| 5/25/01 - Symms Gap Meadow - 12.2 miles. We left Pearisburg this morning
in the rain. It is very hard to leave a dry room for the wet trail, but it must be
done! It rained until about 2:00, then started clearing. It is now sunny.
We have a great view of the valley & surrounding mountains. We may even
have a nice sunset if we can stay up :) |
| 5/26/01 - The Red Carpet Inn, Blacksburg VA - 10.8 miles. We got up early
& headed towards VA 635, a road crossing where we planned to meet my (Honeys) parents
for Memorial Day. The day was nice & sunny & we were there by 1:00. My
parents were waiting & we are now in Blacksburg for the rest of the weekend. |
| VISIT 5/27/01
- The Red Carpet Inn, Blacksburg, VA - 0 miles. We took the day off with my parents
today. Ate some great food & even saw a movie (Bridget Jone's Diary). We
almost felt like 'normal' people! |
| 5/28/01 - Campsite near Kelly Knob - 14.5 miles.
My parents dropped us off at the trail this morning so it was back to 'work'!
Nice day of hiking today, but a little rocky. |
| 5/29/01 - Niday Shelter - 14 miles. Today was
a great day for hiking. We saw Keffer Oak, a white oak 18+ feet around! As if
that wasn't cool enough, we also met up with some goats on the mountaintop. They
like the salt in sweat & love to attack hikers. They got us, & we liked it! |
| 5/30/01 - Sandstone Ridge Campsite - 16.5 miles.
Today was another sunny, nice day. We saw the memorial to a veteran who was
the countries most decorated WWII hero. We also climbed Dragons Tooth - Great views
but the climb down was very steep & rocky. |
| 5/31/01 - Lamberts Meadow Shelter Campsite - 15.5.
miles. Today was a great - view day! We went over McAfee Knob which has a rock
that juts out over the valley. Then it was on to Tinker Cliffs, which is a rocky,
mountaintop area. The trail goes right on the edge of the cliffs which makes for
outstanding views. We almost stayed in the shelter since rain is forecast, but the
register talked about a resident rat, so we tented! |
| 6/01/01 - Econolodge, Daleville, VA - 9.4 miles.
It rained last night & today, but we didn't care because we knew we were
heading to town. We hit the Pizza Hut 1st thing, and met up with some friends
who had been ahead of us. We are staying overnight and leaving tomorrow afternoon,
after we receive a new backpack for Moon in the mail. His needs some repair so we
are sending it to get fixed & they (MountainSmith) are sending a loaner pack to use in
the meantime. Also today we passed 700 miles! Time to celebrate. |
| 6/02/01 - 6/10/01 - The lost pages. Where are
these mysterious lost pages? Could they be somewhere in VA? |
| 6/11/01 - Waynesboro, VA - 14.6 miles. We had
some excitement today. Moon saw his first bear! It ran away real quick.
He must have smelled us! We also saw our first rattlesnake. We are heading to
Moon's cousins house for the evening & tomorrow to rest & eat! |
| 6/12/01 - Outside Waynesboro, VA - 0 miles.
We relaxed today & prepared to enter Shenandoh tomorrow. We seam sealed our
tent, Moon got his boots repaired, did our laundry & shopping, etc. We are
at his cousins house & it is great to see them & their kids. |
| 6/13/01 - Blackrock Hut Campsite - 20 miles.
We entered Shenandoah today. Instead of Shelters, they have huts. There is NO
difference, just in the name. There is limited camping around the huts, and we are
in one of those campsites. We had our biggest day yet - 20 miles! Plus walking
to & from water sources/shelters. So far the trail in Shenandoah has been nice
& not very hard (hence the 20 mile day). |
| 6/14/01 - Stealth Campsite - 16.3 miles. We
are camping by outselves off the AT. There are no designated camping areas along the
AT in Shenandoah, but are a few sites here & there for a single tent. The huts
are very crowded with boy scouts, section hikers, etc. Makes the bears look good!
Today was hot again, but we had a nice break at a Wayside restaurant along Skyline
Drive. All the restaurants along Skyline Drive (and close to AT) are a highlight of
Shenandoah for thru-hikers. |
| 6/15/01 - Bearfence Hut - 17.5 miles. We
finally got soom relief from the heat. Tropical Storm Allison has hit the
Shenandoahs. We have had scattered rain all day, but it hasn't been real bad - keeps
us cool. |
| 6/16/01 - Skyland Lodge - 16.1 miles. The
rain continued today, scattered. By late afternoon it was a steady, foggy rain.
Luckily we had made reservations the day before (anticipating bad weather) with
Hipbone & Mt Goat at Skyland Lodge. It is nice to be warm & comfy w/ the
storm outside. Plus there is a restaurant & TAPROOM! WOOHOO. |
| 6/17/01 - Stealth Campsite - 18.9 miles.
Today was beautiful. The rain cleaned up the air & we had great views, cool
(then hot) weather, & a nice breeze. We had breakfast at Skyland & lunch at
another restaurant (Panorama). The Shenandoahs really spoil thru-hikers!
Tomorrow we will leave Shenandoah, & restaurant hiking will be over :( |
| 6/18/01 - Front Royal, VA - 18.3 miles. We
are out of Shenandoah. We headed into town to resupply & eat some more!
Another heat wave has hit and it is 90+ degrees. |
| 6/19/01 - Denton Shelter Campsite - 5.2 miles.
We finished up our town chores & headed out after lunch. We had a great
lunch near the courthouse & bought some homemad apple sourdough bread for the trail.
We stopped at the 1st shelter for a relaxing 5 mile day. The heat is pretty
bad. |
| 6/20/01 - Rod Hollow Shelter Campsite - 18.9 miles.
Another scorcher of a day today. I have gained a much greater appreciation
for ice on this trip. Everything we drink is warm/body temp. Even the springs
& creeks are warmish - sometimes cool. A cold soda tastes delicious when we get
to town! The trail was okay today - and this evening we are getting rain &
thunder showers. Hopefully it will cool things off. |
| 6/21/01- Blackborn AT Center - 17.8 miles.
The rain last night did NOT cool anything off - it just made the day more sauna
like. The sun was out bright & early. Today we hiked a section of trail
called 'The Rollercoaster'. It is a series of ups & downs. We climbed
5,000 ft today in a series of small ascents. |
| 6/22/01 - Harpers Ferry - 11.8 miles. We
passed the 1,000 mile mark today! Had severe thunderstorms last night & more are
on the way. Spending the night in a hotel in the historic town of Harpers Ferry. |