Spelunking

Fern Gully

Yesterday we hiked another 10 miles. We actually had a 1300 foot climb up to a heavily wooded ridge. It's pretty fascinating how the landscape can change with just a few hundred feet in elevation. One minute we were walking through dense deciduous forests with hard dirt underneath us, the next we were walking by moss covered boulders surrounded by ferns. We had another short day, because we had to pack up to move again. On our way out of Northern Virginia, though, we stopped at Luray Caverns to do a little touristy spelunking. The Luray Caverns are a registered US National Landmark, and I have to say seeing them was worth every penny we paid in admissions. Each visitor gets a headset to take them on a 1.4 mile self-guided walk through the caverns, and the voice on the tape explains the science and history behind all of the major sights in the caves. And there were many sights. From the surreal...

Think that's a ceiling full of stalactites and a floor full of stalagmites you're seeing? You're only half right. That's a ceiling full of stalactites perfectly reflected in about 3 inches of water, otherwise known as "Dream Lake." Very eerie and beautiful.

...to the massive...

"The Bride and Groom," two intertwined columns that are about 40 feet tall.

Huge "drapes" made of rock.

...to the charitable...

The Luray Caverns "wishing well." They clean it out every year and donate all the money to charities. I was asked why the water was green in this pool and nowhere else in the cave. Before the disembodied voice on the tape tour could respond, I said "copper pennies." I was right. The copper in the pennies turns the water greenish blue over time. Thank you, chemistry degree.

We enjoyed the caverns for a couple of hours, had some homemade chocolate nut fudge, and wandered through the classic car museum before we left Luray. Daddy really liked the car museum. They had some gorgeous old cars in there, and some very very rare ones, too. Overall, a nice break from hiking to enjoy some underground natural wonders. It was a truly amazing detour.

Even in 1906, Ford was making the good cars. Have to love a good Ford.

PS - Don't be surprised if there are very few, if any, posts in the next week. I have my first two medical school interviews over the next 8 days, so I'll be up and down the East Coast trying to sell myself to institutions of higher learning. Updates on the interview process coming soon.

,,,Away, you rolling river

Enjoying another Shenandoah View

Today we only made it about 10 miles because we had to relocate base camp. We're actually staying out of Shenandoah Park now, and I miss it already. The real world is loud and crowded. I already want to go back to lots of trees, no electricity and quiet. We even had to cross a major highway on our hike today. It just felt like modernity was trying to track me down and lasso me in all day. I didn't like it. But in between highways I got to forget about all that for a while. We made a good find today when we came across one of the Shenandoah Huts. Everywhere else on the AT, the shelters are simply known as "shelters," but here in Shenandoah, a "shelter" is a wooden structure meant for day use only - meaning you can't stay there overnight. Instead, long distance hikers who want to stay on the trail have to stay in the "huts." We haven't seen one yet because they are usually at least a quarter of a mile off of the trail, which is half a mile there and back we don't want to walk. But today, we found one that was right on the trail. The hut looked a lot like the AT shelters I'm used to seeing, but roomier and made of stone. Someone clearly comes around to tend to it more often than the usual AT shelter too. Not bad, overall.

Shenandoah Hut

Most of the hike was through dense woods, but we did find one great view at Mary's Rock, where we ate lunch.

Luchtime View

It was a great little break until some very obnoxious and rude Europeans came up the trail and ran us off of it. I'm not saying all Europeans are rude and obnoxious, I'm saying this particular group of hikers, who happened to be European (based on their accents), were, since they immediately took over the whole rock without any regard for other hikers trying to enjoy the view, and proceeded to have very loud conversations about their past outdoor accomplishments. Luckily, I was nearly finished with my lunch by the time they showed up, so for a while, I had the view all to myself. We met with another minor annoyance at the end of our hike. It seems the AT had been moved at the spot where we were supposed to be picked up, so the AT didn't intersect the road. Rather than backtrack or hike 3 more miles to the next road crossing, we bushwhacked (read: traipsed through the underbrush as best we could) up to the road. We made it, but ended up covered in ticks and chiggers and who knows what else. After getting through that, I was glad for a dip in the campground pool and a shower. Not every day on the AT is perfect, but I'd still rather be here than anywhere else right now.

On Top of the World

Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you...

900 Miles!

After being forced to take a day off because of fog (I realize that sounds bizzare, but the fog on Tuesday was literally thick enough to make driving and even walking/hiking dangerous), we had two more back-to-back 13-14 mile days. On Wednesday, we started out from the 900 mile mark. No matter how you slice it, 900 miles is a long way. It's taken me a long time to get here, and I'm just now getting used to being out here. Maybe I'll feel like a real hiker soon. The fog from the day before hadn't quite lifted when we started hiking on Wednesday, but it was pleasant. For a while. The weather changes in an instant out here.

From this...

...to this in a matter of minutes.

But, it can't rain all the time, and when we were within a mile of our pickup spot, things cleared up. Things cleared up so much that the Trail Angel Mamma decided to come out and hike with us for a little detour to Lewis Falls, an 81 foot waterfall in the park. It's always nice to have the Trail Angel Mamma with us. The detour made Wednesday a long day, but it was a nice one because of it.

Lewis Falls.

Today, we went 13 miles instead of 14, and the day was full of adventures, too many to put up pictures of.

Cliff Climbing, one adventure of many.

We walked across another Talus Slope, came across several mother deer with their fawns, petted a horse when we walked past Skyland Stables. Three things happened on both Wednesday and Thursday that made these two days particularly fun. First, we saw the Seattle Boys again. I think we are on official recognition terms now. I almost didn't recognize them under their weeks-worth of facial hair, but we chatted a but while I waited for Mamma and Daddy at the trail to Lewis Falls yesterday, and I saw them again today at the lodge. They still seem happy to be out here, but that could've been the burgers and beer at the lodge talking through them. Second, we got to have lunch with Mamma both days. Yesterday, she brought us a picnic, and today we walked to the Skyland Lodge and ate there. Always a treat. Third, we got to enjoy live entertainment both nights. Last night, we listened to Higher Ground play some great bluegrass, and tonight we enjoyed the Appalachian folk music stylings of a local art history professor and his 17 year old son. It always feels good to throw some culture in between long walks.

High Ground Bluegrass.

Appalachian Folk Music.

The past two days have definitely been very enjoyable. It seems like every time I start to feel the pain in my legs, or let my mind wander into a dark place, something happens to surprise me and take my breath away. I don't always have fun out here, and I don't always have a good attitude. But the trail does funny things. Sometimes, I forget why I decided to come out here in the first place. But then again, sometimes, that just doesn't matter.

Sunset on the mountain

Quote of the Day: "I'm so sorry, folks. Someone in here is wearing a scent I haven't smelled since high school. And that was a long time ago. It's doing things to me. I'm not in my own body right now." -Appalachian folk singer, when he forgot some lyrics.

Mileage Update: Miles from Springer - 927

Anniversaries and Advancements

No Cameras allowed inside, but there's a big government secret under that fancy hotel behind me...

My internet connection in Shenandoah is rather unreliable, so a lot of backed-up posts are coming. We took a few days off from hiking so that Daddy and Trail Angel Mamma could celebrate their 27th wedding anniversary. We went up to West Virginia for a few days, where there were nice accommodations, good food and rest to be had. One of the most amazing things we got to do while were were on this detour was go on a "bunker tour" of the underground nuclear fallout shelter built under the Greenbrier Resort as a relocation facility for Congress during the Cold War. It never got used, but it was kept in a constant state of readiness for 30 years, and much of the old facilities and equipment are still there for the public to see, since the facility's cover was blown in the 1990s so the government can't use use it as a secret base. It was really fascinating. Like something straight out of a James Bond movie. Congratulations, Daddy and Mamma. Thanks for including me in your celebrations. I love you.

27 Years and still lookin' good.

All rested up, we came back to Shenandoah and had two 14+ mile days in a row. I have to admit, the long days wear me out, but now that I'm finally finished with all my medical school secondaries (15 total!), I have to make miles while I still can. The AT follows Skyline Drive pretty closely the whole length of Shenandoah National Park. Occasionally, this gets annoying, because you're never out of earshot of the highway. If you're looking for solitude and raw nature, this is not the place to come. However, if you're looking for something incredible to see, in a place that's easy to get to and incredibly visitor friendly, this is absolutely the place for you. On our hike on Sunday, we got up close and personal with some interesting geography we'd only read about up until then.

Remember the "Talus Slopes?" This is when it looks like when you crawl across one.

We also rediscovered why they call the highway "Skyline Drive," since we were treated to some truly incredible views.

Blue Skies, shining at me...

Sometimes staying sane on the AT is a balancing act...

On Monday, things got a bit cloudy. We didn't run into any bad weather, but the temperature drop was definitely noticeable when the sun wasn't out. I've actually come to love those days, though, because they give my sweat glands a break. Even though it was cloudy, there was no shortage of pretty views.

Lunch Break.

We actually met a lady on our way up Hightop Mountain for lunch who had apparently lost track of a couple of children while she and her husband hiked. The lady had a baby strapped to her chest as it was, and I can only imagine the fear when you think you've lost a child in the wilderness. It wasn't clear how old the children were, and we never saw them, or her husband, even though we stuck around the mountaintop for an hour eating lunch. I assume (read: desperately hope) that the kids were found and all is well. Being lost out here would be a nightmare. On the way to our pickup spot, we did find something very interesting/frightening though. As I was walking, lost in some completely useless though as usual, I almost stepped on this guy:

Black Racer.

It doesn't look like it in the picture, but that guy is about 4 feet long. Black Racer Snakes are nonvenomous and really harmless. In fact, they eat rodents and poisonous snakes, so these guys are good to have around for pest control. But they are still startling to come across. Size wasn't what fascinated me about this guy though. I poked him a little with my hiking pole to get him to slither on, which he did, but in the process, he rattled his tail. Wait, what? Nano, I thought you said this was a harmless rat-eater, not a rattlesnake! Yes I did say that. But Black Racers beat their tails against the leaves on the ground to simulate the rattle of their larger, poisonous, and generally scarier cousins. Amazing little defense mechanism. I jumped when I first heard it, but when I realized what was happening, I was fascinated by how critters adapt to survive. With these thoughts in mind, I walked the rest of the 14 miles to the pickup spot in peace. Doing 28 miles in 2 days is tough for me, even after this long on the trail, and as always, I was glad to see my favorite trail critter of all...

Trail Dog has no adaptations for survival except indescribable cuteness.

Skyline

Foggy Days on the Parkway.

The past three days found us saying goodbye to the Parkway and hello to a new National Park. On Sunday we hiked down the rest of Humpback Mountain in the fog. I wish I had more interesting pictures, but hiking through that thick mountain fog makes for pretty poor visibility, and thus hurts the quality of my trail stories. I actually like the foggy days, though. The clouds keep the heat away, and the moisture keeps the bugs away, but I don't have to walk through the drenching rain. Pretty refreshing, actually. On Monday, we got to hike our first miles in the Shenandoah National Park. It's one of the most famous parks on the East Coast, and the local Virginians are definitely proud of it. Even in the first few miles, it wasn't hard to see why.

Lines in the sky. No wonder the main highway through the park is called Skyline Drive.

Tractor seats and Radio Towers.

Turns out, the park is full of interesting things to learn, not just pretty things to see. There's tons of scientific and historical knowledge to be gained here. There are informational signs all over the place, usually accompanied by a gorgeous view.

A "Talus Slope," meaning "harsh home." Apparently they are patches of football sized rocks where nothing will live or grow. Very interesting.

Sign explaining Talus Slopes.
Hikers aren't the only ones who liked these mountains. Old Stonewall used them for strategic purposes during the Civil War.

I told you the knowledge came with a view.

Today, we hiked 14 more miles of the park. Mostly, the hiking is along wooded ridgelines along the highway, occasionally popping out for a good view by the road. As Trail Angel Mamma noticed, the forest does seem different here than in the parts of Virginia we hiked before. The trees aren't as tall, and there are more deciduous trees than evergreens. The trail through this section looks easy on paper, but is less so in reality. Although we didn't encounter any big climbs and descents, we were constantly tackling little ones. The trail is never flat, just constantly undulating up and down 500 feet. We were very glad that we had planned to meet the Trail Angel Mamma for a picnic lunch today. We found a pretty spot with a nice view and Mamma brought us pork chop sandwiches and fresh fruit. What a treat. You can't have mayonnaise if you want to carry your lunch in your hiking pack.

Picnic Time!

View from the picnic.

Our lunch must've been very, very good, because as we were packing it up, an unexpected guest arrived looking for a handout...

"Hey BooBoo, we gonna get ourselves a pic-in-ik basket!"

That bear walked right up to our picnic sight, and wasn't scared of us at all. It looked very small, like a young bear, and it was very skinny. I would've given it some food if it wasn't strictly against all the park rules and common sense and I didn't know that it would only make the critter pester me and every other person it saw for more. We hiked another 6 miles after lunch, and actually saw a little bear cub way up in a tree at the end of our hike. They must be everywhere in this park. We've moved twice in the past three days, and I have to admit that the moving and hiking recently has worn me out a little bit. I'm especially glad to have the Trail Angel Mamma and the Trail Dog to come home too this week.

At the end of a long hike, Trail Dog makes the best pillow.

Foggy Days

It should read: "Welcome to the Fog Trail. No trace of you will be found in this fog if you get lost. Have a nice day."

There wasn't very much to see on our 12 mile hike today, not because we weren't paying attention or because it was uninteresting, but because we literally couldn't see more than 20 yards around us for most of the day. A thick fog had set in by the time we started hiking today, and it didn't disperse the entire time we were out. The fog in the mountains always gives the forest a very eerie quality, which, along with the dark green forest and the huge, slick rocks all over the trail, made me feel like I was walking through a place Tolkein would've written about.

Climbing the magical rockpile. I really do need to invest in some rock climbing lessons. Preferably with someone who has experience with very wet, very slippery rocks.

This section included Humpback Mountain and Humpback Rocks, which are very popular with locals and day hikers for their amazing views. Unfortunately, we hit them on a day when the whole mountain was covered in fog, so the only view we had was of a blanket of white.

Foggy Rocks.

The Hunchback of Humpback Mountain?

After putting on my poncho, more to keep myself warm in the mist rather than to stay dry, and battling with some minor navigational discrepancies (the GPS we carry insisted we weren't on the AT...our guidebook insisted we were...hilarity ensued...), we finally made it to Humpback Gap on the northern side of Humpback Mountain. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as we made it to the gap, the fog started to clear. I wish we'd been able to see some of the views, but you can't win them all. I was just glad to make it down without breaking an ankle on one of the slicker-than-glass rocks we crawled over. The Professor and his Wife picked us up with the Trail Angel Mamma and we had some good local burgers and ice cream, so overall, another successful day on the AT.

Standing tall at Humpback Gap. With a little help from my friend concrete post.

Ridges and Reunions

One bite at a time...

Today, after spending a day moving base camp further norther, we hiked about 11 miles up out of the Tye River valley. Due to the inescapable laws of physics, what goes up must come down, and in the world of hiking, the same is true in reverse. So since we descended 3000+ feet into the Tye River valley on Wednesday, we had a 2800+ foot climb to tackle first thing this morning. I started the day off in poor spirits, I admit, because when we started our hike, it looked like rain. Amazingly, it sprinkled on us for about 5 minutes while we were gearing up, and never did anything else. I think it was because I took an extra 10 minutes to get my rain gear out before we started. Figures. But the Tye River was there to greet us in all its babbling glory.

Tye River

Tye River Suspension Bridge

The big climb actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. We made it up the 6 mile climb in just over 3 hours. The rest of the hike was along a ridge. Although the top of the mountain was woods, so you couldn't get a good view, we found a great vista to eat lunch at just on the other side of the summit.

Hanging Rocks

Great view even through the clouds...

I love when you get a good view of where you've just been. Really makes you feel like you accomplished something. That's the big mountain we spent 3+ hours climbing in the background.

The real treat of the day, though, was getting to eat dinner with The Professor and his Wife, who have been family friends ever since Daddy sat in The Professor's class in college. Coincidentally, they were RV-ing through the area, so we got to meet up for a meal. I had prime rib and mashed sweet potatoes. Delicious, and with good company. What a small, small world we live in. These "trail treats" are one of my favorite parts of this adventure.

Hundreds of miles from home, but never far from friends.

Mileage Update:

Miles from Springer - 835

Up and Down We Go

800 Miles Hiked!

Over the past two days, we hiked about 25 (hard!) miles and spent one night in the woods. Interestingly enough, we started out at a river (the James) and ended at a river (the Tye), and the most exciting landmark we hit was the 800 mile mark. We huffed and puffed up the climb out of the James River valley, but the rewarding walk across Cold Mountain (not to be confused with the "Cold Mountain" of literary and Hollywood fame...no Jude Law sightings here) was worth the effort. There were lots of open fields with good views to hike through and blackberries and wild apples to pick.

Cold Mountain

We camped in our hammocks after hiking about 12 miles. This time, though, I came prepared with extra clothes and my air mattress, so I was nice and toasty warm, unlike the last time I slept in my hammock. The next day involved 13 more miles of hiking, and although it looked easier on the topographic map, it wasn't. The hike included a couple of steep climbs and a very, very, very steep descent (3000+ feet over 4 miles). Although all that effort was not without some reward...

Spy Rock. You actually have to crawl up it on your hands and knees. I really need to learn legitimate rock climbing skills if I'm going to keep doing this...

My feet hated me after pounding down that mountain (which is called "The Priest"...not "Priest Mountain"...just "The Priest"...rather mystical and ominous if you ask me...maybe because you are praying you survive long enough to walk off of it by the time you're halfway through?), and I was glad to see the Trail Angel Mamma that afternoon, who came bearing blackberries for a snack. Yum. We just barely beat the rain down the mountain, and really, it's the little things that count the most.

Like random swings someone puts up on the AT. What fun.

(PS - I apologize if the pictures in this post are poorer quality/quantity than usual. Due to technical difficulties, all these are from our cameraphones. Not bad for cellular technology, though.)