The Unpolished Princess

Start: Wise Shelter (AT mi 504.2). Stop: Lost Mountain Shelter (AT mi 486.7). Today’s miles: 17.5 miles. Total AT mileage: 1706.4 miles.

I ended up sleeping pretty well, considering sleeping in a shelter for the first time in awhile.. the first time since flipping southbound actually. I got up and made my breakfast before packing up. Finch was already up, and graciously got the food bags for everyone. Lizard was the last to start moving, but we were all up and mostly ready to go around 8. I left before the other 2, and then had to run back to get my pack cover I left. I sure suck at being an early bird.

I saw 2 ponies right outside of camp, I even pet the snout of one. Ballsy for me.. I really don’t trust animals this big to not nip at me. This one didn’t though, and after a few pets and pictures, I was off. The rain misted off and on as I climbed Mount Rogers. At one point it full on poured and I got chilly enough to actually put on my rain jacket. I knew toting it all this time would eventually come in handy.

The views at the top were beautiful, with the rain clouds passing one way and the sun shining through the clouds the other way. There were a few scattered ponies about here, too.. but not close enough to the trail to pet or get good pictures of. I did love how the rain water made the leaves seem to shimmer, like they had been sprinkled with glitter.. even the ones on the ground. I’m starting to think autumn might be turning into my favorite month. I’m just so fascinated with all the color. So much so that I keep having thoughts of wanting to paint the scenery I’m seeing, so the colors can be as vibrant as they are to my eye-although I’m no painter, so that’s a problem.

During some of the more pouring rain, I got to a shelter that Finch and Lizard had stopped at for reprieve. They had each passed me sometime during the climb. We ended up eating an early lunch to wait out some of the rain, hoping it would ease up. Luckily, it did. And then surprisingly it stopped completely. The trail was already turned into a river by this point though, so the shoes and socks were going to stay soaked no matter what.

Since I don’t do long breaks, mostly for fear of losing motivation, I set out before them. There was a long, ambling descent. There were fields and gorgeous views, miles and miles of colors in every direction.. pops of oranges and reds against bright green grass. When the trail went back into the woods, they even seemed prettier than before.. more vivid shades of greens with taller trees and bright yellow leaves.. moss and pine straw. I think the last few days here, in and around the Grayson Highlands has been the highlight of scenery for me. I’ll be honest, I’ve loved these views more than anything in the White Mountains.

There was a slow uphill that didn’t seem too difficult, followed by a long downhill before getting to the shelter we were aiming for. Lizard caught up to me in the last 20 or so minutes, so we hiked into camp together chatting the whole way. We decided to set up shop in the shelter, to avoid wet tents/hammocks in case it decided to rain again overnight. I prefer the tent, but I didn’t feel like setting up and being so far away from the shelter where they were going to be.

Finch came a long a little bit later and once he set up we all made and ate our dinner. Some section hikers came over to use the picnic table and we talked with them a bit before settling in for the night. We talked about the plan for the trail for the next few days, and our hopes to finish in Georgia together if it all works out with the extra zeros I have to take for Lauren’s bachelorette weekend. I think we’ve got it worked out pretty well.

I do have an end date in mind, but I don’t think I’m ready to put it out there just yet.. a lot can change with 487 miles left to go. These miles do seem to be flying by though, and I’m happy as hell about that. I’m ready to say I did it. I accomplished this huge goal that I set out to do.. it feels simultaneously so close and so very far away. Here’s to praying the rest goes as well as it has been going.. that we all finish, and we all stay healthy and injury free.

And with that, I think im heading to sleep. We get into Damascus tomorrow, and the day after that we finish the state of Virginia! It feels so incredibly unbelievable! Goodnight 🙂

Start: Dickey Gap (AT mi 520.2). Stop: Wise Shelter (AT mi 504.2). Today’s miles: 16 miles. Total AT mileage: 1688.9 miles.

We all woke up just after 7 and we could all tell none of us really wanted to start moving.. but, when a ride is showing up at 8, you kinda have to get a move on. Amazingly we were all 3 packed and ready, breakfast eaten by the time Jimmy, the shuttle driver, appeared at exactly 8! I was impressed with us, if no one else was.

Jimmy’s van has hikers names written all over it, along with advertising for the pizza place and the Mexican place in Marion, Virginia. He said they give him free food for free advertisement. Smart man. He drove us plus 2 other hikers to our destinations. We got out and started moving around 8:40-ish. Not too shabby.

The trail started off downhill in a calm meandering way, and pretty much maintained that level of smooth for a majority of the day, though the downhill definitely didn’t last. It was nice to hike with Finch and Lizard in the morning. We talked and walked for a couple hours before separating out a bit when someone would pause for layer changes or to stop at a privy.

At a beautiful creek crossing, I stopped to get water and to wait for them to catch back up to me (since I didn’t need to change my clothes or potty yet I got ahead). Bones ended up passing me so we talked a bit.. she was going farther than us today, so she didn’t talk long before needing to carry on. A couple minutes later, Finch appeared and we found a spot to sit and eat lunch knowing Lizard had to be close by. Once we sat and started pulling stuff out, she was there. So we got to enjoy lunch together with a few section hikers waiting to be picked up.

Because I have gotten so used to short breaks to make longer mileage days, I headed out the second I was done. I knew they wouldn’t be too far behind me either way, and I wanted to listen to my audiobook. I started the climb up Pine Mountain expecting it to be brutal. It was 5k elevation after all.. but honestly, it was less strenuous than the climbs Lizard and I did earlier this morning before splitting up. I was amazed at how quickly I managed to get up there!

Then, I walked through a gate that made me feel like I had just walked through a time portal into another world all together! The top of that mountain was absolutely stunning! The leaves had all changed colors, an explosion of brilliant oranges, yellows, reds. I took picture after picture because it was just so captivating. Then, a few miles later, I passed through some fencing that took me into a field with wild ponies and long horned cows, regular looking cows, and all their baby calves. I would say “steer” but I don’t think that’s the right term. I would take the time to google this, but I don’t have service.. so-maybe I will before posting this. Hmmm. Maybe I’m too tired to really care.. haha

I waited for Lizard to catch me so we could explore these big animals together. It makes me feel better that someone else shares my distrust of animals like these.. I mean, I like them, but I also think one would kick, bite, or charge me over a look.. sooooo.. you know, I’m a little uneasy with huge herds of these massive things around. She and I took pictures and had decided to wait for Finch. Shortly after deciding that, the wind picked up and storm clouds were rolling through, so we changed our minds and headed towards the shelter that was 3 miles away to attempt to beat the impending rain.

As we walked the colors just seem to erupt across the open ridge line. I told Lizard it felt like walking into a Thomas Kincaid puzzle. It was truly a magical experience for me. We also passed a few more cows and ponies in the distance. I stopped every 4 feet to take pictures. Within a half mile of the shelter, the sky dropped on us. We managed to get our water at a creek and then sought cover from the shelter moments later.

There was a little girl and her dad already there, eating dinner. It was a little before 5pm, so we didn’t start setting up or anything yet.. we just chatted with them a bit. They decided after eating they were going to continue on a few miles farther-maybe all the way back to their car to avoid a wet tent.

A bit later, Finch appeared and then a not long after him another hiker showed up, too. The 4 of us are in the shelter tonight, grateful for the cover, because the rain has ebbed and flowed all evening, only increasing as the day progresses into the darkness. We ate dinner together after setting up our stuff in the shelter. I’m happy it’s a nice one, as I haven’t been using them at all. As much as I love David’s tent, I didn’t want to test it out in this mess.

The shelter’s roof is metal, so it’s a nice sound to fall asleep to.. the pitter patter of rain. But it’s also worrisome that it’s not going to let up at all and this will be the future for us tomorrow. We knew it was going to rain, but there’s something to be said about starting in rain and it raining all day versus it starting to rain later in the day. I don’t know why, but the latter sounds way less miserable to me. Now that it’s cooler (we’re all a bit cold in here tonight waiting on our body heat to warm our sleeping bags and insulate us), rain can equal danger if you don’t play it safely.

As of now, it’s looking like we’ll be hiking just over 17 miles in this rain tomorrow, obscuring our views from Mount Rogers and probably of more ponies, too as we really get into the good parts of the Grayson Highlands. Oh well. We’ll get it done some how some way.. and then the following day will be a 16 mile day into Damascus for a hot shower and warm bed. As much as I love this trail, I don’t love the rain.. I pray tomorrow passes quickly and the crap weather passes, too.

It’s just after 8pm and it looks like everyone else is either already asleep or close to it. I’m just praying I don’t have to pee again, because I do not want to get soaked! Goodnight y’all!

Start:Campsite on Glade Mountain (AT mi 536.5). Stop: Dickey Gap (AT mi 520.2). Today’s miles: 16.3 miles. Total AT mileage: 1672.9 miles.

I woke up around 7 and got my food bag to eat breakfast in my tent. It seemed even sweeter today, for some reason, to eat my hot oatmeal and sip my coffee all cuddled into my quilt. It wasn’t particularly cold, but it didn’t matter.. I was taking in the ease of it all.

I packed and managed to get ready by 8:05.. late by 5 minutes, but I wasn’t too worried. I was on a mission to get to Dickey Gap by a decent time today, no matter what! My goal was to be in town, clean, resupplied, and full bellied by the time Hannah’s show started. Not to mention the absolute delight of knowing I’d be meeting up with Lizard and Finch in just a few hours!

The sun was coming up through the trees, it was just so serene. I was on the ridge so I could watch the colors of the sky change as the sun rose, but couldn’t capture it on camera with the trees blocking the overall view. As I continued downhill off the mountain, it got darker, almost like the sun hadn’t come up at all. The walking was easy though. Two miles in, I passed the Mount Rogers Visitor Center. It was closed because of the weekend. I followed the trail to the shelter I would have gotten to last night if I had made my miles the day before yesterday, but as nice as it was, I was happy I camped where I did last night and that I shared the cabin with the others the night before. It worked out like it should have.

At the shelter, I passed MashedPotato! I stopped to chat a minute with him.. I was shocked he was ahead of me since I ever saw anyone pass me yesterday, but he told me of a blue blaze they made when getting their resupply, so that made sense. The others had already left for the day, so there was a small possibility of meeting them again if they stopped for lunch or something, but it was unlikely. We said our byes and I kept moving.

At some point I had a pretty decent climb with a view of Pine Valley off in the distance (I only know that from the sign that said so..). It was pretty enough, I paused to snap a picture. From there it was quick downhill trail, smooth and perfect for making up some quick mileage. I eventually went through a field with cows and had to dodge cow patties for a bit before getting back into woods.

I stopped for lunch and water at a shelter around 12:30, but I was irritated because I had been making great timing and had I kept going I’d have made it to the road crossing by 2, and now it would be 2:30. I knew I had to fuel my body to make it there, but I’m so sick of peanut butter tortillas now that one more just seemed like it would be the end of me. I ate it anyway. When I was packing back up MashedPotato appeared to eat his lunch! I lingered chatting with him until close to 1pm and then decided it was time to truck it up the last climb of the day and get down the mountain to the road crossing. I was ready to be with my friends!

The last climb wasn’t bad at all. My app made it look so much more dramatic than it was. I finished the last 4 miles to the road crossing by 2:30 and quickly set to work trying to hitchhike to town. I didn’t have service to call a shuttle, and while I could have used my Garmin Inreach to text, it some times takes a while for things to go through. I decided just to try hitching for about 20-30 minutes, and if I had no luck, then try the texting thing. The 7th or 8th car stopped for me! It had been less than 10 minutes!

Cheri (pronounced like Shurree. Sorry for misspelling here) and John picked me up and drove me the whole 25-30 minutes to the Red Roof Inn in Marion! We talked the whole way, about all types of things. I really believe we meet who we’re intended to meet. This sweet couple was so completely kind to me and I enjoyed being with them. When they dropped me off they even made sure I was at the right motel before driving off! Sometimes the kindness of strangers really does blow my mind, especially with how cruel people can be these days. It’s refreshing to meet genuinely good people.

I all but ran to the motel room and Lizard let me in! We hugged and chatted a bit before I unpacked and got in the shower. Once I was all clean we caught up some more and Finch returned from his resupply, so we caught up, too! Man, I’ve really missed these folks so much! It was getting close to 4, so I left my reunion to walk down to Walmart and resupply myself. I text them when I was done so they could meet me at the Mexican restaurant between Walmart and the motel.

We ended up eating an early dinner on the patio, margaritas included. I was having such a good time! I was in such high spirits! When it was close to 6pm, we hurried to pay the tab so we could get back to the hotel’s WiFi so Lizard could pull up the livestream of Hannah’s band on her phone. Sadly, our tv wasn’t able to stream it for us, so we watched on Lizard’s phone as Hannah and her band mates jammed out. Hannah plays the bass guitar and it was awesome to see her (and her band mates too, really) completely in her element. It was also ridiculously cute to see the way Lizard watched her, too. She definitely has found her person.

After Hannah’s band finished, I packed up some stuff and organized as best I could, and then the three of us watched some tv.. we channel surfed awhile before landing on HBO and enjoying “She’s All That.” It was such a good day! Eventually we all retreated to our separate beds and are close to shutting the lights off to get some sleep. Tomorrow we have a shuttle arranged to take us back to the trailhead at 8am. I’m thrilled it isn’t 7! Here’s to “sleeping in!” Ha! Goodnight y’all!