Just Another Piece of the Puzzle

Post. About 8 miles after leaving the Shenandoah’s, I came across US Route 522. A few miles down the road was the town of Front Royal, Virginia. Originally, stopping in this town was not on my radar, but I had… Continue reading

Adventure. Immediately after leaving Waynesboro, I entered Shenandoah National Park. This would be my second and final national park that I would experience on the Appalachian Trail. The Shenandoah section of the trail covers over 100 miles and provides some… Continue reading

Fair. The morning after Devil’s Backbone, I walked about a mile to the gas station. I loaded up on coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and snacks and looked for a ride back to the trail. I was able to hitch a ride… Continue reading

Prime. I felt great coming out of Daleville. Fully recharged and ready to venture farther into Virginia and pull some big miles. That first day brought me up to a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that provided unobstructed views… Continue reading

Dispersed. The section of trail between Pearisburg and Daleville was quite different from what I was used to so far. The trail was rougher; more rocks, downed trees, and overgrowth plagued the way. There were also fewer hikers that I… Continue reading

Advance. My daily progress has begun to increase. With the combination of being in full trail shape, the terrain lightening up a bit, and slack pack opportunities, it really set the stage for knocking out large mileage. Bear Garden was… Continue reading

Equine. There have been several moments thus far that have felt surreal. The Grayson Highlands was just another one of those moments. I have heard about its beauty and wildlife, but that still didn’t prepare me for when I was… Continue reading

Progress. Trail Days was great. It was wonderful seeing faces that are ahead and behind, but meeting up in the same place. The trail magic and generosity from local church groups were fantastic. Being in “tent city” was an experience… Continue reading

Gratitude. A day or two after 19E, I was greeted with some lovely trail magic, including fried potatoes and berry cobbler. The magic was hosted by a group called Riff Raff, a group of former thru-hikers from all over who… Continue reading

Reconvene. It was wet and rainy for the days going into Erwin, and that didn’t change on the day of leaving Erwin. The trail was a makeshift creek, and there was really no choice but to walk through the water… Continue reading