This was my first day back on the trail post-Oklahoma visit, and it was quite honestly very rough. After ten straight days of being off-trail, transitioning back into this lifestyle took me a couple of days. It was good being back hiking with Kylie, though! We had a pretty nice day for weather, and there was at least one good view. Getting back into the swing of things is never easy, but it could have been a much worse day.
Friday, May 15--mile 788.2
Just one night back on the trail was enough for me to accept this as my current lifestyle again. Mentally, this day was much easier than the one before. Unfortunately, even ten days off from hiking wasn't enough to alleviate my knee problems, and they started really acting up again. It's always frustrating when this happens, because I feel like I should be able to fully enjoy the beautiful days like this one, but the constant pain really detracts from my ability to do so.
Kylie and I ended up night hiking for awhile because we had gotten a late start out of camp that morning but wanted to get more mileage in before quitting for the day. We went a couple of miles past the shelter where most other people around us were staying and found a little spot to camp on the side of the mountain that we assumed would provide a good view of the sunrise in the morning. Despite running generally north to south, the AT often switches which direction it's headed in, so we made sure to check that we were actually facing east at this point in time before setting up camp so that we were ensured a view of the sunrise.
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| The rare moment where there was someone around to take a picture of the two of us together |
Saturday, May 16--mile 806.4
As it turned out, night hiking and camping on the side of the mountain was one of the best decisions we had made so far on the trail, because this morning produced the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen in my life. Kylie's alarm went off at 6:00 am, and our immediate reaction was to ignore it and go back to sleep, as we are often wont to do. This time, however, I managed to lift myself out of my sleeping bag enough to unzip my tent and glance outside. Thank goodness that I did, because I immediately came completely to and yelled out to Kylie, "GET UP NOW. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL." We were up high enough in elevation that the clouds were all down in the valley below us, and the sun had already started to turn the sky a beautiful shade of pink. It legitimately felt like we were on top of the world, and it completely took my breath away. I got out of my tent, grabbed my stove and a Poptart, and settled in to stare out at the glorious view for the next full hour. I would have stayed there for days if this sight had remained the same. I couldn't get enough of it. I sipped on my coffee and ate breakfast until we finally decided it was time to hit the road. Everyone else we ran into who had come up the mountain that morning also said that view was their favorite of the entire trail so far, so we were definitely not misguided in our opinions.
We hiked for the rest of the day and made it into the little town of Buena Vista (pronounced Byoona Vista--I wish this was a joke). We got really lucky catching a hitch into town this time, as the road into town had only sporadic traffic. Right as we were coming to a good place on the side of the road to hitch from, a guy with a pickup drove by and immediately stopped for us. It was perfect timing! After eating dinner at one of the three restaurants in town, we settled in for the night.
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| Pictures don't even slightly do it justice. |
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| Documenting my new favorite coffee-drinking spot in the world |
Sunday, May 17--mile 812.7
In the morning, Kylie headed back to the trail. She had a friend coming to hike with her for a couple of days, so the two of them started that way after a big Hardee's breakfast. I also had a friend coming to hike with me for the week, so I stayed in town for a few more hours and waited on Connor to arrive. Connor and I went to the same schools while growing up in Clemson, and he is the only person I know from home who also came to OU for college. He just graduated from OU in May, and he's getting ready to move to Madison, Wisconsin for his new big-boy job. For some reason, he decided to subject himself to a week of torture on the AT before heading out there. Early in the afternoon, he arrived in Buena Vista and we headed out to the trail! We only got about 6 miles in during the afternoon, and we met Kylie and her friend at a campsite in a beautiful meadow by a spring. It was a nice, leisurely day, and it was a welcome change to have an old friend out there with me!
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| Only slightly excited to see a familiar face |
Monday, May 18--mile 827.0
Otherwise known as the day that Connor started to hate me. Just kidding...I think. Most people ease into their backpacking trips with a few 8-10 mile days in order to get their bodies used to things, but I kind of forced Connor straight into a 14+ mile day. Luckily, the terrain in this part of Virginia is easier than most of what we've encountered on the trail so far, but 14 miles is still 14 miles. Connor was a champ, though, and made it to the end of the day with only a moderate amount of blisters on his feet. Oops. Sorry, dude. We also encountered a rattlesnake right on the trail, so if Connor wasn't dealing with enough from his feet falling off already, I'm sure I really made his day by screaming in his ear when the snake started rattling louder than a jet plane. It blended in really well with the trail, so I was not expecting its warning to come from right ahead of me at all. If I could jump on cue as high as I did when that snake started rattling, I'd probably be much better at basketball than I actually am.
The day probably would have been easier on both of us if it hadn't started pouring in the afternoon, but ya can't have it all. We got to scramble up slippery Spy Rock during the downpour in order to have at least 270 degrees of the 360 degree view that is normally available from up there. It was really pretty despite the thick rainclouds covering the other fourth of the view. The rain eventually let up for the most part, and we settled in for the night at a shelter.
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| Sliding back down Spy Rock |
With Kylie's friend no longer hiking with her, she headed off in the morning to get big miles for the next few days. We said goodbye until I catch back up, so hopefully that ends up being before I get off of the trail for good! It was a pretty sad moment. I mean, Kylie and I have been together since BEFORE SPRINGER. What is the AT without her?! I knew it would be a different experience from there on out. Connor and I headed out shortly thereafter and started down The Priest, one of the steeper descents for NOBOs. I was pretty concerned about the effect that this would have on my knees, but it ended up being better than expected.
On our way down the hill, Connor and I were taking a snack break at one of the overlooks. Another hiker came around the bend, and we started chatting with him. We were going through the typical questions--when did you start, where are you from, etc. When I mentioned that I hail from Oklahoma, he says, "Wait. Oklahoma? I've been looking for a girl from Oklahoma." Now, my immediate reaction to a stranger saying he's been looking for me is to get very creeped out and to avoid said stranger, so I started concocting a plan in my head to do just that. However, a few sentences later, I realized what he was getting at. My cousin Maghie, who lives in South Korea and teaches English there, had told me that she had a friend there doing the same thing who was going to be hiking the AT this year, too. This was the guy! Our paths had finally crossed! Sometimes I forget how small the AT hiking community really is, but this was still a pretty crazy coincidence. It is a very very very small world out there, guys. And now that I know who he is, I am not creeped out by Fireman anymore. We've actually been hiking together for the most part ever since!
The end of this day was a more unusual one than most. We ended up hitching to Devil's Backbone Brewery, an incredibly hiker-friendly establishment and definitely my favorite business on the AT so far. For some reason, they welcome hikers into the restaurant and allow them to mingle with all of the other freshly showered and clean-shaven patrons. Apparently we don't manage to scare all other customers away, though I'm not exactly sure how. We all consumed our fill (or slightly over our fill) of great food and beer, and we played cornhole until way past hiker midnight (in other words, until 11 pm). The brewery lets hikers camp for free in the field outside, so we set our tents up there and eventually called it a night.
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| We might have completely taken over the entire bar. |
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| Cornhole gets feisty. |
Wednesday, May 20--mile 856.6
As I mentioned before, Devil's Backbone is the most amazing hiker-frequented establishment that I've experienced on the trail. In the morning, they invite us back inside for a $5 hikers-only breakfast. This is no cold cereal and yogurt breakfast, either. Tony, the incredible and accommodating chef, whipped up some bacon and egg wraps, fried potatoes, orange slices, and fresh salads. There was also an unlimited supply of freshly brewed coffee. Oh, and did I mention that after we were all done with breakfast, the owner himself provided us all with a ride back to the trail? This place is seriously unbelievable.
The hike for the rest of the day was beautiful! We enjoyed perfect weather and great views. Connor did a great job of getting big miles in as usual, and we made it almost a full 16 miles!
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| Waking up at Devil's Backbone--in a word, glorious. |
Thursday, May 21--mile 861.7
We just had an easy 5 miles into town this morning! The hike flew by, which was a good thing because it was much colder than usual and raining. I found a new group of guys to hike with since Kylie left, so we all went into town and ate at an all you can eat buffet for lunch. Afterwards, we got free showers at the YMCA and hung around and did errands until we were able to check into the hostel we were staying at for the night. Connor got a taxi back to his car in Buena Vista, so he headed out mid-afternoon. It was so great having him around for a few days! I think that somehow he managed to make it through without developing a great and permanent hatred for me. If your friendship can survive a week of backpacking together, it can survive anything, so I think we'll be good to go from here.
The guys and I (otherwise known as Dirty Mike and the Boys) stayed at one of the three Lutheran churches in Waynesboro for the night. This particular one offers a free dinner to hikers on Thursdays, so we had good timing on that front. They also let hikers sleep there for free any night of the week. They were very accommodating, despite the 10:00 curfew. That is one thing none of us were expecting to experience on the trail. Free is hard to pass up, though.
Friday, May 22--mile 887.5
Because Dirty Mike and the Boys have been super welcoming in letting me into their group, they included me in their plans to attend an Old Crow Medicine Show concert in Charlottesville on Saturday! Waynesboro is the closest trail town to Charlottesville, so we wanted to be able to still be in town for the following day. This meant that we made plans to southbound slackpack for the day. We all got dropped off 25.8 miles up the trail with smaller daypacks with just snacks and water in them. Having a pack that weighs next to nothing makes it much easier to get big miles in. I'm not saying this was an easy day--26 miles is still 26 miles, and my feet still wanted to fall off at the end of the day. But we still managed to finish them all by 5 pm or so! I have cousins who live in Charlottesville, and they were kind enough to meet me at the trail and put me up for the night. A home cooked meal and a hot shower are always welcome in my life, so this was much appreciated at this point. I enjoyed the two aforementioned activities and headed to sleep nice and early.
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| Did someone say rock scramble? |
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| It was a beautiful day for a slackpack. |
Saturday, May 23--no mileage change
Today has been an incredibly enjoyable zero day in Charlottesville! Matt and Jodi got my day off to a wonderful start by asking my favorite question in the world: "Pancakes or waffles?" (Waffles, for those of you who were wondering.) After a delicious breakfast, we went to the farmers' market, played with the kids at the park for a while, and then had lunch downtown. We're going to a crawfish boil this afternoon, and I'll be meeting back up with the boys later for the concert! The AT itself is an incredible experience, and I love it a lot, but these side trips really add to the enjoyment of the whole thing. It's nice to get off trail and experience some of the nearby trail towns and events. So, a huge thanks to Matt and Jodi for letting me intrude for a couple of days!! It's much needed and VERY much appreciated.
Wagon Wheel, here I come!
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