Day 34/May 4 -- paying the price for doing too much yesterday

Miles hiked: 9.71 in 4:55

Start: Rod Hollow Shelter, Fisher Hill, VA

Finish: Bears Den Hostel, Bluemont, VA

Elevation gain: 3,159'

Today I got to hike what is known on the AT as the Roller Coaster, about 13 miles of steep up and downs. And coming the day after my 24-mile hike, it kicked my butt. By the last hill, my pace was below two miles per hour and it was clearly time to get off the trail, which I did at the Bears Den Hostel, another beautiful stone mansion build in 1933.

Alas, I was so tired I took only one photo today:

 

Well, two photos, but this one in Bears Den -- what hiker trash looks like at the end of the day:

Note the tape on his right ankle--shin splints. The green bag is full of dirty clothes about to get washed.

Route from my Suunto.

Day 33/May 3 -- my longest hike yet

Miles hiked: 23.94 in 9:19

Start: Route 522, Front Royal, VA

Finish: Rod Hollow Shelter, Fisher Hill, VA

Elevation gain:  4,436'

Much easier hiking than the previous days; while there were still some good hills, there was lot of easy flat sections, too, so I could motor along.   

I swear this guy was moving faster than me:

My first and only red newt, aka salamander sighting:

The most interesting footprint that I've ever seen. Does anyone know what animal made these?

 

That's my hike wallet on the ground for some size comparison. 

And from time to time, you just run into the most beautiful looking section of trail:

 

Large rock covered with lichen and moss--really stood out due to the color contrast:

Route from my Suunto.

Day 32/May 2 -- into civilization again; hot shower; restaurant and a bed with linen

Miles hiked: 13.65 in 5:36

Start: Gravel Springs Shelter, SNP, VA

Finish: Route 522, Front Royal, VA

Elevation gain: 1,946'

 Another day with some views, quite nice actually.

After a number of days without a shower, approaching Front Royal made me get out my guide book and look for a hostel. The Mountain Cabbin was found and it was only about 120 yards from the AT. Hey, even I can make it that far for a nice shower and bed.

As I approached the Cabbin, these were just beautiful: 

The Mountain Cabbin and its owners, Lisa and Scott, are just wonderful hosts. They bought an old mansion while Scott was still on the AT in 2012, with the intent to restore the historic building. One of the buildings, though, which is now the Cabbin, was renovated specifically to host thru hikers. It is a bargain for only $30 a night; your get a bed with linens, shower, breakfast and free shuttles back and forth into Front Royal. Plus, Lisa gave me a tour of the restoration work of the old mansion--it is now over 7,000 square feet and will house even more hikers when done in a couple of years.

Route from my Suunto.

Day 31/May 1 -- finally some views!

Miles hiked: 19.18 in 8:05

Start: Byrd's Nest #4 Shelter, SNP, VA

Finish: Gravel Springs Shelter, SNP, VA

Elevation climb: 3,980'

 

 The fog finally dissipated and gave some views to the west:

Your mind can wander as you hike along in your little world, but suddenly you see something other than just a distorted tree. This just reminded me of a horse's head; although on second look it does resemble a giraffe, too:

 

The fog and wind can create a lot of quick condensation, so much that you think it is raining. As I was about to crest a ridgeline, I saw the clouds climbing through a gap and the spreading out over the next valley. And, sure enough, when I got there the temperature had dropped 15 degrees and I was once again wet and cold:

Route from my Suunto.

Day 30/April 30 -- a big mileage day in the Shenandoahs

Miles hiked: 21.33 in 8:44

Start: 10 miles north of Route 33, VA

Finish: Byrd's Nest #3 Shelter, VA

Elevation gain: 3,972'

Another foggy, cold, wet day. The highlight of the day was the sighting of two bear cubs and their mother. At one point she was only 20' away from me. When I spotted the cubs, I stopped and waited for mom to show up. She came to the trail, stopped, looked at me, looked at the cubs and only moved on once the cubs were moving away.

 

The evening was spent at a nice stone shelter with a couple of other section hikers. The nearby spring allowed me an up close look at a deer, munching on perhaps some Sassafras:

Route from my Suunto.

Day 29/April 29 -- late start on my first day of hiking in Shenandoah National Park

Miles hiked: 11.23

 Start: Swift Run Gap, Route 33, VA

Finish: Some ridgeline, VA

Elevation gain: 2,644'

 

A very late start after my friend, Frank Boscoe, dropped me off. He was going to Stokesville for a rogaine, so we shared a ride. He even hiked with me for a while.

It was cold and foggy, with no views at all. Tried to find a shelter, but no luck, so I set up my tent instead.

Yup, that was the only photo of the day.

Route from my Suunto.

Day 28/April 28 -- a Zero day to get ready for Virginia

Miles hiked: Zero

Spent the day packing, repacking and double checking that I had everything for the next section--from Swift Run Gap to Bear Mountain in New York. Driving down tomorrow with my friend, Frank Boscoe, who is headed to Stokesville, Virginia for a rogaine.