Days 72-81
Daleville, VA, to Rockfish Gap
and Shenandoah National Park
Slack Packing:
VA 43 Bear Wallow Gap to Daleville
The hotel in Daleville offers a shuttle to facilitate slack packing, and Commando and I decided to take advantage of that for two days. Today we booked a ride to VA 43, Bear Wallow Gap, to hike south back to Daleville.
TRAIL MAGIC:
Johnny Shofar provided hot dogs, pancakes, and scrambled eggs to hungry thru-hikers. Johnny is a self-professed Christian minister and Rabbi. I think that makes him a Messianic Jew.
A shofar is a ram's horn trumpet. Johnny gave us a history lesson on the horn and the Jewish people. He then blew the horn as a symbol of good luck and safe travel, then gave us a blessing.
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| Trail Magic: Johnny Shofar |
THANK YOU, JOHNNY, for the food, history lesson, and blessing!
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Rocky Slack Packing |
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| Wilson Creek Shelter |
About two miles out of Daleville, we encountered a skunk. It stood in the middle of the trail watching us approach. I put a leash on Rocky just in case he decided that it would be fun to chase that black and white striped kitty. When I pulled out my camera, it scampered away.
This was a long, hard hike. I was very happy to see the hotel at the end of the day.
Day 73
Slack Packing:
Sunset Field to Bear Wallow Gap
The weather today was great and pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday's weather -- a sunny, cloudless day.
The trail was made for cruising. While it was hilly, there were very few obstacles to contend with. The only problem was the lack of water on the trail. We had one ten-mile stretch with no water.
Homer, our shuttle driver, is an interesting character. He is 83 and a dedicated trail and distance runner who has completed multiple full marathons. His wife is 20 years his junior, and he's very proud of that. He and his wife lead the trail maintenance crew for this section of the AT.
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| Homer |
We stopped by the Cove Mountain and Bryant Ridge Shelters. The Bryant Ridge Shelter is definitely the fanciest shelter I've seen so far.
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| Cove Mountain Shelter |
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| Bryant Ridge Shelter |
After the hike, we had a Mexican dinner. Commando bought me a cowboy margarita. This drink had lime and pineapple juice, and the rim of the glass was coated in coconut instead of salt. It was tasty, but too sweet for me.
Day 74
Sunset Field to Marble Spring
Today's weather was nice but hot. We did have a brief thunderstorm in the late afternoon, and the rain cooled things off a bit.
Today's hike was mostly downhill and relatively nontechnical. The water sources along the way were either dry or had low water flow.
Rocky and I passed underneath The Guillotine, a rock precariously perched between two rock walls that looks like it might fall at any second.
When we were filling up our water bottles, an owl flew toward us, perched on a branch above us, and watched. The bird chortled the whole time and didn't appear to be afraid.
Sitting on a rock next to the spring was a big beetle with large eyespots on its shell. I assume this was to make things that might eat it have second thoughts.
We intended to hike longer today, but we received word that there was an aggressive bear hanging around Gunther Ridge. We definitely don't need bear trouble.
Day 75
Marble Spring to James River Foot Bridge
and Taking Rocky Home
Rocky started favoring his left front foot yesterday. This morning he was limping and holding up his foot. When I inspected his foot, it looked like he had an abscess between the little and second toes. I made the decision to take Rocky home so that he could visit his own vet.
I spent Father's Day being a service human to my service dog. I carried his pack down the mountain, arranged for a shuttle to take us to Enterprise to rent a car, and then drove Rocky home, arriving in Oak Ridge at about 7:30 p.m.
We passed by Matts Creek Shelter.
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| Matts Creek Shelter |
Day 76
Zero Day
Rocky to Vet at Home
Titanium from Home to Stanimals Hostile, Glasgow, VA
Note from Sally:
Titanium (Dan) asked me to write a note for today's entry. It was a whirlwind trip home for him and us -- Titanium was home for about 14 hours total. I took Rocky to the vet's office on my way to work in the morning, Monday, June 17th. They very kindly worked him in during the day. Of course, as luck would have it, Rocky's particular vet, Dr. Rick, was on vacation, but Dr. Chris stepped in and took great care of him.
Dr. Chris said that what had looked like an abscess between Rocky's toes was actually an inflammation of some type with no way to really tell what caused it. The red, angry bump that had looked so much like an abscess calmed down pretty quickly with rest, an anti-inflammatory, and an antibiotic to guard against infection. I will be taking Rocky back for a check with Dr. Rick this Monday, June 24th. I'm anticipating a clean bill of health for him. Then he will have another ten days or so to get fattened and rested up here at home before I meet Titanium in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, for the July 4th weekend. We will plan on reuniting the team then for Rocky to continue hiking.
Rocky does have a new backpack on order that is supposed to be a little more lightweight and breathable for the summer weather. In the meantime, he is enjoying time with his siblings and his favorite spot surveying his kingdom from the shed deck. He is not enjoying being left behind when I take Rosie with me running, but with Dr. Rick's clearance, he will be included again very soon.
Day 77
Slack Pack 1
Long Mountain Wayside to Spy Rock
Commando and I are staying at Stanimals Hostels and will be taking advantage of their slack packing special for the next five days. We're staying three nights at their Glasgow, VA, facility and three nights at their Waynesboro, VA, facility.
Our shuttle ride was pleasant. The sun was peeking through the trees.
We had great weather today. The trail was generally nontechnical and fast.
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| Day 77 Trail Profile Day 78 Slack Pack 2 Long Mountain Wayside to James River Foot Bridge  |
Today was long and hot. There were lots of creeks and springs the first six miles but then no water the next ten miles. The last six miles had a number of beautiful creeks.
I encountered a very healthy rattlesnake on a steep section of the trail. As soon as we saw each other, the snake coiled up and rattled his displeasure at my presence. I waited for a while to see if the snake would move, but it was staying put. Using my hiking pole, I moved it off the trail, and we each went our separate ways.
I passed the 800-mile trail marker today. The miles are starting to run together.
I was very tired and thirsty by the end of the day. After a shower, a hamburger, and three large cups of ice water, I felt human again.
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Day 78 Trail Profile |
Day 79
Slack Pack 3
Spy Rock Road to Reid's Gap
Today was the third day of our slack pack adventure. Today's weather was a perfect copy of yesterday -- hot and dry.
The views from Spy Rock were fantastic. It's hard to beat the panorama of valley farmland from Priest Mountain. Spy Rock was a pretty good scamper up to the top.
Today I decided to take the blue blaze (alternate) trail instead of climbing over Three Ridges Mountain. My choice was to make a dry, 3,000-foot climb in the hot sun or take a technical hike along a creek with waterfalls and a deep pool. The trail was tough and very scenic.
I stopped by the Priest Shelter toward the end of the day.
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| The Priest Shelter |
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| Day 79 Trail Profile Day 80 Slack Pack 4 Reid's Gap to Rockfish Gap  |
The trail was supposed to be generally downhill today, but there seemed to be a lot of uphill along the way.
I did get to watch a trail crew move some rather large rock into position on a set of steps they were building. After a lot of brute force, the rock slid into position.
I passed the Paul C. Wolfe shelter, which looked like a pretty upscale facility.
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| Paul C. Wolfe Shelter |
I was happy when I finally reached my destination, and I was very thirsty. Luckily there was a food truck in the parking lot. Another hiker had already called the shuttle. I had just enough time to buy and down a sports drink before boarding for the hostel.
Day 81
Slack Pack 5
Jones Run Trailhead to Rockfish Gap
Today was our first day in Shenandoah National Park, and it was a hot, dry one. No water for 15 miles of today's hike. Most of the springs and creeks shown on the map were dry. The creek that was running was no more than a trickle.
Luckily I packed four liters of water. While my water was warm from the sun, I was a lot better off than folks who were carrying the standard thru-hiker water volume of one to two liters. These folks don't like carrying the extra weight (neither do I) and fill up when they come to a water source. Today they were suffering.
Trail angels tried to alleviate some of the lack of water by leaving water by trailheads. The problem was that a few gallons of water didn't last long.
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| Trail Magic (they tried!) |
It is definitely blackberry season. I spent a good part of the day eating blackberries. I added a bunch of berries to my water, and it helped to make the warm water more palatable.
Today was a hot and hard 22-mile hike, and I must admit that I'm glad it's over. Tomorrow we board the shuttle at 6:00 a.m. to hike further into the Shenandoahs. Hopefully, this heat wave will have eased up a bit by the time Rocky is fully healed and returns to the trail.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
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| Commando beginning the Shenandoahs |
Note from Sally: Commando has posted episodes 10 and 11 of his YouTube series, "5 Million Steps," over the past week. Episode 10 includes much of the impressive mileage he covered in Virginia while Titanium was healing from an injury. Episode 11 begins when he was in Pearisburg, includes the moment when Rocky found him farther north on the trail (see our last post for this too), and ends just after Rocky had to return home with his injury. Although I love to see Titanium and Rocky appear in the videos, even when they don't, the videos provide a fascinating glimpse of trail life. Here are the links for your viewing pleasure:
Episode 10:
Episode 11:
And meanwhile back at the ranch, Rocky is just about ready to return to you, Titanium!
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