to get up. Had breakfast and hit the trail at 7. It did rain a bit last night, so I am glad that I stayed in the shelter. It was still partly cloudy when I left, but it cleared as the morning progressed. I was really moving as I was motivated by the thought of a night off the trail and real food. Got to Elkwallow Wayside at 9:30 and found that the grill was open. Ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a blackberry milkshake (it's never too early for a burger!). Called Mrs. Walker and decided on a time and place to meet. She mentioned that they lived near to a Wegmans and I was overjoyed. It's been too long since I was last at a Wegmans! I hit the trail again at 10:15 and felt like I was floating along. The combination of friendship, milkshake, and good weather boosted me along the trail. Stopped at Gravel Springs Hut for my second lunch of the day. Ate my normal portion as the burger had gone down without touching the sides. Crossed Skyline Drive a couple more times in the afternoon and finally exited Shenandoah National Park at Possum Rest Overlook. Shenandoah is a really nice park, but due to a combination of the Virginia Blues and some bad foggy weather, I don't think I was able to fully appreciate its beauty. I hope to come back here someday and hike the park again and also drive the length of Skyline Drive. It is a bit wierd as a hiker, though, because you walk along in the trees lost in your thoughts, and all of a sudden you hear a car zoom by about 30 yards to your right. Personally I prefer the backcountry where the nearest road is miles away. There is something to be said for a mountaintop view when the only way to get there is by hiking. It kind of takes something away from the view when you look down and see a road overlook 20 yards below you with car tourists scattered everywhere. Alright enough rambling. Got to Tom Floyd Wayside with 15 minutes to spare and quickly signed the shelter log. The shelter looked really nice and even had a porch area with seats. I hear that the shelters between here and Harpers Ferry are nice. Look forward to checking them out. Found the side trail to VA 601 and follow it to the "parking lot" which was a pulloff on the side of a dead end single lane dirt road in a rural neighborhood. Decided to walk down the road to the nearest intersection in hopes that Mrs. Walker would be able to find it more easily. Good thing I did because she had trouble finding me. Harley and I were very happy to see her and jump in the minivan. She had brought me orange juice, clementines, grapes, and a load of candy for the car ride to the house. I was in heaven! It was kind of wierd to be hurtling down an interstate, but it was a nice break from the trail. We stopped in at the Giant grocery store to pick up stuff for breakfast and then went to the house. I took a shower and threw my laundry in the machine, and then enjoyed a nice dinner with Dr. and Mrs. Walker. I made sure there weren't any leftovers. Called home and got my ESPN fix. The NFL draft is this weekend, which I will obviously be missing. Last year, I was in New York City and attended it in person. Guess I'll just get the full report on Monday or Tuesday when I get to Harpers Ferry. Really glad to be here. Its a little bit of home away from home. After a day of rest tomorrow, I think I will be ready to tackle that last bit of Virginia (I only have 50 more miles in Virginia) and keep heading North.

4/24/2009 - 12:00 PM - The Walker's House - 0.0 mi today - 956.6 mi total

Enjoying a nice zero day here at the Walker's House. I got up early this morning (it's hard to break the early morning habit) and enjoyed a huge cooked breakfast. I think I had 8 eggs, 10 pieces of bacon, two potatoes worth of hash browns, a yogurt, two pieces of toast, and three glasses of orange juice. That should hold me over until lunch time. My body is a metabolic machine right now! I have spent a while updating my blog and adding pictures and videos. I have added a picture link to each of my blog posts so you know which pictures correspond to which entries. I have so many pictures online now, it is starting to get a bit confusing. Here is the link to my "bookmark page" which breaks the album up into different sections: http://community.webshots.com/user/HarleyandMe/bookmarks. Also, if you want to check out the ATC interactive map, check out the link here: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4850633/k.9733/Interactive_Map.htm. This afternoon, I look forward to visiting Wegmans and taking the dog for a walk around the neighborhood. Now it's time for lunch. Please feel free to leave comments below (I love reading them) or shoot me an email at harveysgwilliams@gmail.com