Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,957
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Post by Westy on Jun 7, 2022 10:46:17 GMT -8
Been 7 days and 100+ miles since last resupply. Now enjoying a Zero here in Troutville/Daleville, Roanoke County, VA mi.730. The last 30 miles is a high use area known as the Virginia Triple Crown featuring Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs. The last 200 miles included stays at Quarter Way Inn, Weary Feet Hostel, Angel's Rest Hiker Haven and Four Pines Hostel. They range from the best to the worst thus far. To get off trail is shocking. The AT pops out of the serene woods 10 feet from a busy four lane highway with median and traffic. Not a good stop for walking. Bummed a ride from a fellow with a beat-up, un-inspectable 1961 Ford pick-up top the Post Office and called 80-year-old Homer Witcher for a ride to the Comfort Inn. Homer is famous for the first AT family thru-hike. Back on the trail! Mountain Laurel - Grows 5-10 feet high with abundant small white flowersQuarter Way Inn Hostel, Ceres, VA - Best hostel thus farQuarter Way Inn - Rated best breakfast on the Appalachian TrailDrenching rain is not uncommon. Doug the driver, local high school custodian works afternoon/early evening shift and shuttles hikers in the morning.Chestnut Knob Shelter - An old fire warden's cabin converted to trail shelter with space for 8.Omphalotus illudens or Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms (poisonous)Weary Feet Hostel, Bland, VA - Bailed out or chickened out of bad weather here. Pick one!Standard Hiker resupply fare. So glad I 100% resupply by mail!The charismatic Ragnar and Lauren. Our paths cross often. Early morning forest lightAT hiker suspension bridge over Kimberly Creek, Bland County, VALilium superbum commonly known as Turk's Cap LilyThe AT is very well marked!Sharing the Rice Field Shelter with Boombox. Nearby meadow is popular sunset/sunrise viewing venue. Sunset near Rice Field Shelter.Hikers waiting for sunriseFirst light!Audie Murphy Memorial (AT mi. 693). Murphy died in a plane crash near here. Many Afghanistan/Iraq veterans on the trail leave bracelets of their fallen comrades here.
Obligatory McAfee Knob photo.Tinker Cliffs is a series of ledges alongside the trail. Caragyps atratus or Black Vulture awaiting morning thermals along the Tinker Cliffs.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,667
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Post by rebeccad on Jun 8, 2022 7:31:40 GMT -8
Westy , for some reason more than half the photos in that last post were broken and wouldn't show. ETA: Never mind. With patience and the refresh from posting this, almost all popped up.
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Post by absarokanaut on Jun 11, 2022 8:05:04 GMT -8
Truly awesome, thanks for sharing man.
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mk
Trail Wise!
North Texas
Posts: 1,217
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Post by mk on Jun 13, 2022 18:21:14 GMT -8
Your pictures are amazing - I am loving them!
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Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,957
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Post by Westy on Jun 20, 2022 9:39:33 GMT -8
Bugs, sweat and beers! Annoying gnats, sweltering temperatures and desire for cold beer. Taking zero day in Waynesboro, VA (AT mi. 864.3) for resupply and rest. Next up, Shenandoah NP! The AT is groomed from time to time, like a walk in a park.Fallen mountain Laurel flowers accenting the trail.Spicy Onion - Bartender, Baltimore, MDThunderstorm pending!AT Hiker Bridge over James River near Glasgow, VASparky! The James River runs through it!There is a spattering of graves and unusual memorials along the trail. Some call it Guthook, others Far Out, on the AT it's really an "Are we there yet?" app.Racking up the miles."What's up Doc"? Rat snake lunch break. Shelters with snakes don't have mice!A walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway - Raven’s RoostHiker lunch break in one of the many shelters along the trail.Was sitting on the curb when PB & J recognized me from the trail back in North Carolina.Trail workers. Trimming the sides of the trail.Wintergreen ResortBumpin’, Cup Cake and Smoke. These hikers like to party. The stories I could tell…..Stonewall is evidence of a former farm field.Came off the trail here for R&R in Waynesboro. Rockfish Gap Mormon missionary was kind enough to provide a ride to the Post Office to collect my resupply.
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GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,699
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Post by GaliWalker on Jun 20, 2022 9:51:05 GMT -8
^ Your second photo with the mountain laurel is really cool! And that’s a weird looking snake.
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Post by nickhowes on Jun 20, 2022 12:17:34 GMT -8
Loving the photos Westy - thanks! I backpacked from Front Royal to Waynesboro (i.e. Shenandoah National Park) along the Appalachian Trail in October 1989 - really looking forward to your next report.
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Post by trinity on Jun 21, 2022 9:55:45 GMT -8
Wonderful photos! Your second photo with the mountain laurel is really cool! Agreed. And that’s a weird looking snake. Fairly confident it's a Black Rat Snake.
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GaliWalker
Trail Wise!
Have camera, will use.
Posts: 3,699
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Post by GaliWalker on Jun 21, 2022 10:29:09 GMT -8
Fairly confident it's a Black Rat Snake. Thanks! I’ve seen Rat Snakes a few times, but never noticed the white underbelly.
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Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,957
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Post by Westy on Jul 7, 2022 5:44:03 GMT -8
Here at the Bolivar, WV Public Library. Four nights at the Quality Inn exploring Harpers Ferry, WV with a mission to address an acute sciatica alignment issue and stressed trapezius. Enjoyed excellent treatment in Charles Town, WV with thanks to EPTA (Eastern Peninsula Tranportaion Authority). A lady in Waynesboro, VA provided trailhead transportation, dinner and a birthday party for me. Am now a septuagenarian! Upon leaving Waynesboro and entering Shenandoah National Park developed a case of what hikers call the Virginia Blues. The trail seems to go on forever with few viewpoints and exacerbated by multiple crossings Skyline Drive, heat and humidity. Damp is the new dry! Many hikers realize a thru hike not realistic unless you pick up the daily miles or flip at Harpers Ferry. Took a respite night at Skyland (fancy hotel, great room, TV and a view). Then began the push to Front Royal and Harpers Ferry. Still on plan to achieve Duncannon, PA and the Susquehanna before Yellow Blazing (Amtrak) to New England. The 2022 goal is still 1500 AT hiking miles. Presently at mi. 1025.1 BTW: That's 53.7% completion for the crown. A tip of the cap to Kathleen. Met her at the Waynesboro Post Office as she helped rescue me from a prostilitizing born-again Christian. She offered me a ride back to the motel, invited me to dinner, surprised me with a birthday party and a ride back to the trail!A look south in Shenandoah National Park. Note Skyline Drive as it peeks around a corner.The trail frequently crosses Skyline Drive.Damp is the new dry in Shenandoah NP. Needed a cure for the Virgina Blues and found solice for a night at Skyland.Styling to the max at Skyland!The room had a view of the Shenandoah Valley too!Back on the trail through a lush forest.
The stamped trail signs are unusual.I really like the art-deco 30's font used by the National Park Service.Dining with a tramily enjoying breakfast at L. Dee's Pancake House, Front Royal, VA. L-R Spicy Onion (Baltimore, MD), Biscuits (Hertfordshire, UK), Rivers (Providence, RI), Trips (York, PA) and Phoenix (Phoenix, AZ).Common scene at trail town outfitters, new shoes. Average mileage for a hiking shoe is about 500-600 miles.
Downtown Front Royal, VA. A fascinating town with historical significance. Stonewall Jackson captured the town in May 1862. Hand-to-hand combat on this street.Welcome to Mr. John's Barber Shop. A great place for local lore and stories.A 14-mile stretch of steep climbs and descents with few views. It's official, out of Virginia!Raven Rocks, south-facing cliffs AT mi. 1008.9Band of hikers checking in at ATC Headquarters. Although a Union loss, the resistance delayed Jackson's Army from effectively supporting Lee at Antietam on September 17th, the bloodiest day in American military history, over 22,000 casualties.Confluence of the Shenandoah with the Potomac.The AT crosses the Potomac of a pedestrian walkway of the railroad bridge.The heart of the town is a National Historic Park.In 1803, Meriwether Lewis selected Harpers Ferry as the planning, logistics and staging location for the Corp of Discovery.Star of the Day! Dr. Henry B. Christie, Jr. D.C., Charles Town, WV. His care, adjustment and another day of rest will put me back on the trail tomorrow. Coincidently, our birthdays are within ten days of each other in the same month and yearCharles Town Presbyterian Church. Charles Town was founded by Charles Washington (brother of the then president) in 1786. Beer, baseball and bare feet! Back on trail tomorrow.
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Post by nickhowes on Jul 7, 2022 6:49:20 GMT -8
I remember spending a night in luxury at Skyland in 1989 after backpacking through the rain. There were many more rainy days on that trip and I had some "Virginia Blues" (didn't know what to call them then) because of the damp. Hope the health problem resolve.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 7, 2022 21:33:21 GMT -8
Just catching up since I’m off having my own adventures. Great to see the photos and your report. Still puzzled over how you keep that shirt so white.
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Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,957
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Post by Westy on Jul 12, 2022 0:57:34 GMT -8
Well……since that was sorted out in 1767, it’s official, I’m in Rocksylvania!
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Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,957
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Post by Westy on Jul 20, 2022 7:54:14 GMT -8
True to plan, off trail at the Susquehanna after hiking 1150 miles on the AT. R&R in Pleasant Gap, PA. Will be on Amtrak tomorrow. Destination Boston, MA and Fenway Park. Maryland, Black Rock!On the Trail!Graffiti on foundation of former observation tower at High Rock near Pen Mar Park, a resort established 1877 and closed 1943.It's official. Can now pronounce Appalachian as Appalaychin vs. Appalatchin.
Tumbling Run. Best shelter on the trail! Regretfully it's noon, more miles to go today.Kanga, representing Prentiss, Mississippi. Our paths have been crossing since Hot Springs, NC.Lunch stop at a gravel road crossing, Michaux State Forest, PANo mountain bikes on the AT! AT Halfway post.Major terrain change, hiking through farmland, Cumberland County, PAOld Iron Works, Boiling Springs, PA. Operational from the 1760's ending in 1895.Bucolic lake fed by more than 50 nearby springs, Boiling Springs, PA.Trail is sign posted to the max.Spotted Lantern Fly Young farm stand entrepreneur! Fresh chocolate milk and black raspberry ice cream. Optimistic on the future of America.Thirsty hiking into Duncannon, PA. Stopped in for a cold beer. Had two, courtesy of friendly patrons!Doyle Hotel, Duncannon, PA. 1880's hotel still in 1880's mode.Major milestone, Susquehanna River (AT mi. 1151.2.). Flipping north from here.Amtrak Station - Harrisburg, PAState Capitol, Harrisburg, PA My digs for a bit of R&R, Pleasant Gap, PA Tip of the cap to Noll-Caracillo clan for their hospitality and support as I transition to New England
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zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
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Post by zeke on Jul 20, 2022 9:13:22 GMT -8
The street vendors outside of Fenway have some great offerings. Have fun on the train ride!
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