Day 72 - Hogback Spring to Jim and Molly Denton Shelter

Slept well and for a lot of hours. Why is it still so hard to get up in the morning? Was determined to leave by 8, which we did.

Had a discussion about whether or not to go to D.C. for the day. I was leaning against it, mainly because I really don’t feel the need for two zero days. Couldn’t use the money excuse, since almost all of the museums in D.C. are free.

Got to the road at noon and hitched into town. A woman whose 17-year-old son is hiking the trail right now picked us up. Her son is “Front Royal,” and he’s behind us a ways. Went to an awesome, authentic Mexican restaurant. Then to a supermarket to resupply. 

Had some time to spare, and I saw a Super Cuts-type place nearby, so I decided to go for it. Big mistake. Had to wait an hour for an appointment and was really embarrassed to have the woman touch and wash my dirty hair.

Then it was in front of the mirror with no makeup. Yikes! I asked her to take off a little more than an inch. She was cutting and cutting and cutting. The works. I was not a happy camper. So on went the baseball cap. But like Dave said, I’m not trying to impress anyone and it will grow back (and should make my head cooler, which will be nice).

Easy 5.3 mile walk to the shelter. It’s a really nice one with deck and cooking pavillion. Enjoyed talking with Artful Dodger, who’s hiked a massive number of miles (12,000?). He highly recommended we go to Vernon, N.J. rather than Unionville, New York. Also, he said that Upper Goose Pond before the Mass. Pike is one of “the” special trail places. It’s a hostel, I guess, and you can use canoes and stuff. Sounds neat.

Dodger told us a lot about the trail coming up and eased many of my concerns about the terrain. As for the fact that so many hikers are dropping out as of late, he said, “The best is, by far, yet to come.”

Day 71 - Pass Mountain Hut to Hogback Spring

Slept pretty well, with my usual midnight wake-up time. Up before 7, but not out til 8:30. 

Did the eight miles to Elkwallow Gap Wayside (store and grill) in 2 ½ hours. Chilled out for another 2 ½. Got a yogurt, an ice cream cookie sandwich, and a blackberry sundae. Yum! I love eating desserts. What will I do when I get home? Will I be able to curb my appetite? Will the pounds leap onto my stomach and thighs in a big welcome home hug? 

 

Not looking forward to the big climb out of the gap. But it never materialized. We were going down the other side when we found out we’d already passed the top of the dreaded mountain. It was hot, though, in the 80’s, which made things uncomfortable. 

Decided to do 16.5 miles to a spring and just camp there. Murph and Stray pushed on to the shelter at 23 miles. Campsites were hidden way back, but not bad. No fires allowed, though. 

Thumper and Assface were here, along with a man doing a section hike. It’s surprisingly cold. My hands could do with some gloves. Last 10 miles of the Shennies tomorrow. Into Front Royal to resupply.

Day 69 - South River to Big Meadows

Well, we didn’t have to get on the trail in full after all. We planned to sleep late and go to breakfast, so we didn’t think we’d be able to do many miles. Decided to shoot for Big Meadows (finally), which is where we've been spending our nights. 

Then Mr. Murphy offered to keep one of the rooms for us. Score! I was happy (mixed with a moderate dose of guilt). Oh, forgot to mention that we finally caught up with Phil last night. He’s been ahead of us since we got off the trail to go to Rusty’s. Anyway, it was good to see him. He came to dinner and stayed in the room with us.

Blur, Longshanks, Stray Cat, Duchie, Phil, Phil, and Smittee

Slept til after 8:30 the next morning and went to breakfast around 10 (buckwheat pancakes with blueberries). Then we had to move our stuff to the new room. Got a ride back to the trail at noon and said our goodbyes. 

Only 14 miles back to Big Meadows. Hot and humid, but the pack was light and the ground was flat. They were 14 of the easiest miles on the trail. We did them in 4 ½ hours. 

Smittee saw a mama bear and three of her cubs. I was a few minutes too late. Got to the campground around 4:30 and was very happy to have a room awaiting us. Showered and went to the lodge. Dave and Smittee were already in the tap room, throwing back a few, so I joined them. We stayed there for quite a while. 

Hung out in the room, then turned out the lights. There was a lot of giggling going on – kind of like a big slumber party. Slept really well with my foamy pink pillow. Up after 8. Lots of fog and drizzle make for a low motivation factor.

Day 68 - Pinefield Gap to South River

Tough getting up. It had rained a lot (thunder and lightning) during the night and was still very foggy. But we were coming back to the lodge, so no matter!

Stray Cat, Murph, Longshanks, and Blur

Got our large coffees and hopped into the van. Phil and Duchie walked .1 mile to the first shelter. Murph was happy. The fog burned off and the sun came out, but it was incredibly muggy. Glad I had taken everything out of my pack except food, water, and some clothes. Yep, I’m a slackpacker now.

Individual miles were going fast, but collective miles were slow to add up. Hiked from 10 to 3:30, with a lunch break, and did 14 or 15 miles. I was hoofin’ it to keep up with Dave. Don’t like the heat, but knew there was a shower at the end of the day. Back to the lodge for dinner. Oh, stopped at the camp store to resupply.

We had our “last supper” well thought out. I got a salad, onion rings, chicken quesadilla, and brownie sundae. Yum! Can you say spoiled? We’re going to have breakfast tomorrow, since it’s the Murphys' last day. It’s raining again – glad I’m inside. Going to be hard to get on the trail, in full, tomorrow.

Day 67 - Mile 92.4 to Pinefield Gap

Got packed up and into the car for the ride back to the trail. Along the way, we saw more wildlife than we’ve ever seen in the woods. Lots of deer, wild turkeys, squirrels… then we saw a black bear! It was right by the side of the road and turned to look at us. Much cuter than I expected, actually.

Mrs. Murphy (Duchie) walked the first six miles with us. Pretty easy walking. The last 14 didn’t go as quick, though. We were all kind of tired, for some reason. I had taken a few things out of my pack, but not enough to make a big difference.

Murph and Duchie

Then Dave decided to go off trail .1 mile to a camp store, where he hoped to find a phone. It ended up being a long walk, probably a mile out of our way in all. I was not a happy camper. Dave got in touch with the sleeping  bag company and finally talked to someone who said he'd replace the one with the broken zipper.
Back on the trail, Dave was hiking really fast – and I, of course, tried to keep up. Was going downhill and somehow tripped and fell – full body, slow motion, hit-the-ground. I remember the fingers of my left hand bending back, but otherwise seemed to be in pretty good shape. Didn’t notice the huge lump on my left lower leg til later. Murph called it a hematoma. Hasn’t turned color yet, but it’s bound to be quite dramatic when it does.
Took a shower and went to dinner. Becoming very familiar with the lodge menu. Stuffed myself yet again. We said goodbye to Charlie, who is speeding up so his girlfriend Mason won’t have to do the last yucky part of Pennsylvania. Also to Honkey, who is ahead of us and will be getting off the trail in three weeks to start grad school.
Dave and I had our own room again. No mice that I heard/felt.

Day 66 - Paul Wolfe Shelter to Skyline Drive Mile 92.4

Got up and out last, of course, at 8:30. Had to do 18 ½ miles by 4 p.m. It was possible, but we’d have to hustle.

Hiked five miles to Rockfish Gap, where there was a gas station with a convenience store. Quick break, then headed towards Shenandoah National Park. Nice walking; quite cool, actually. Some steep ups, though. I guess those are inevitable, and I should just learn to accept them.

Stopped for lunch on top of Bear Mountain and who of all people but Ebb showed up. No one knew what to say, and it was quite awkward. We kept eating and pretty much ignored him.

At 1:10 we still had 8.4 miles to do. Could we make it on time? Would the thought of a hot shower, my first in a week, propel me up the trail faster?

Oh, this was June 3rd, our first wedding anniversary. It was a good day. I did think back to June 3, 2000 on occasion – especially the ceremony in the marsh. I was glad I don’t have to go through that again – too much pressure.

Kicked it into high gear behind Smittee and Longshanks, and we made it to the Murphys' van at 3:55. They are really nice, and just how I pictured them based on Murph’s description. Drove an hour to get to Big Meadows, where we’re all staying. Had a beer at the pub, then off to the room for a shower.

They got us a two bedroom, two bathroom place, separated by a living room with fireplace. No phone or TV. It’s really nice! Because of our anniversary, Dave and I got one of the rooms to ourselves.

We all met for dinner at 7:30. Charlie and Honkey came, too. Prices at the lodge are quite high,and I thought the food was rather disappointing for the money. I got a house salad, grilled veggie kabob with rice, and blackberry cobbler a la mode for dessert. Two glasses of merlot, too. One of the waiters is a thru hiker (Greensinger), and he serenaded Dave and me for our anniversary (Oh Shenandoah). Got a free blackberry ice cream – yum!

Hung out in the Murphys' room after dinner for a while. Charlie showed his video thusfar. A bit of trouble getting to sleep. Too much excitement, I guess. Dave kept hearing mice in the walls and maybe in the room. I had my earplugs in, so the noise didn’t bother me.