834.7 miles, 1,599,992 steps

This was a less eventful week, for sure. The typical Virginia hiking experience of “ridge-walking” continues to dominate, leaving me with less novel sights to report. But I don’t mean to be a downer, there’s still a fair amount of trail joy to share.

My mood and mileage have been muted a bit due to sleep deprivation. I soon discovered a slow leak in my sleeping pad, constantly waking up on hard ground. The nature of the issue had to be solved in-town, unfortunately wrecking my REM and deep sleep all week. Every day I was several miles short of my planned goal, and I suspect poor sleep was a significant factor. This led me to end up 30 miles short of the original goal.

All this adds up to a sadder internal disposition within myself. On top of my mood, blue is definitely the color of this week, between the clouds, distant mountains, and James River.

Day 58: Monday, April 15

BeeCh Hill Hostel to Bearwallow Gap – 20.4 miles

Pyro and I hiked the day together. We had some time for conversation at the hostel over the game of Catan (which, for the record, I won), it was fantastic to have several hours to catch up in-full. Two whole months had gone by since our last meeting.

In addition to the full pack weight that makes the first day of the week the most difficult, the sun was positively scorching. Trees provide little shade this time of year, with leaf cover a week or so away from fully developing. Midday saw temperatures rise to 86 degrees, forcing me to a snail’s pace on any sort of incline. We took an extra full-hour break around 3:00, even though we’d already paused for lunch a few hours prior. It seems that timing one’s lunch break for the true hottest time of the day is imperative when high’s reach the 80’s

Late afternoon, we crossed Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) for the first time. BRP is a mountaintop road with frequent overlooks that the AT follows for a couple dozen miles. We stopped to take in the first of these scenic views. As Pyro and I reclined on the roadside, my Merlin Bird ID app picked up the calls of several new species, especially warblers.

Day 59: Tuesday, April 16

Bearwallow Gap to Cornelius Creek Shelter – 15.3 miles

We chose Jennings Creek for our lunch spot, enticed by the guidebook’s mention of a swimming hole. I slipped my aching and soiled feet into the brisk waters, though I hurriedly retreated once Pyro detected a water snake on the opposite bank. We lounged on a rock in the center of the creek for a time. In the midst of reassembling our packs, “Mountain Goat” caught up to us. He was a section hiker who needed to head off-trail early, so Pyro lent his phone so Mountain Goat could call a shuttle. I’m glad we hadn’t left any sooner!

A former college athlete, Pyro is a much stronger hiker than I am. After lunch, he pulled ahead.

Day 60: Wednesday, April 17

Cornelius Creek Shelter to Johns Hollow Shelter – 21.8 miles

With the previous two days in the 80’s, an overcast day was a welcome change. The latter half of the day led me through the site of a forrest fire from last year. I put on Dune: Messiah as an audiobook and ended up finishing it by evening! The somber novel matched the tone of the gloomy clouds and still-ashen vegetation.

Two unique sights broke the monotony. First, Apple Orchard Mountain sported an FAA radio facility, plus a unique look at the blue ridge mountains (title picture). Some sort of mist or fog effect obscured the base of the surrounding mountains, pale blue peaks fading into the shrouded valleys below. It’s hard to describe the exact effect, just go look at the pictures. Second, the end of the day brought me to the James River. At ~750 feet of elevation, this is the lowest spot on the trail. I crossed the waterway on the largest footbridge encountered on the AT.

Day 61: Thursday, April 18

Johns Hollow Shelter to Brown Mountain Creek Shelter – 18.3 miles

On a rock outcropping looking back toward the James River, I met a pair of international section hikers. These two brothers, from Canada and Scotland, hike 800-1000 miles every year.

Just before reaching shelter, I caught sight of a Barred Owl! I’ve heard their calls since Day 2 and was hoping to eventually sight one as daylight hours lengthened. Fascinated, I observed its head pivot back-and-forth in a robotic fashion.

Day 62: Friday, April 19

Brown Mountain Creek Shelter to VA 826 – 21.5 miles

Just before lunch, I bumped into Tracks and Dutch, two more Week 1 friends who now have trail names! They tipped me off that Medicine Man, formerly Peter, is just a few days ahead of me.

Today’s walk was the approach to a peak known as The Priest. There are two mountains to the south named The Friar and The Cardinal, but my approach was from the west and did not intersect those two. Though I don’t know the reason for the clerical names, I nonetheless appreciate the nod to Catholicism.

Even in the midday heat, the layer of clouds at 3,000 feet refused to disperse. Strolling along the 4,000-ft ridge afforded constant views of islands of mountains floating amidst the sea of clouds.

Day 63: Saturday, April 20

VA 826 to VA 56 / Tye River, shuttle to Waynesboro – 5.7 miles

This weekend I’m hanging out at Stanimal’s in Waynesboro, VA. The highlights here are a foot massager, best-supplied kitchen to-date, and free blueberry pancake breakfast! Using the good ole’ soapy water method, I tracked down and patched the leak in my sleeping pad! Before my evening grocery run, myself and a few other hikers sought out hot fudge sundaes at the local ice cream shop. Despite the tiring and disappointing week, I’m refreshed to get back at it Sunday evening.

On the Horizon

Next week, I will enter (and hopefully finish) the trail’s second National Park, Shenandoah National Park (SNP). Word goes around that the trail will be much easier until the northeast, with no 4,000-ft peaks for several hundred miles.

Pebbles

New birds: Yellow Pine Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Blue-headed Vireo, Wood Thrush, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Barred Owl, and Brown-headed Cowbird

Interesting hikers: “Wallace” & “Grommit”, a Canadian-Scottish duo hiking the trail in thirds. “Scotsman” a retired Chemistry professor from Scotland.

Songs in my Head: “Amanda”, “Peace of Mind”, & “Don’t Look Back” by Boston

🎶But I don’t care if I get behind / All I want is to have my peace of mind🎶,

Maxwell “Oatmeal” Stelmack