Rain, a Bear, and Home for a Visit

Stats: Sunday night 5/29, MM 921.2
(125.7 new miles, 930 total miles)

We had a great week! Hiking with Moondog, started into the Shenandoah National Park (SNP), not as much rain, and it’s finally getting warmer! My mileage is a bit higher due to a longer week since my last blog.

Saturday we hiked 17 miles from Buena Vista (where Mary dropped us off) to Hog Camp Gap. We set up camp, then it rained some of the night.

Sunday we hiked about 20 miles to a parking lot in on and off rain, including the long down-hill from the Priest Mountain. We had another 2 miles of uphill to Harpers Creek Shelter and we were dead tired. Thankfully a Trail Angel named Lydia had Nutty Bars, chocolate milk, and V8’s. We loaded up and were rejuvenated to continue hiking to the shelter; Stone had joined us. That last uphill put us 1/3 of the way up the 4,000 foot climb to the top of Three Ridges Mountain.

The next day we had off and on rain again, hiked 14 miles to a campsite near Humpback Mountain. We enjoyed great views from the top of Three Ridges, then down the other side to more level terrain. Another mountain behind us.

Tuesday we hiked about 12 miles to Waynesboro for resupply, and stayed at Stanimal’s hostel. We were surprised to find the hostel in a nice residential neighborhood, could not tell it was a hostel. The owner, Adam Stanley, hiked the AT and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) years before, and remodeled his basement for hikers. He had a shower, laundry, snacks, and pizza for microwave and soda and beer to buy. We enjoyed a good dinner and another visit with Sea Biscuit before he went home to Belgium.

Wednesday morning we could not get a ride to the trail until 11AM so we started later than usual (normal start time for me is 7AM). We entered the SNP and hiked to the first shelter, Calf Mountain Shelter, about 8 miles. First day without any rain, thank God! The shelter area was crowded, but thankfully we had a place to camp. Puck said he saw a big bear coming into the shelter; not while we were there.

When we left the shelter Thursday morning, I said to Moondog, “We’re going to see a bear today.” Ten minutes later, we came up to Honeybuns and Sunshine stopped on the trail. A big bear about 20 yards ahead was 5 feet from the trail and would not move. When we approached him, yelling and waving our sticks, he growled and shook the bush he stood behind. He was mad and would not budge!



Not the best picture, but shows where we were.

Several more people had joined us by that time, all 9 of us were waiting for the bear to leave. One hiker came up and said he’d show us how to just walk by. He had only taken a few steps when the bear growled and did a fake charge. I never saw someone run so fast backwards – he almost tripped but made it back to us. Wish I had that on film!

We also tried backing up out of sight; still the bear didn’t move. After an hour, we back-tracked ½ mile to an old maintenance road that took us to Skyline Drive. We hiked a few miles until the AT crossed the road, then we got back on the trail. Our first bear sighting! We finished our day at Loft Mountain Campground, hiked 19 miles. They had a camp store there so we had some snacks before settling in for the night.

 

Friday morning we hiked 15 miles to Hightop Hut. Forgot to mention that in SNP you have to camp at the shelters like in the Smokies so we had to plan each day to reach a shelter. We got there early but were exhausted so decided to stay. A few guys were taking a nap in the shelter because they were night-hiking. We set up camp – nice camping with flat spots and no rocks. Had about 15 people staying there with us by the end of the day.

A young buck...definitely more animals since we've been in SNP

900 miles!!

On Saturday we hiked 18 miles to Milam Gap, where Mary picked us up for my first visit home since I left in March. We passed many day hikers out to enjoy Memorial Day weekend. We also met several people hiking southbound. We hiked through the area that had been burned by the forest fire back in April. It seemed most trees were still standing, from what we saw mostly underbrush burned.

One of many scenic overlooks in SNP

Mary had picked up Sweeper, Caboose, and Food Bag Saturday morning for a nearo day at our house. When we got home, we had a big cookout with burgers, hot sausage, corn on the cob, potato salad, and two veggie salads. For dessert we took them to Carousel, our favorite local ice cream place, then we watched a movie. Good start to our zero day!

Sunday we all had breakfast, then Mary and I dropped off Sweeper, Caboose, and Food Bag at the trail before we went to church. When we got home, we had leftovers for lunch, organized our packs, and went to the store to re-supply. Sunday night, Mary, Moondog and I went out for a good steak dinner. We do enjoy “real” food when we’re off the trail…and lots of it.

Moondog, Sweeper, Caboose, Nailgun, Mary, and Food Bag

From last week, here is some of the info about my gear. I was glad to have picked the right sleeping bag (Sea to Summit dri-down, 3-season 12 degree), backpack (Osprey), tent (REI 2-person quarter dome), and stove (MSR) from the start. On the left is my current pack and my winter sleeping bag. I planned to switch to the lighter pack on the right but it’s not meant for more than 25 pounds and I have more than 30 with food and water included. On the right is my summer bag (Marmot Nano 40 degree) and liner, I will be using those starting this week.

In the middle against the wall are the tent poles, footprint (under the tent) and sleeping pad (blow-up). In front of them are my pillows – one for head and one for the knee.

On the ledge is my tent, stove, bowl and spork, and water purifier system. The blue bags are for storage – one for the food items and one for the water system. The fuel and burner store nicely inside the stove pot, along with a towel for cleaning. I like the stove, it heats water to boiling in under a minute, it’s windproof, and there’s not a flame.

For water purifiers / filters, I changed from a steri-pen to a Sawyer filter system because I can filter more water at one time. Using the steri-pen meant I had to carry an extra 16-ounce bottle; I carry (2) 32-ounce Propel bottles because they are the right size for my pack side pockets, and they are light. I started out with a camel bag inside the pack, but it was heavy and cumbersome to fill.

I also carry bags like the blue bags for food and clothes, and Ziploc gallon bags for toiletries, band-aids, vitamins, and my kindle white. Most importantly, I have a small bottle of Advil with me at all times. If you want more details on anything please let me know. Thanks for asking!

Overall, the terrain in the SNP has been a little easier than some of the mountains we hiked earlier. We are definitely glad to be rain free for a few days, and that it’s getting much warmer. And, it was very nice to sleep in my own bed for two nights. Feels like a year since I’ve been home. Good news is that I’ll get to stay at home one or two nights next weekend, too. I’m thankful the trail passes so close to home, what a blessing!

Feet and knees are doing OK, I’m pushing through. Thank you for your continued prayers, I know it makes a difference. Many blessings to you all!

Monday morning, on the trail again...