Start: Waynesboro, VA (AT mi 864.2) Stop: Rock Point (AT mi 848.7) Today’s miles: 15.5 miles Total AT mileage: 1344.4 miles
I decided to sleep in a little this morning, since I slept horribly.. it was stuffy and hot and sticky.. and I didn’t get a top sheet, just a thick cover that was too much most of the time. So, I didn’t get up until 7:30. I felt so gross from sweating in my sleep, that I took another shower before packing everything up.
Once packed, I took everything downstairs and then walked down the street to Burger King for an egg and cheese biscuit, or two. I got it to go and then ate it at the kitchen table at the hostel. The girls ended up being awake by the time I got back, and invited me to breakfast, before realizing I already got mine. Whoops! I snagged a Gatorade to pour into my water bottle, and then got my shuttle to the trail head.
It was windy at Rockfish Gap, but sunny and so comfortable temperature wise. I sat in the grass and put my shoes on, then loaded up my heavy, food full pack onto my back and started down the trail. It’s definitely got the feeling of less trail maintenance than while in the Shenandoahs, but it was still quite nice. Being a Sunday meant lots of day hikers and trail runners taking care of my spider web wreckage for me. I was grateful.
I basically climbed most of the day, slow uphills with switchbacks and smooth trail. There wasn’t anything treacherous or that had me huffing and puffing so hard I couldn’t breathe. I did stop for lunch at a perfect sitting rock with a blocked view, but it was more about the food than the view. I had issues with water this afternoon.. the streams are slow slow moving, little trickles that I had to finagle leaves in to make them “pour” into my water bag. It was a 15 minute ordeal to get water at one point.
I got to the top of Humpback Mountain without much struggle. The rest of the terrain was a rocky downward slope that meandered into deep woods and then out to rocky view points and back again. Originally I was aiming for a stream ahead less than a mile from where I decided to camp. I had already passed one rocky outcropped area with tentsites that were gorgeous, but since it technically was in a “no camping” zone, I didn’t push my luck and carried on. When I saw this spot, with its gorgeous view point and perfect campsite-and no signs saying not to, I claimed it for my own before anyone else could show up!
I did end up having a stand off with a huge black snake.. I lost, of course. Half of its body was in the middle of the trail, the half with its head! Obviously, I did my scream and jump routine.. that thing just looked at me. Didn’t budge. I’m not brave enough to touch a snake, even with my trekking pole, so after talking to it for 2-3 minutes in a panic, hoping it would hear me out and move.. I ended up going through briars, probably more than necessary, to give it a very wide birth.
Back to now, I technically need more water, but I have enough to drink a small bit in the morning to get my breakfast down.. and then I’ll just have to fill up at the steam within the mile. I couldn’t pass up a sunset at these views. I would say “and sunrise” but, we all know if I see it, it’ll be through the tent because I probably won’t get up to watch from the rocky point. Ha. I had a feeling the stream would be deeply wooded and less spectacular to watch the sunset at any rate, so, I’m ok with missing the water a little bit.
Once I got my tent up, stuff unpacked, and bear line thrown (this proved to be quite the annoying challenge tonight), I ate dinner while watching the sunset from a perfect sitting rock on a beautiful ledge. It was stunning! The sun was a big orange ball that I got to see sink down below the mountains ahead of me. Man, it was special.
While sitting there, after I ate, I started working on a little itinerary for the next couple of weeks. I don’t know how realistic it is, but mom wants to drive up to bring me some stuff and swap out gear, now that she’s roughly 6-7 hours away, and only getting closer the farther south I get.. so I attempted to make a “plan” to give a rough estimate of where I should be on a weekend she might be able to make the drive up. She knows it’s a guess and she may be having to pick me up at a random road crossing way off from expected, but I don’t think she minds that any. I’m not planning on taking a zero until then.
Tomorrow, my goal is to hike the 19 miles to the Priest Shelter, which is located at the top of Priest mountain.. so the last 4 miles of my hike will be straight up a steep ascent. Usually I prefer knocking out behemoths first thing in the morning, but to keep my mileage goals in check, it looks like that booger should happen tomorrow.. if I don’t make it to the top, there’s a place to camp at the bottom before the climb.. so, it could work out that way anyway. But I’m going to sleep with intentions of summiting that thing tomorrow.
Speaking of sleep, I think that’s what my plan is now.. to get some and catch up on my lack there of from last night. The wind is whipping through here pretty strong, I’m slightly concerned with the tree limbs around.. but I think I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll fall asleep soon and won’t care what happens around me tonight! Lol- Sweet dreams, y’all!