Day 82

Mile 970.8

Sorry for the delay in updates. We’ve had some technical issues at Compass Blog World Headquarters. I dropped my phone and broke the screen. I know you were all anxious about my progress. Well you can settle down now and continue on. This is is long one. Buckle in.

I’m going get to let you in on a little secret. The Appalachian trail gets boring. It’s at this point that a lot of hikers quit because they’re tired of walking 20 miles a day in a green tunnel. I’m not sure why some hikers are so driven to “bust out the miles” unless that is some sort of fun for them. I personally don’t see the point or fun in staring at your feet and dreading every minute.

Me and Tiger haven’t really had this problem. Mostly because we don’t do 20 mile days and we stop whenever we want. We’ve had problems to be sure. Intestinal distress, blistering heat, and cracked phones have dogged us. Tiger even broke his tooth and had to have it pulled.

After leaving Pearisburg, rain dampened my gear and spirits. It was somehow both raining and humid at the same time. Topping this off was some pretty tough trail. Mercifully the rain was short lived as we made our way to the lovely hamlet of Catawba where the much famed Homeplace is located.

It’s a homestyle restaurant that I’d heard about at the beginning of the trail for having the best food and in large quantities. It did not disappoint. I didn’t take any pictures because the food didn’t stick around long enough… and also I was hungry. Omigod the food was soooooo good. The chicken was perfectly seasoned, the green beans and corn tasted fresh, and they kept all the foods coming as long as you could eat it. I’m hungry just thinking about it.

Tiger cracked his tooth “on some chicken” here. I’m still not convinced it was the chicken. Sure something was probably stuck in his gums but I’m pretty certain sticking a corkscrew in one’s mouth to get it out is what breaks one’s tooth. So he went ahead onto Daleville to see a dentist about a tooth.

I would have gone with him, but the next day was McAffes knob. It’s the most popular picture people take on the trail. If you Google this location you’ll find pics of people doing handstands and hanging off the cliff. I merely sat at the edge. The hype was true though. It is a truly awesome view.

I met a fellow Georgian at the hostel the night before who I walked with that day. Savage Butterfly and I made our way to Tinker Cliffs to watch the sunset and camp. It was another awe inspiring view. It was a slow day and we took it easy. I’m not sure if all those fast hikers even took the time to appreciate the views. The trail can be crushingly boring for days on end. You’ve got to really soak in the beautiful days when they happen.

I got to Daleville where I met up with Tiger, sans one tooth. When left there I realized I’d left my water bottles in the fridge at the hotel and had to hitch back into Troutville to get some more. I’m glad I did because that days climb was brutal. We went up to a gap that wasn’t a gap in 500% humidity. It was a 1000 feet elevation climb in less than a mile with no switchbacks. There was a shelter that we stopped at for lunch where a fighter jet buzzed the mountain. It literally sounded like a plane was crashing on top of us. I looked at Tiger and was all “bye bruh”. The adrenaline buzz left me shaken for awhile. I thought of all the patients to who I administered epinephrine drips and was glad at least they were on fentanyl and propofol as well.

After getting into Waynesboro we stayed at the best hostel on the trail so far. Stanimals boasted cold AC and clean accommodations. It’s the little things. Then we started the Shenandoah national park. It has Skyline Drive which parallels the AT. The first two days were blasting hot and humid. Any tiny incline resulted in budget loads of sweat. I probably lost and gained 5 lbs of water weight in an hour depending on my consumption.

The second night we were plagued by a whippoorwill. They should have put up a warning sign like they do for bears. Warning! Whippoorwills are active in this area! They can and will keep you awake all night. Should you encounter an aggressive whippoorwill, too bad.

The third day, the aformentioned phone catastrophe happened and we had to go back to Waynesboro. It’s funny how attached to your phone you get. No maps, no camera, no cell service. Got that fixed, Stanimal was happy to see us again.

Made it to Big Meadows lodge that reminded me of FDR state park. Probably because it was built in the 30s. I spent the 4th walking to Byrds Nest #3 but only because Tiger liked saying “Boids Nest”. Mary’s rock was the next big view and the best one in the Shenny in my opinion.

We went into Luray (pronounced Loo-ray in case you’re wondering) to see the caverns, cause why not. My favorite part was the stalagtite organ. It used these plunger thingies to peck the stalagmites to produce a sound routed through to speakers. Overall very worth the side trip.

When we got back on the trail the heat decided to back off and it was actually pleasant. I finally saw some bears which is weird cause most people see 3-5 a day. The park is so narrow your chances of running into them are higher. They don’t bother you. Just kinda of stare and wonder off. They’re more interested in delicious berries.

Finally it was my last day in the Shenny and the weather was obliging. We decided to take advantage of the Skyline’s decidedly more gentle grade and better views while we could.

Then we left the national park and it was back onto crappy rocky trail. You could tell an immediate difference. And now I’m in Front Royal near the end of Virginia. Whew!