Out of Shenandoah National Park

I got to hike north today so I dropped Gene off at Manassas Gap then drove back to Compton Gap on Skyline Drive.  Boy, was that a world of difference in settings.  Compton Gap is in deep woods just off Skyline Drive--a scenic byway with a 35 mph speed limit.  Manassas Gap is only feet from an I-66 overpass with cars and trucks screaming down the highway at 65+ mph.  On the trail, within minutes the sound of traffic on Skyline drive vanishes leaving only the sound of birds.  Several miles before I reached Manassas Gap I could hear the sound of rushing traffic.

First signs of civilization

Hiking north, I was seemingly alone on the trail.  I didn’t see anyone until I came to VA 522 a few miles from Front Royal.  I passed them while they were taking a break and they passed us while Gene and I were having lunch on the side of the trail.  I didn’t see anyone else until I was almost finished with my hike.  Gene, on the other hand, got to see several people northbound, including Eddie whom I has spoken with yesterday.

Nice resting bench under an apple tree

Today’s hike took us out of Shenandoah National Park which is kind of a milestone for us.  We have now hiked over 200 miles since starting this project.  We have about 90 miles to go to reach our goal of the Mason-Dixon Line.

I thought the hike was interesting today, even if it was long and hard.  The couple of miles from Compton Gap to the Park boundary was in deep woods with no views, but almost immediately after I passed the boundary sign I came to a rock outcropping which offered a peek over the top of the trees to the ridge beyond.

Another couple miles and I came to Tom Floyd Shelter.  It was very close to the trail so I went over to check it out.  There was no one there so I took a picture and hurried on my way.  Gene met a lady later in the day who had stopped in and was greeted by a bear.  Thank you, Lord, for watching over me once again.

Our hike today also took us over some pasture land.  That was a first for this trip, although it is quite common in Central and Southern Virginia.

Tomorrow is a rest day.  I’m sure there will be a few chores to do, as well.

Hogback Mountain to Compton Gap

It was good to be back on the trail again.  The weather was just about perfect with temperatures in the mid 60s and a light breeze.  Who could ask for more?

Remains of an old park comfort station

Gene dropped me off at Compton Gap and I began my trek south.  I was a little nervous at first because the trail veered away from Skyline Drive and I had that remote feeling of being in the wilderness by myself.  Add to that the fact that bears and other wildlife are out early foraging for grub and I could work myself up into a real state.  However, about 15 minutes into my hike, I saw the first northbound thru-hiker.  Then hikers came, one after another, about every 10 minutes all day long.  I saw more hikers today than any other day on the trail.  Two warrant additional comments.

First, there was Eddie.  Of course, I didn’t know what his name was at the time I spoke to him on the trail.  He was the second hiker I saw this morning.  As he approached, I commented that he looked like he may have started his hike at Springer Mountain.  He confirmed and I asked how it was going.  I was surprised when he said he was disappointed in not seeing a bear.  From where we were talking, he was only about 3 miles from exiting Shenandoah National Park, one of the most likely places to see a bear along the trail.  During the few brief moments of our conversation, he informed me that about a half mile back there was an arrow on the trail indicating which direction the bear went.  This was not information I needed.  I thanked him for the tip and wished him well on his journey.

The bear went thata way.

Sure enough, about a half mile up the trail, I came to the “arrow” where the bear had crossed the trail and continued on into the woods.  As I was making the photo, another thru-hiker came along.  He asked if I had seen anything interesting and I related my conversation with Eddie.  I gave him the description of Eddie--an older gentleman with a red bandana tied around his head and speaking with a strong European accent.  This hiker told me that Eddie was from Germany.  Of course, I still had not learned Eddie’s name.

About a tenth of a mile before I got to the truck, I ran into a young couple (husband and wife) hiking north.  We went through the normal, “are you hiking thru?” to which they confirmed.  They mentioned having seen 3 bears yesterday and I related to them my conversation with Eddie.  They were the ones who gave me his name and also that he had never hiked or backpacked before coming to America to hike the Appalachian Trail.  He didn’t even know about the AT until reading Bill Bryson’s book.  Bill Bryson’s book is quite entertaining, but relates little of what hiking this trail is really like.  According to this young couple, Eddie has been very surprised.  However, Eddie is still out there and has hiked over 900 miles.  You go, Eddie!

The other noteworthy hiker I met was a family group--mom and dad about 30 years old with their two young daughters about 5 and 7 years old.  Mom and dad were carrying backpacks and I assumed they were out for a couple days.  When I asked mom how far they were going, I was shocked to learn they will be out for the rest of June and plan to hike 170 miles.  You go, little girls!

View of Shenandoah Valley

What a great day for a hike and what great people I met along the way.  Gene didn’t have nearly as much fun as I did.  Tomorrow, he can hike south so he’ll meet all the northbound hikers.  Besides, the hills tomorrow are steeper and higher southbound.

That’s all I have for today.

Skyland to Little Hogback Mountain

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.  Our campground was full; maybe not 100%, but very nearly.  The smell of woodsmoke and hamburgers permeated the air.  The garbage dumpster is full of beer bottles.  I guess, a good time was had by all.

Hazy views all day

We were out on the trail, of course.  Normally, we prefer to stay at home and away from the crowds at times like these.  However, our time here is slipping away and we still have several miles to go to reach our goal.  It just worked out that our hike Sunday coincided with the most popular trails in Shenandoah National Park as well as the holiday weekend.

Sunday, we hiked from Skyland near the stables to Thornton Gap passing along the way the trails to Stony Man, Little Stony Man, and Mary’s Rock.  We didn’t count, of course, but I think we can safely say we saw a couple hundred people on the trail that day.  Ten years ago, we hiked to all these features.  If you visit Shenandoah, I would recommend these hikes--they offer some great views.  Since we’ve “been there, done that”, we just kept moving through the crowds and past the overlooks.

Hogback Mountain

I hiked south, again, starting at Thornton Gap.  There is a large parking lot at what used to be the Panorama Restaurant.  I had read (or heard) that it was later a Gift Shop.  What it is now is restrooms--that’s all.  Nothing to eat; nothing to buy.

By the time I got the nearly 2 miles uphill to the cutoff to Mary’s Rock, I was plenty tired of going up, so I didn’t.  Mary’s Rock offers the best views in the park.  There were plenty of rock outcroppings along the ridge-line and I made a couple photos.  The morning was hot and muggy, so the view was hazy.  Gene somehow had the energy to go up to Mary’s Rock as he came past.  He was there later in the afternoon and the haze had lifted.  He had a better view, but not the camera.

Little Stony Man

We met for lunch at the Pinnacles Picnic area.  The trail passes just to the edge of the picnic area.  We were lucky to get a table; even luckier to get one in the shade.

As I passed Little Stony Man there were climbers repelling off the edge.  I saw a rope stretched across the trail.  I looked to my right and all I saw was a helmet disappearing below the rock.  I’ll keep my feet on the ground!

Yesterday, we hiked from Thornton Gap to just north of Little Hogback Mountain.  This was a little farther than we originally planned, but the overlook where we were going to park at the north end was closed for resurfacing.  The next parking area was only a half mile farther north, so decided to hike longer rather than going back south a mile and a half.

There were no exciting features along this stretch of trail.  There were a couple of views, but we were mostly in the woods.  The highlight of the day was stopping at Elkwallow Wayside.  Like the typical thru-hiker, neither of us could pass up a chance for food.  The wayside was 5 miles from where I started--a perfect morning break stop.  I got there at 10:30 and ordered the famous blackberry milkshake.  I met Gene about an hour later and just sat on the log while he ate his lunch.  When he passed the wayside, he stopped in for a milkshake as well.

Looking toward Stony Man

It turned out to be a 13 mile day and we were both really tired puppies last night.  Stopped for burgers on the way home and barely managed to get our showers before collapsing in our recliners.  Pretty pitiful compared to the thru-hikers who are doing 20-25 miles a day through this section.

All is well this morning, but no hiking today.  In fact, no hiking for a week.  Tomorrow we are going to move our home up the road about 100 miles to Winchester.  Also tomorrow, our RVing friends, Tony and Diana, will be checking into the same campground.  We’ll spend the next 5 days being tourists and enjoying their company.

That’s it for today.

Shenandoah National Park

Well, we took a zero today instead of going back to finish the Central section of Shenandoah National Park.  There were several reasons; perhaps the chief of which was still tired from yesterday.  There was also more rain in the afternoon forecast.  Rain always puts a damper on my enthusiasm.  We had originally planned to take a zero today anyway since our friends, Diane and Zvi, were scheduled to reach Rockfish Gap today.  We were planning to pick them up when they came off the trail.  As it turned out, they got ahead of their schedule and reached the gap yesterday afternoon and were on the highway heading for Nashville before we got home ourselves.  It was yesterday evening when we decided we could hike today, but the motivation had evaporated by this morning.

I feel compelled to write a little about Shenandoah National Park.  We have visited this park several times in the past and always enjoy its beauty.  Our focus this time is hiking the AT along the ridge line which essentially parallels Skyline Drive.  We’re not seeing much of anything else the Park has to offer.

This is a hikers park.  In addition to the hundred miles of Appalachian Trail, there are some 500 more miles of trail on either side of Skyline Drive.  These trails, because they are generally accessed from Skyline Drive, can be easily turned into loop hikes by using the AT to connect with two or more trails.  Scattered along the AT about every 10 or 12 miles are shelters (or “huts” as they’re called within the Park) for overnight use by hikers.    There is also camping permitted in the backcountry with a permit.

If you like waterfalls, the Park has 9.  This spring would be a great time to visit the waterfalls since there has been so much rain this year.

Skyline Drive has 75 pull-outs which offers splendid views of the valleys below.  For the more adventuresome, hikes to the rocky summits of Hawksbill, Old Rag, Mary’s Rock, or the Pinnacles will put you on top of the world.  They say, on a very clear day, you can see the Washington Monument.

There are campgrounds at Loft Mountain, Lewis Mountain, and Big Meadows.  Big Meadows will accommodate larger rigs.  Of course, this is a National Park and there are no hook-ups; however, there are dump stations.  There are also lodges and cabins with soft beds and private showers.  Over the years, we’ve stayed in everything Shenandoah has to offer, especially the ground in the backcountry.

This is also a wildlife lovers park.  There is a huge population of deer here.  They are so habituated to humans they almost seem tame.  We can walk up to them on the trail and they seem not to notice.  They present somewhat of a driving hazard, however, and you have to be constantly alert for one to dart out onto the road.  Bears are everywhere, as well.  In the spring and summer, if you don’t see a bear at Shenandoah, you’re not paying attention.  Yesterday, I saw five.  They also have a habit of walking onto the road right in front of you.

One of the more special places to visit while in the park is Rapidan Camp.  Rapidan was  a summer retreat/fishing camp for President and Mrs Hoover.  You can walk down there and explore on your own or take the Ranger led tour which includes a ride down and back in the park van.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Shenandoah is a marvelous place to visit, even if your not interested in pounding out the miles on the AT.

That’s it for today.  I’ll get back to my resting, and tomorrow morning we’ll hit the trail again.

Bootens Gap to Skyland

Before I get started with today’s adventure, let me just say that yesterday was nothing special.  We each had a few chores on our lists.  We had planned to work in a lot of resting, but somehow the chores took more time than anticipated which resulted in not much resting.  Oh well.

Trail passes Tanner Cemetery

We hurried out of the house early this morning.  We had a long hike planned as well as a long drive to the trail.  Thunderstorms were in the forecast for the afternoon, so we wanted to get as much hiking done as possible before the rains set in.  In my haste, I forgot to fix the cooler with cold drinks--something we have come to highly anticipate each afternoon.  Besides the cokes, I had bought candy to include in the cooler.  Really sorry I forgot that!

The trail passes the stables at Skyland

Gene dropped me off at the north end of the hike at the horse stables at Skyland.  He went back down to Bootens Gap where we finished on Wednesday.

View of Hawksbill

We had a long day (12.8 miles), but the hike was about the easiest we have had so far.  The terrain was gentle and the trail was in excellent condition. There were a few more rocks than we have been having, but those sections were short.

We had great views this morning.  There were several rock outcroppings which offered unobstructed views of Ida Valley and the surrounding mountains.  I stepped out at a few of these places, but since the view was the same each time, I went on without bothering to look every time.

View of Ida Valley

There were many hikers out today.  I saw more thru-hikers than on previous days and the weekend backpackers were out in full force.  Naturally, the holiday weekend has the vacationers out and I saw several family groups along the trail.  For the first time ever, I saw a young couple with their babies.  The husband was pushing the double stroller and the twins, who looked to be about 2 months old, were sleeping.  The stroller was wider than the trail.  I hope they got back to their car before the rains started.  And I hope they do a thorough tic check when they get home.

It was also an eventful day for wildlife.  On our drive to the trail, we saw the mom and 3 cubs.  They were crossing the road just south of Lewis Mountain Campground.  Had to have been the same little family we missed on Wednesday.  The bears are fast.  Again, I was not quick enough with my camera.  We both saw deer again today.  Gene says he saw 9 deer.  Gene also saw a turkey, groundhog, a couple chipmunks, a squirrel, and a raven.  As I went past Hawksbill, I watched for falcons, but didn’t see any.  In the late 1980s and early 1990s, peregrine falcons were released at Hawksbill in an effort to reintroduced these magnificent birds to the park.

I met Gene just as I arrived at the edge of Big Meadow campground.  We sat on a rock for our lunch.  Too bad I wasn’t just a couple minutes earlier, we could have had a picnic table for our lunch.

Waist high fern

The thunderstorms came as predicted shortly after one o’clock.  I was on my ascent of Hazeltop Mountain only about a mile and a half from the truck.  I stuffed the phone and camera in the dry bag and didn’t bother with the rain gear.  My chief concern was getting over the top of Hazeltop without being struck by lightning.  I hurried along as quickly as my tired legs would go.

After I picked Gene up at Skyland, we went to the Wayside at Big Meadow.  We got cokes and fries and talked with the thru-hikers who were in for burgers, beer, and blackberry shakes.  We made a quick tour of the campstore and gift shop before heading for home in the pouring down rain.

I think that about covers our hike for today.  We’ll be back at it again tomorrow.

Hightop Mountain to Bootens Gap

This turned out to be a very nice day--a little hot--but still a nice day.  Today was an exciting day as far as hiking goes.  Gene passed the 900 mile mark from Springer Mountain in Georgia, we are now both caught up with each other, and we saw bears.

As you would expect, each 100 miles hiked is a big deal for the hiker.  That is especially true of the thru-hikers.  They count off the miles and they count off the states.  For us, every 100 miles and every state completed is something we take note of, but not worthy of a celebration.  The 900th mile of AT from Springer occurs about 1.5 miles south of Lewis Mountain Campground.  After our hike this afternoon we stopped in at the Lewis Mountain Camp Store.  There were 5 thru-hikers celebrating.  The guys were putting down massive quantities of beer and the young lady was drinking her wine right out of the bottle.  All sitting on the front porch of the store.

Break at Lewis Mountain Campground

I had hiked to Lewis Mountain in 2008, but today Gene got his turn to roll over that 900 miles.  I think he was too tired to notice.

I dropped him off this morning at Hightop Mountain parking area and he headed into the woods.  I drove north to Bootens Gap, parked the truck, and headed south on the trail.  It was a beautiful morning and there were several hikers out.  The trail was good and, in places, had recently been weed-eated.  The trail also follows Skyline Drive closely and crossed several side trails.  For the first time, I felt very comfortable hiking alone.

As I passed Lewis Mountain Campground, I stopped in for a potty break.  It is very rare to have a flush toilet so close to the trail.  About 11:30 I started looking for Gene.  I was approaching a 500 foot climb that I was not so eager to do.  I sat down and took a break.  I finally decided I better go on in case he was in trouble.  I hadn’t hiked 2 minutes from my comfortable break spot when I heard limbs breaking and a big thud.  I found the source of the noise just in time to see the back side of a black bear running away.  Normally, I would have been petrified, but he seemed to be anxious to put some distance between us so I relaxed.  I ran into Gene about a half mile away.

As we were walking back toward Lewis Mountain, we met a hiker who told us he had seen a mama bear and 3 cubs.  We were watching carefully, but didn’t see the bears.  Later, at the Camp Store the celebrating hikers said they had seen these bears.  We must have walked right by and not noticed, because those hikers were only a short distance in front of us.

On our second pass by Lewis Mountain I again went over to the restroom.  This was great.  On our next hike, I’ll be stopping at Big Meadow Campground.  I just love the Shenandoah.

We got back to the truck about 3:30 just about exhausted.  That beautiful trail I had hiked this morning had lost its appeal this afternoon.  Since we both wanted to check out the Lewis Mountain Camp Store, we drove in there on our way home.  It’s small.  They don’t have much, but a hiker could get a short-term resupply there and a shower.  The question is, why would he want to since the large store at Big Meadow is just 7 miles away.  I guess a south-bounder might resupply here.  They did have a good selection of ice cream (what I chose) and beer and wine for the celebrating hikers.

Tomorrow is a rest day, thank goodness.

Back in Waynesboro, Virginia

We had an uneventful drive from Nashville yesterday.  Traffic was reasonably light except around major cities, and even then we managed to avoid rush hours.  I think the most stressful spot was around Roanoke, Virginia.  I-81 northbound is in desperate need of repair.  The road surface condition coupled with heavier traffic, especially big tractor trailer rigs, made this a most unpleasant half hour.

Break in Simmons Gap

We were all glad to be back in our own bed last night.  I think we all, including Peanut, slept like logs.  Peanut continued with that sound sleep throughout the day today.

This morning we were eager to get back on the trail.  After 5 days without hiking, I found myself struggling to get up the first hill.  By the end of the day, however, I was all limbered up and felt remarkably well.

We picked up where we left off last week at Ivy Creek Overlook.  Again, Gene and I hiked together for about the first half of the total distance.  At the top of the unnamed mountain just north of Simmons Gap, we took another short break before I turned around to head back to the car.

Our day was foggy to start then cloudy.  On my return trip, I got rained on for about 20 minutes.  Gene only got a few sprinkles.  He got to hike over Hightop Mountain this afternoon.  Even with the cloudy weather, he reported having a few views.  Since he didn’t have the camera, I will include a photo from my hike over that mountain from 2008.

View from Hightop Mountain

The trail maintainers were out with their weed-eaters today.  It is so nice not to have an overgrown trail.  They also trimmed the low hanging branches.  Thanks a million.

Tomorrow will be another long hike from Hightop Mountain parking area on Skyline Drive where Gene stopped today to Booten’s Gap. After tomorrow’s hike, we will be halfway through the Shenandoah and past the 900 mile mark.

Blackrock Gap to Ivy Creek Overlook

Today was another foggy, cool day, but we managed to get in a nice hike before the rain set in this afternoon.  Actually, I kinda like the overcast days because its a little cooler.  I don’t get so hot and the bugs are not as bad.

Gene at Black Mountain

This morning on our drive to Blackrock Gap, just as we entered the Park, we saw something small scamper across the road about 75 yards in front of us.  When we got close enough to see, it turned out to be a bear cub.  There were 2 cubs and the mom on the side of the road.  Of course, our diesel engine sent the little family scurrying up the hill before I could get my camera out of the case.

We both got out of the truck and started hiking north at Blackrock Gap.  I hiked about 4 miles to Brown Gap with Gene, then I turned around and came back to the truck.  He went on to Ivy Creek Overlook where I picked him up this afternoon.

Ivy Creek

In 2008 when I hiked that section between Loft Mountain Campground and Ivy Creek Overlook, I was very nervous about bears.  There seemed to be an abundance of bear scat on the trail.  I wasn’t much in the mood to hike through there alone again.  Seeing the bear by the road this morning didn’t do anything to bolster my confidence.  I had originally planned to hike as far as Doyle River parking area, but by the time we got to Brown Gap, the fog was really moving in.  I wanted to get back to the truck before it started to rain.  What a wimp I am.

We hiked around Blackrock Mountain almost first thing this morning.  When we were there, the fog was thick and there were no views.  Later, on my return trip, the sky was still overcast, but there was a bit of a view off the mountain.  Blackrock is a pile of large boulders.  It is quite interesting sitting out in the middle of all the green trees.

View from Loft Mountain Campground

Between Blackrock and Brown Gap, there used to be a large group campground.  Today, we were surprised to see it has been changed to a picnic area.  Camping is no longer allowed, but there are restrooms and water for the weary hiker up the short connector trail.

After our short rest break in Brown Gap, Gene had the opportunity to climb Loft Mountain.  The Loft Mountain campground is closed, either because it is still too early in the season or because of renovation.  I’m not sure which.  There is quite a lot of “fixing up” being done around the park.  The camp store is also closed to the dismay of a few hikers, I bet, gut the Wayside is open and serving those fabulous blackberry milkshakes.  We stopped there on the way home and, yes, we got a blackberry shake.  Loft Mountain was fogged in today, so I have included a photo from 2008.

Gene reported that there is again what seems to be an abundance of bear scat along the trail in the Ivy Creek area.  I’m sure glad I didn’t go down there by myself.  This section of trail veers away from Skyline Drive and feels very remote.  Gene didn’t have a camera with him so I have included a photo of Ivy Creek taken on my hike through there.

Tomorrow, hiking friends from Nashville will be stopping by.  We’ll give them a shuttle down to Jennings Creek as they start their section north to Rockfish Gap.

That’s it for today.

Beagle Gap to Blackrock Gap

We were back on the trial today.  I dropped Gene off at Beagle Gap this morning and drove north along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park to Blackrock Gap.  I hiked south from there until I finally ran into him about 6 miles south of the truck.

Got a couple of good views today.

Mountain laurel in bloom

It was raining when we left the campground this morning and rained pretty hard before we got to Beagle Gap, but stopped before we started hiking.  There were a few drops which fell off the leaves overhead, but no rain.

In 2008, I hiked all the trail south of Lewis Mountain campground.  Gene was working at that time so he didn’t get to hike much with me then.  He did hike from Rockfish Gap to Beagle Gap, however, so we skipped that 5 mile section this time.  I will include a couple of photos from Bear Den Mountain which were taken in 2008.  Bear Den Mountain is pretty much covered up with cell towers--not very picturesque.  Nestled on the mountain top with the cell towers are tractor seats.  There are about 8 seats and they are arranged in a semicircle.  If they ever had a purpose, I don’t have a clue what it may have been.  It’s a great place to take a break before heading down the other side of the mountain.

The hike was nice--lots of gentle ups and downs all day.  The trail pretty much parallels Skyline Drive through the park so we crossed the road several times today.  After having not hiked for a week, I can certainly feel the miles in my feet and legs this evening.

That’s it for today.  We’ll be back out there tomorrow.

Hiking in Shenandoah National Park

For the past few weeks I have been focusing my hiking on the Appalachian Trail. However, in Shenandoah National Park there are some 500 miles of trail with the AT being only about 100 miles of that total. Today we created a loop hike which took us off the ridge by one trail, back up to the ridge by another and then back to the truck by way of the AT.

View from Big Run Overlook

Shenandoah is a long, skinny park with Skyline Drive and the AT running north/south for about 100 miles along the ridgeline. From the ridge the motorist, biker, or hiker can get breathtaking views to the valleys on either side. Many of the park trails begin at a parking area or overlook along Skyline Drive then descend the slope of the mountain. Just because it is downhill, doesn’t necessarily mean it is steep. On our hike today, the downhill trail was pretty steep as we lost 1400 feet in about 2 miles. However, the trail we used to come back up was much more gentle gaining that 1400 feet over about 3.5 miles. The AT is, of course, blazed white and the park trails are blazed blue. Horse trails are blazed yellow.

Doyle's River Trail

Shenandoah boasts of its many waterfalls. I hadn’t been too enthusiastic about hiking to a waterfall since Virginia has been near drought conditions for a while. Ever hopeful, we decided to try it today and we were not disappointed.

Piped Spring

We began our hike on the Doyles River Trail. Within a half mile we came to a side trail which led to the Doyles River Cabin. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains several cabins within the park. Doyles River Cabin is one of these. Near the side trail to the cabin was a piped spring. Water is relatively scarce close to the ridgeline so having such easy access to water is a blessing to thirsty hikers. Past the spring we soon came to an unnamed waterfall. As we continued our descent the water flow became larger. We were soon rewarded with Upper Doyles River Falls and then in about a half mile, Lower Doyles River Falls.

Unnamed falls

Upper Doyles River Falls

We continued down hill until there was no more down left. That was where we found the trail junction with Jones Run Trail. This would lead us back up to Skyline Drive. I think the prettiest of the three falls was Jones Run Falls. It was not the highest, but it had the most water. We took a short break here just enjoying a glorious day in a wonderful place.

Lower Doyles River Falls

We were getting pretty hungry by the time we got back to the top of the mountain. We found a wide, grassy spot on the AT and sat down for lunch. I had eaten my little half sandwich about the time a thru hiker on his way from Georgia to Maine came upon our “picnic”. Thru hikers are always hungry and we had a small ziploc bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies which Gene offered. Then two more thru hikers showed up. We offered more food. They ate the grapes, they ate the cherries, they ate the chips, they ate the rest of the cookies, they ate the M & Ms, they ate the bit-o-honey (which they had never heard of before), they ate everything we had. I guess I was lucky to have eaten my half sandwich before they showed up. Actually, we were glad to give what we had. We have been on the trail for long periods of time and it is incredible how hungry you are all the time. It was always wonderful to find food or cold drinks that “trail angels” had left for hikers. This was an opportunity for us to be trail angels. These boys were headed to Loft Mountain and we encouraged them to get the blackberry milkshake. Word up and down the trail is that it is to die for. We bid them a safe journey and packed up our stuff and headed north on the AT to the truck, some 3 miles distant.

Jones Run Falls

By the time we got to the truck, I was starving. My bowl of cereal and my half sandwich were long gone. Gene offered to take me to Loft Mountain Wayside. You know what I ordered—blackberry shake. Before we left, the three thru hikers came in. They ordered cheese burgers and fries and one guy even got a blackberry shake.

Eagles, Falcons, and Mrs. Rowe's

This was another wonderful day spent with friends. Our friends are bird watching enthusiasts so I thought it would be fun to do a short hike to an area where we might be lucky enough to see some peregrine falcons. For several years biologists have been releasing peregrines from the high cliffs of Shenandoah National Park. Hawksbill is a good place to get a glimpse of these birds.

Our hike to the summit started at Hawksbill Gap and climbed gently but steadily to the highest point (4,051 ft) in Shenandoah National Park. This park is full of wildlife and one of the most common seen is the white tail deer. We had hardly gotten warmed up on our hike before we saw a handsome young buck. He moseyed across the trail between us women and our guys. Near the summit we came to a rock outcropping we couldn’t pass up without a quick look. The view was fantastic so we sat down for a little rest. An Appalachian Trail thru-hiker came by and while we were talking with him, Charlie heard a bird that seemed to be pretty agitated. Searching with his binoculars, he finally spotted the source of the noise—a golden eagle perched in the top of a dead tree about 50 yards away. As we continued on toward the summit of Hawksbill, we found a college intern sitting on a rock with a scope watching a falcon. Unfortunately, it flew before we were high enough on the rock to see. Still, we were thrilled at having seen the eagle.

This evening we met again in Staunton for dinner. This time we selected Mrs. Rowe’s Family Restaurant. They specialize in home cooking at a very reasonable price. We knew we were in for some good eating when we drove up. This was an ordinary Thursday evening and the parking lot was full. We were not disappointed. If you are ever in the neighborhood, I recommend it. Mrs. Rowe’s is located just off I-81 and US 250. There is lots of parking, but it is not arranged well for an RV, however.

We had to say good-bye to our friends after dinner. But it has been a special two days that we will treasure for a very long time.

A Day with Friends

One of the things we miss most as we travel about the country is being close to family and friends. We have met many, many people and have made several new friends, but those folks whom we have known for years and have shared many experiences with are missed. Occasionally, we are blessed with a visit from someone from home and that is a very special time for us.

View from behind the Train shed

Our good friends, Charlie and Jennifer, are here for a visit. They are staying in Staunton and we met them there last night for dinner. Many towns across the country have train stations that are no longer used for their original purpose and those buildings have been renovated and taken on entirely new lives. This is the case for the train shed in Staunton. It has been converted into a restaurant. The interior space is just beautiful, but the best part is that the train still stops at this station. It is Amtrak now, but it was marvelous to be at our dinner table in what had been the train shed and feel the rumble of the train as it passed. Our walk back to their hotel was cut short by the threatening thunder clouds overhead, but we did get a glimpse of some of the old buildings downtown. As so many places in Virginia, Staunton is an old town, founded in the 1700s and the residents have tried to preserve the history of the community by restoring the old buildings.

View from Cedar Cliffs

View from Humpback Rocks

Today Charlie and Jennifer came to our home bearing gifts of doughnuts and we spent the day visiting, hiking, and bird watching. We took them to a couple of our favorite places along the Blue Ridge Parkway for short hikes to big views. We went on the hard hike first—a climb up to Humpback Rocks. The sunny day with low humidity helped to provide a fantastic view of Shenandoah Valley. Then we drove down the parkway a few more miles and hiked out to Cedar Cliffs for another grand view of the valley below and a picnic lunch. By the time we had finished our light supper back at our Montana, we were all ready to call it a day, but were looking forward to tomorrow.

Bad Weather Makes a Short Trip

It was a good hike from Swift Run Gap to Lewis Mountain Campground (about 9 miles). The sun was shining, the trail was relatively easy, and there were several folks making their way to various points north. Gene hiked with me for the first three miles, which was really nice.

I got to Lewis Mountain about 12:30. I knew the drill from having been at Loft Mountain Campground last week—pick out a site, leave something there to claim it as your own, and then register. I found a site I liked with a good tree branch from which to hang my food bag, close to water and to the bathroom. I couldn’t leave without hanging the food so I set out to throw my rope up. The branch was a little high for me, but I was not to be outdone. I threw my rope once, twice, maybe a zillion times. Several times I hit the limb, about 5 times I got the rope over but the rock fell out without bringing the rope down far enough for me to reach. I threw from many different angles and even from on top of the picnic table. This was all to the amusement of the lawn mowing staff having their lunch at a table about 3 sites away. Finally, a kind hiker whom I had met earlier in the morning asked if he could help. One throw and the rope was up. Of course, he was about 2 feet taller than me and surely that must help. I wanted the rope a little farther from the tree trunk so he and I did a sort of “jump rope” swing from either end of the rope. I was walking backwards doing this maneuver, ran into the side of the picnic table and fell all the way to the ground (I’m sure much to the amusement of the lawn mowing staff still having their lunch.) No harm done and my rope was where I wanted it; I was happy.

After I registered and put up my tent it was time for my own lunch. I’m sitting there as content as could be minding my own business when a lady approaches me and asked, “have you been backpacking in this area much?” I could have boasted of my years of experience, but I chose to say simply “no”. She then proceeds to inform me “so I wouldn’t get into trouble” that my food bag is too close to the tree trunk and that the bears that sleep up there at night would get my food. She also pointed out a pole where I could hang my food for the very purpose of keeping it from the bears. None of this is good news to my ears. To my eye, the food bag was in about as good a position as it ever was and it is common knowledge that if a bear wants your food, he can probably get it no matter what. Plus, after all the effort of getting the rope up I really didn’t want to move it. And to think that those lawn mowing guys didn’t even mention to me about the food pole. Anyway, I thanked her and promised to do something about it. During the course of the afternoon, 4 park rangers came by and not one of them gave me a ticket, a citation, or otherwise indicated that my food bag was out of compliance with standard food bag hanging regulations. However, I had promised the lady that I would do something so I decided to make her really happy and put the bag on the pole. When I got the bag up I stopped by her site to ask if I had done it correctly. “Well,” she says, “to be perfectly honest, I’ve never used one before since I always have my car to store my food.” So much for the expert on food bag hanging.

This was to be a 3-day backpacking trip, the last one before leaving the area.  However, severe thunderstorms during the wee hours of the morning unnerved everyone camping at Lewis Mountain Campground. High winds and almost continuous lightning and thunder for the better part of 2 hours took its toll on my fun-filled adventure. By 6 o’clock this morning campers and hikers were out of their tents and comparing stories of their overnight experiences. One hiker had spent the night in the men’s room. Weather reports of tornado watches and flood warnings for this morning got me on the phone to Gene requesting rescue from nature’s fury.

With severe weather forecasted for the remainder of the day, I was glad to be returning to the safety of my home on wheels. Two other section hikers also wanted a ride to their car at Rockfish Gap. We were happy to accommodate. We left as some hikers decided to race on up the trail to get as far as possible before the storm let loose again. Others were discussing renting a cabin for the night. As I write this on Wednesday evening just after a very nasty storm, I am happy to be off the trail and in my own living room. The trail will be there another day.

Wildlife Sightings

The hiking was pretty special today. My new boot insoles are a hit. I had a little pain in my toes but nothing compared to the pain I was having on the balls of my feet. So I was able to march along like I knew what I was doing. The trail was not as scenic as yesterday, but those laurel were still in bloom making it a beautiful woods walk. I also ran into Pack Animal, a gentleman D-Tour and I had met just north of Daleville. It was nice to see him again. He was in high spirits as he had just spent a few zero days in Waynesboro with his family.

On our way home, the wildlife came out for a showing. First there was the turkey that walked across the road right in front of us. He was never in any danger of being hit, but I guess he thought he was, so he took flight. Turkeys are pretty awkward at flying; they do much better on the ground. About a mile further down the road another turkey was crossing to the other side. It was a mother with about 8 little chicks. They were so cute. My camera, of course, was in my pack in the back seat and I was not able to get a picture. Motoring along about 2 miles later, with sharp eyes out for turkeys, I spotted a bear. She was about to cross the road, but our big diesel engine alerted her to the danger before we got very close. She ran down the slope before I could get in range of a picture.

The bear put me in mind of another bear story which happened in this very national park 7 years ago on our last visit to Shenandoah. We were here on a vacation and doing some loop backpacking trips. We had been out for 2 or 3 days and were camped for the evening down near where the Herbert Hoover’s vacation home is located. I was feeling pretty good about our campsite. We were within park regulations many, many, many feet from any road, trial, building, or water source. But we were still close enough to “civilization” that I felt like we didn’t have to worry about bears. There was the big road that tour buses used to bring hundreds of people to see the Hoover place and there was a heavily used horse trail nearby all of which were pretty busy about the time we decided to fix dinner. Dinner that night was a pouch of chicken, Stovetop Stuffing, and gravy. About the time the smell of cornbread dressing filled the air I heard a little rustling sound. The bear came strolling along; we jumped up with whistles in mouth and beating the pans together. That bear was unimpressed. Thankfully, he passed by our encampment and strolled on down the hill. Gene, miraculously, was able to throw the rope and hang our food higher than ever before. The next morning as we were leaving to continue our hike, we discovered the game trail. It was a well worn path and the bear evidently used it daily on his walk to the stream.

Now there's a wild one for sure.

With a good hike and all that wildlife, we were feeling a little hungry. One thing about hiking, it works up a good appetite. Ice cream is always our first choice.

A One Night Backpacking Trip

It was a short little trip, but the views were outstanding, the trail was good, and Loft Mountain Campground has hot water.

Black Rock Mountain

I started Wednesday morning in a slight mist from Blackrock Gap. I was a little apprehensive since this was my first time to backpack alone. I feel more comfortable here than most places because the trail sticks pretty close to the road. If I had trouble, it would only be a short walk to the road and we have discovered in the past couple weeks that we usually have a cell signal most places along Skyline Drive. All that is very comforting, but to walk away from my husband in the early morning was a bit disconcerting.

Clouds over the valley

But the trail soon took my mind off that as it went right up to the summit of Blackrock Mountain. It was a big pile of rock on the summit and looked like a rock slide going down the side of the mountain. I don’t think there is anything else like it in this area.

Mountain Laurel

My destination for the day was Loft Mountain Campground. I found a site and set up house for the night. I got there early in the afternoon—plenty of time to take a little nap. I was very impressed with the Campground. There were about 200 sites and, as is often typical of national park campgrounds, the sites were huge. I found a site near both the restroom and the trail.

Skyline Drive below the AT

The restroom was special—it had hot water. Most national parks don’t so this was a real treat. I had planned on burning off most of my stove fuel by heating water for a bath.

View from Loft Mountain

I’ll have to say I was lonely by myself. I read every word on my map (more than once) and did every sudoku puzzle I had. I was surprised to see Jack rabbits, but they were very entertaining. I was also surprised not to see deer. I was relieved not to see a bear (and also grateful).

Ivy Creek

Thursday, I was up early and getting ready to go. Gene was picking me up at Simmons Gap at 2 PM. It was just 9 miles away, but over several climbs. I wanted to have plenty of time. It was a glorious sunny morning and the views were fantastic.

After getting away from the campground area the trail stayed in the forest away from the road for several miles. I got nervous when I saw so much bear scat and then started to see overturned rocks. Bear signs for sure. I was forced to sing the 99 bears on a wall song to protect myself. Surely no self-respecting bear would get close to that noise.

I was early to Simmons Gap, but it gave me a chance to get started resting. It was a good hike. The trail was well groomed most of the way with no big rocks to climb over, the mountain laurel was just starting to bloom, and the birds were singing. Who could ask for more?

My ride!!

Trillium is King

View from Hightop Mountain

The Appalachian Trail roughly parallels Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park weaving its way back and forth across the road for some 100 plus miles. This is a day hikers dream—this is my dream. I have so many options here. Gene can drop me off at one point and pick me up down the road a few miles. Loft Mountain, Lewis Mountain, and Big Meadows campgrounds are all conveniently located practically on top of the AT making it easy to do a 1 or 2 night backpack and get a shower and a hamburger at the end of the day. What more could anyone want.

Today I chose to drive to Smith Roach Gap and hike from there to Swift Run Gap and back again. It was a beautiful section of trail up and over Hightop Mountain. At the beginning of my hike I thought that wild geranium would be the flower of the day. It was everywhere in full bloom. However, as I passed over the summit of Hightop I began to see white and pink trillium. Just a few scattered here and there at first, but as I progressed down the other side I saw trillium everywhere. Without a doubt, trillium ruled the day.

Wild Geranium

White Trillium

Pink Trillium