The Unpolished Princess

Start: Gravel Springs Hut (AT mi 958.7). Stop: Stealth Site near Pinnacle Picnic Area (AT mi 938.8). Today’s miles: 19.9 miles Total AT mileage: 1254.3 miles

I slept so good last night that I was startled when my watch started vibrating at 6:30 this morning.. I definitely turned it off and waited until 7 to get moving. I packed up as quietly as I could and walked to the shelter to get my food and eat breakfast. Section Hiker Matt didn’t appear to even stir with my racket, so I was happy I didn’t wake him.

I left a little before 8, and started the day off with my bug net on. The plan was to just wear it until someone passed me.. from either direction, really, so they’d be the home destroyers and I’d be spared the sticky webs. The only problem with that plan was that I saw not ONE SINGLE SOUL on the trail today. I mean, I saw people.. at the restaurant I got lunch at, on the side trail to get to it, at road crossings and a picnic area.. but literally not a soul hiking on the AT.

Normally, that would be the highlight of my day! No peopling! However, I was a spider web removal service of one for 19.9 miles of the AT today. It was beyond irritating. And I kid you not, I’d hit one about every 20-30 seconds. At one point, to cure my boredom I actually counted the seconds.. 29 was the highest I got to before having to start over. It felt like I played that little game for eternity.. but I’m sure we’re talking like 5-10 minutes, tops. Lol

Anyway, the trail itself was gorgeous. I’m loving the terrain so much (minus all the charlottes and their webs). It’s actual TRAIL. I’m still mesmerized by it, really. That I can walk and the only reason I “have” to stop is to catch my breath or pull of webs from my fingers.. not because I have to figure out how the hell I’m supposed to climb up that. Going uphill I just charge forward, occasionally pause to catch my breath or take a swig of water, and then keep it moving! It’s phenomenal.

Around 10:30 I got to Elkwallow Wayside, which is a camp store with Shenandoah National Park souvenirs, camping supplies, and a little convenient store/grill. The grill didn’t open until 11am, and I was wanting something hot for lunch, so I hung out at the picnic tables outside in the sun for the 30 minutes. It was so nice! I even laid out on the grass for awhile and stretched, too.

I ended up ordering a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw, and a side of fries with a soda for some caffeine. The sandwich was most definitely no where near the best I’ve ever had, but ya know what? I didn’t care, it was hot and it was decent enough for me to eat every single bite. It did have me thinking about wanting to visit Memphis, TN and trying their BBQ. My friend Dominique is from there and mentioned how good their BBQ is before. Might be time to try it out when I finish this thing..

After I finished devouring my food like a bear was going to snatch it from me at any second, I cleaned up my mess and headed back to the trail. I somehow picked the wrong side trail and ended up bushwhacking to the actual AT. Whoops. Back on trail, and with a few new scrapes from briars, I was on my way. A little after 1pm I had to stop to dig a hole, and when I got back to my pack, I realized I had service, so I sat on a rock and uploaded yesterday’s blog entry. Other than that, I practically didn’t stop moving for the rest of the day.. and my feet are currently fussing at me because of it.

I passed the shelter I was aiming for at 4pm. The comments mention that the water supply is down a steep side trail over a quarter mile. I decided if I was going to huff and puff anymore today, it would be over the next mountain and not for something that doesn’t even count towards my mileage. Plus, I still had some water to get over that beast. On the other side of The Pinnacle, there was a picnic area with tables, bathrooms, and running water. It was 2.3 miles away, and then the comments section said that there was a great stealth spot 0.1 past that area. That was my goal now.

So, I pushed forward, and snapped some pictures. When I finally got to the campground around 5:30 I almost had a limp because of how sore my feet were. I used the bathroom, delighted in washing my hands with proper soap and water, and then filled up my water bottles. I sat for a minute at a picnic table, then decided to leave my stuff and go check out the stealth site before toting everything that way. I was worried that either it would be a crappy site, some person magically appeared to take it, or it would be too open to set up right now, since technically the picnic area is a no camping zone.

As I walked down the AT though, the trail passed a “backcountry” sign, telling me that I could only camp if I had a permit, which I do-so that alleviated the worry that a random ranger would appear and make me take down my tent. I eventually found the spot, a perfect grassy area with great bear hang tree limbs nearby. So, I walked back and grabbed my stuff. I set up the tent, hung my bear line, and ate dinner.

Mom called while I was eating, so I chatted with her awhile. She went with Uncle Keith, Aunt Kathy, and her side of the family to Fort Morgan to spend a week at the beach. Talk about making a girl jealous! I wish I had the time to just hop on a plane and show up. But sadly, these miles won’t get completed if I keep taking time away from them.. lol

After dinner, I cleaned up, hung my food, and got changed into my sleep clothes before unpacking everything else. I’m actually pretty cold right now as I watch the sun setting in a huge orange glow. Through the trees I can see the sun, a row of pink sky, and the blueness of the mountains in shadows. It’s crazy how green trees can look blue from a distance. I’m assuming that’s how the Blue Ridge Parkway got its name.. the hills in the distance fade from shades of green to shades of blue and grey. It’s stunning. Too bad it doesn’t show up as beautifully in pictures as it does with the naked eye.

It’s not even 8pm yet and I’m ready for sleep. I think I’m turning in early tonight, and maybe I’ll wake up earlier tomorrow.. doubtful, but, I guess if I don’t then my body must need the sleep. Goodnight y’all. Maybe I’ll dream of being at the beach and hearing the waves crashing.. maybe you will, too.

Start: Front Royal, Virginia (AT mi 972.1). Stop: Gravel Springs Hut (AT mi 958.7). Today’s miles: 13.4 miles. Total AT mileage: 1234.4 miles.

I got up this morning around 8am. When I realized my battery bank wasn’t completely charged for some reason, I decided to get breakfast and bring it back to the room before packing.. so it could charge more.

The breakfast was not thrilling. Little omelets that looked once frozen and then they heated them in a microwave, oatmeal, not completely cooked potatoes, and soggy bacon. I ate the oatmeal and omelet, but was disappointed. Now that I’m typing this, I don’t know why I didn’t just walk next door to McDonalds and get a biscuit.. it couldn’t have been worse..

Either way, I ate in my room and then slowly finished getting ready and packing up. I called a shuttle driver and was told he’d be there to get me in 10 minutes. It was just after 9:40. A late start, but already the makings of a beautiful day. The man picked me up and dropped me off at the trailhead at 10.. I sat on a log and put my shoes on, pulled my hair up, peed behind a bush, and then finally set off into the woods.

I didn’t see people until well into the early afternoon. I did, however, become the sole destroyer of close to a billion homes of the local Virginia spiders. I’m talking walking into web after web, even with twirling my trekking pole out in front of my face for so long I had to trade arms, and then trade again! I eventually (aka 20 or so minutes of this continuous wiping of my face, arms, and legs) put on my bug net, rolled down my sleeves on my shirt, and only had to deal with the webs touching my fingers and legs. It drove me bananas.

Finally, a little before noon, I passed the Shenandoah National Park kiosk to get my backpacking permit. About 20 or so minutes later, that trail merged with a more popular trail, and I ran into PEOPLE! Normally, this wouldn’t be exciting, however, for me now it meant I could finally quit wearing the bug net and be able to see without walking into the entire population of spiders.. with my face. Thank GOD!

The trail was so gentle with its well maintained ups and downs. There were definitely climbs, but I didn’t mind them. And there were viewpoints down short side trails that I actually took the time to explore. I loved it! I sat at a small water source, a tiny spring that I had to fill up only a liter at a time to filter because the slope wouldn’t let more water go into the bag otherwise. I decided to eat lunch there, too. After I ate, I went off trail a little bit behind a tree to pee (mainly because of all the dang people) and as I walked back a deer came up and explored around me.. she even went to sniff my pee-I tried to talk her out of that one, poor girl.

She stayed awhile, completely unconcerned with me.. she didn’t even run off when I picked up my pack and put it on. I had to be the one walking away from her, not the other way around like typical deer encounters. I carried on, enjoying the green tunnel of trees and sun protection.. the breezes were cooler than I expected them to be, and I said my thanks to the Man above, because this was perfect.

I was walking downhill, checking out viewpoints with less than a mile to go when I came out from one and accidentally went the wrong way. I didn’t realize it until I was almost all the way back up the mountain I was coming down. Well, hell. At least the weather was nice and sunny.. haha I turned around and headed back the correct direction, deciding no more view points today-I was now 1.8 from the shelter.. but it was downhill, so I wasn’t too upset. Plus, it’s boring to get to camp too soon anyway! So I tell myself.

When I did get to the side trail to camp, there was a guy just ahead of me coming in on the same trail. The tent sites are farther past the shelter, so I got my food bag and water out before carrying on. I’m thankful I did because as I passed where he was setting up, he told me there was a huge black snake at the last campsite. Well, I’m definitely not going up there! I did pass him and go to the one not right next to him but just passed the one next to him, mainly so he’d be spared listening to me roll all night-from a closer proximity. Haha

I set up camp and then walked back to the shelter, I washed off at the spring and filtered water. He came down, too, so we chatted and ate our dinner together. His name is Matt, from Chicago, and he came out to hike the AT through Shenandoah NP as something to do before starting a new job in his new career after graduating from college.

I’m happy I’m not camping here alone tonight, for some reason the idea of snakes and potential for bears has me anxious about camping alone out here. Im sure it’ll pass, it better anyway-because I don’t think Ill be seeing a whole lot of people once I’m out of the park.. also of note: he’s quite handsome, and I’m sure way too young for me-but good to know if a bear does attack me tonight, someone attractive will hopefully be my savior LMAO.. jk-that’s an even more terrifying thought.

Anyway, I’m all tucked in and it’s a little chilly, there’s a cute frog, or toad-I don’t know the difference really, or if I did I’ve forgotten (I bet Kylie knows and could teach me the difference.. hmm) hopping around right outside my tent, under the vestibule. I much prefer him to the rat of the other night.

I think I’ll read some before bed, and I’ll definitely be wearing my earplugs tonight.. all the crickets and cicadas singing is a phenomenal sound to fall asleep to, but I don’t want to hear anything else out there moving around and making me wake in a panic. The more oblivious I am, the better I sleep. Plus, these bugs are loud enough I’ll probably still hear their lullaby with the earplugs in! Goodnight y’all! Sweet dreams!

Start: Manassas Gap Shelter (AT mi 982.8). Stop: Front Royal, Virginia (AT mi 972.1). Today’s miles: 10.7 miles Total AT mileage: 1221 miles

I had my watch alarm set for 6:30 and 7am.. I turned off the 6:30 one, but ended up getting up around 6:45.. as I was packing inside the tent, sprinkles were starting to pelt on the outside of it. Crap. No one wants to pack a wet tent! So I hurried as quickly as I could to get everything inside into the pack and then took down the tent and packed it too. I propped my umbrella over the pack while I went to get my food bag.

By the time I got back, the rain had stopped. I ate sitting on a log and then put my food bag in my pack, put on the rain cover, and officially got my day started. It was just after 7:30. Still 45 minutes to get up/pack/eat.

The rain came and went all day. Light sprinkles to full downpours. Luckily, the trail was a breeze. I had some uphills that were longer than most in the Rollercoaster, but honestly the grade was nice, the ground was soft, and I had not one single complaint.. even in the rain. I saw several deer and a rabbit. It feels like the wildlife is much more willing to be caught by the eye down here in Virginia.. the animals in Maine were elusive.

On the last stretch of downhill to a parking lot, there were several downed trees to maneuver through/over.. and otherwise it truly was uneventful. With 2 miles to go, I called a shuttle guy from my app, and he said he’d be there waiting for me at the parking lot. To my great joy, he AND his dog were waiting for me. I got to pet and cuddle a brindle colored pitty my whole 15 minute ride to the Hampton Inn in Front Royal, Virginia.

My hotel was chosen because of 2 things: it’s proximity to Walmart, and ability to cut half the room cost by paying with some points from my credit card. I’m officially fresh out of points, now, but they have helped me out tremendously on this trip. So, when I walked into the hotel at 12:20pm, the nice lady let me know that my room wasn’t ready. Cool. I asked if she could store my bag for me while I walked to Walmart, and she agreed. I felt real bad watching her pick the stinky thing up and tote it behind the counter, but she wouldn’t let me back there to put it away for her.

Another worker heard me talking with her and offered to drop me off at Walmart so I wouldn’t have to walk there in the rain. He was headed in that direction anyway! How lucky! So, we walked out together and I got in to his very nice Jeep Grand Cherokee and wondered if he regretted his offer. I was wet, a little muddy, and smelled like-well, hiker trash. He didn’t make any faces though, so, that was kind.

He dropped me off and I got started on my resupply. I replaced my knock off crocs, sad they didn’t have the same colorful ones. I got my food for the next few days (I plan to have 3 days of food, but to stop at the “waysides” or little stores in Shenandoah National Park to eat meals as I pass them-so maybe I won’t have get off trail to resupply for a bit longer this go around..), some hair ties since every last one of mine have broken, some peroxide to clean out my ears, and some muscle relief packets of epsom salt for a bath later.

Once checked out, I walked across the parking lot to a Mexican restaurant. I know now that it must look odd to walk into a restaurant to sit down to eat with 4 bags of groceries and whatnot. I know, because I got stares from just about every table. I was also still wet and muddy-but I wasn’t going to wait to get cleaned up and come back out into the rain. Priorities people.

I sat in a booth in the back and absolutely devoured my food. It was so full of flavor that I was shocked at how good it was. I had a margarita, chips and salsa and queso with jalapeños, and Texas fajitas. DE-LI-CIOUS. It was so good I had to stop my self from trying to eat absolutely all of it, because I’d be too stuffed to carry all my crap back to the hotel.. a mile away in the rain.. ha

It was on my way back that I thought about the weird little things that I’m suddenly grateful for. Like the fact that Virginia doesn’t have the no plastic bags rule. Toting 4 paper bags back would have been dreadful. And, I didn’t have to pay for said un-environmentally friendly plastic bags. I get why they’re bad and that I should use a reusable bag-but folks-I’m hiking here, not pulling up in my car with my reusable bags at my disposal.

Anywho-by the time I got back, my room was ready. It’s so comfortable! A king bed, a nice tub.. what every hiker dreams about. I showered, took a bath, rinsed off with cold water since the bath had me sweating (god baths are so strange.. but my legs do feel better, less sore), and then after laying around for about 30 minutes flipping through channels, I put on my rain pants and jacket and headed downstairs to do laundry. So exciting.

Now, I’m back in that bed, watching tv and relaxing. I’ll get up and pack my things to make the morning go smoother in a bit, but for now.. I’m just enjoying the pure bliss of doing nothing. Nothing is required of me, nothing has to be done or has a deadline-and y’all, it’s delightful. I even think I’ll sleep in and enjoy the breakfast they serve in the morning before heading out to the trail. Life is good. Sweet dreams, y’all