Day 69, miles today- 22.7, total- 961.3

Pass Mountain Hut to Front Royal Hostel.

I was on trail this morning at 7:15 am. It was in the low 40's and clear. There was only a light breeze unlike the strong winds we had the past two days.

I had 7.4 miles to reach the Elkwallow Wayside. The last Wayside in SNP. I was looking forward to getting a hot meal. I had a egg, ham and cheese on a bagel. It was very good. I also had two cups of coffee. Mess was already there. He was eating at a picnic table outside in the sun. I sat with him. After he left I met Anna and Rick who were out backpacking for a week. They sat at the table with me. They are with a backpacking/ adventure Meetup group from Fredericksburg VA. Anna was the organizer of the trip. She was having a little trouble with her IT-band on her left leg. I showed her the stretch that I used when I had an IT-band problem. Before I left I got a grilled ham and cheese to go. It would taste really good a couple of hours up the trail.

There were many many dayhikers out today. It really changed the feel of backpacking. But, it was nice seeing so many people out enjoying nature like I do. There were quite a few small children also. The trail was pretty narrow so when passing, someone had to step off trail and into the small plants along side. Most of the time I stepped off, especially if there were small children. I wouldn't want a small child getting poison ivy because of me. There was a man and lady that were having trouble finding the parking lot. They showed me their dayhike map and asked if I could show them where we were at. They had taken a wrong turn.

Later a line of 12-15 people were hiking in the opposite direction as me. There was a ranger in uniform with them. I stepped off the trail to let them pass. The ranger stepped off on the side opposite me. When half of the line had passed the ranger asked me if I were an AT thru hiker. When he spoke the line of people stopped. I told him that I was a thru hiker. He asked when I had started, I told him March 19. After that a few people in line asked me the normal questions that thru hikers hear. When I told them I had started in Georgia, one lady said almost in disbelief "you hiked all the way to here". As I hiked away from them I wondered if I was on the rangers list of items to identify for his group.

As in days past there were many overlooks with a beautiful view. I stopped at all of them, some for just a minute. I was doing a fair amount of miles today. I wanted to get to the hostel by early evening. From there I would be able to resupply in Front Royal. The hostel is ran by a guy named Mike. It's in the basement of his house. There was a sign that said to go around back to a rear entrance. It was pretty nice. Mess was there along with three others. The others were section hikers. I hadn't taken a shower or done laundry for seven days, so this was a welcomed stop. After getting clean I ate two tuna salad sandwiches from items in my food bag. There was a small living room area where I sat on a couch, drinking a can of orange pop and watching an episode of the Big Bang Theory. At 9:30 pm we all got in our bunks. In the morning Mike is going to take us the 9 miles into town to resupply.

Day 68, miles today- 15.3, total- 938.6

Rock Spring Hut to Pass Mountain Hut.

I started hiking today at 7:00 am. It was in the low 30's. I had 4-1/2 miles to the Skyland Resort and Restaurant. Once there, the first thing I did was to get cleaned up in the restroom. I took a hikers bath in the sink. Luckily no one came in while I had my shirt off. After cleaning up I felt better about going into the restaurant.  They had a breakfast buffet that was very good. After a few plates of food I sat in a comfortable chair in the lobby. I worked on my blog and made a phone call. I rested there for a couple of hours. At 12:30 I decided to have lunch. I stayed at the Lodge for about four hours. From there I had 10 miles to hike to reach the shelter.

There were many dayhikers on trail today. Being Memorial Day weekend, I wasn't surprised. It was a clear, chilly and very windy day. It was so windy at times that it was difficult to hold the camera still to take pictures. There were many great overlooks again today. SNP is a beautiful park.

I passed a guy and girl from China. They had hiked up to Mary's Rock. It has a great view. I took their picture. They are both going to college in the U.S. The girl is going to school in Maryland and the guy in Boston. They asked me several questions about my hike. They were shocked at how long it takes to hike the AT. They were very friendly and offered a lot of encouragement. They wanted to take my picture too.

When I got to Pass Mountain Shelter there were several people sitting at the picnic table in front of the shelter. I thought I might have to use my tent. Luckily there was still room for me inside. Sitting at the table was Laura from Dayton. She's active with the Dayton Hikers group. I've been on a dayhike or two with her over the last couple of years. There was also Christina and Barb from Dayton. They are out hiking for a week. They said they had been asking other hikers on the trail if they knew me. But they couldn't remember my trail name, and most hikers only know me by my trail name. It was nice seeing someone on trail that I know.

There was also a lady there that thru hiked the AT in 2,000. Her trail name is Thirsty Boots. She's from Virginia and is out for a few days with her friend Dave(I think that's right). She's scheduled to do a trail maintenance trip with Wilderness Volunteers sometime soon. I've done similar trips with the American Hiking Society. I'm sure she'll have a great time. I talked to them both for a good while.

There are at least two other thru hikers here. Mess and Pain to Maine are two.

Day 67, miles today- 23.9, total- 923.3

Hightop Hut to Rock Spring Hut.

I woke up at a little past 6:00 am. There was a strong sustained wind and a light rain. Not very inviting. Most people delayed their start. It was after 9:00 when I got on trail. At that time it was still windy but the rain had stopped. The wind continued until nightfall. There was a cold front moving in. It stayed in the low to mid 40's all day. I hiked solo again today.

I saw  mushrooms that I'm pretty sure are called chicken of the woods. I took pictures of them. Dutch knows a lot about mushrooms and had showed me different kinds. He said this kind is edible.

After 11 miles I took a side trail to the Lewis Mtn. Campground store. I bought two drinks and one cinnamon roll. After another 9 miles I took the side trail to the Big Meadows Wayside. It was about 5:00 when I got there. I had a burger and fries. For dessert I had blackberry cobbler with blackberry ice cream. I stayed there enjoying the warmth and the lack of a strong wind. I left around 7:00 pm.

I had about 5 miles to go to reach the shelter. After a few miles there were several nice overlooks. It wasn't long till sunset, so I decided to hang out there for a while to take some pictures. The clouds were a little heavy so I wasn't sure if it was worth waiting. It would mean hiking in the dark before reaching the shelter. I waited 20 minutes, took a few pictures and then started hiking.

Before reaching the shelter it was pretty much dark, but I was able to get by without a headlamp. I got there a little after 9:00 pm, the people there were in their bags. Luckily there was room for me in the shelter, the thought of pitching my tent at that point didn't seem appealing. It's going to be a chilly night, great for sleeping.

Day 66, miles today- 21.4, total- 899.4

Blackrock Hut to High top Hut.

I hiked solo today. I got on trail at 7:30 am. The rain stopped during the night. It started out slightly cool but warned up a lot as the day went on. There were many great views today. The trail crossed Skyline Drive several times. It's a beautiful area. In a number of ways the nicest section of trail so far.

After about 7 miles I came to a short side trail to the Loft Camp store. I had heard they weren't open but decided to check anyway. I only had about two days of food for the next 75 miles. My plan was to eat at some of the Wayside restaurants and pick of a few items at the camp stores. When I reached the Loft store there was a sign on the door that said it was closed. I saw people working inside, so I went in the unlocked door. The one lady said they were closed, but that if I needed food I could get something. I got several items and then headed back to the trail.

A few miles later I came to a 0.5 mile side trail to the Loft Mtn. Wayside. It's a small restaurant and gift shop. I ate lunch, charged my phone and rested for about two hours. I ate with Wiki. I've stayed in one or two shelters with him. He lives in Virginia where he graduated from college. Several other backpackers soon arrived. There was Great Legs, Hoops, King, Beacon, and Slip. Everyone hung out for a good while.

Not long after leaving I saw a black bear. My first bear since starting the AT. I approached very slow, in hopes of getting a good picture of him. He stayed close for a few minutes, but became uncomfortable with my presences.

I saw two dung beetles on the trail. I'm not sure what they were trying to do with their round object, but I'm pretty sure they were up to no good.

In the afternoon I stopped at an overlook with Beacon and Wiki. Beacon has the orange shirt on. Wiki has the blue shirt.

When reaching the shelter there were several people there. Most were a group that were taking an instructor led backpacking trip. I talked for several minutes with the guy and lady that either owned or worked for the company. I told them about trips that I have led and we talked about the many considerations when planning trips. I also talked to two young ladies on the trip. One was from New Jersey and the other from Louisville Kentucky. The girl from KY had been to Red River Gorge a few times. I suggested she try Big South Fork.
In or near the shelter was Wiki, King, Slip, Hoops, Great Legs, Beacon, All the Way, and a couple other guys. It started raining at 8:30 pm.

Day 65, miles today- 25.7, total- 878

Paul C. Wolfe Shelter to Black Rock Hut.

I got up at 6:10 am and started hiking at 7:00.

I passed the site of a cabin ruins. The chimney was still in pretty good shape. It was situated on the side of a steep mountain. There was a good spring 0.3 miles away. It had to have been a difficult life.

I hiked most of the first 5.2 miles with Wanderlust and Iceman. Dutch was still at the shelter when we left. At the 5.2 point we were at US-250. From there Wanderlust and Iceman went into Waynesboro. The two of them, along with Dutch,. are going to nero there. I was continuing on north. We said our goodbyes. We had been together for over two weeks. More than likely I'll see them again.

I crossed over I-64 and then entered the Shenandoah National Park. Soon after that I saw a copperhead snake. It was partially on the trail. I had stepped six inches from it's head before I saw it. A little scary. He must have enjoyed getting his picture taken because he didn't move while I took several pictures.

The grass at times was up to my knees. A prime location to get ticks. I'll need to watch more closely now. I also passed some communication towers on Bears Den Mountain.

I saw Beacon when I was taking a break. We hiked together off and on for 12 miles. At Sawmill Run Overlook, on Skyline Drive, we saw Great Legs and Hoops taking a break. We sat with them for a few minutes. I then hiked near the three of them most of the way to the shelter. It was very hot this afternoon and we were all low on water. We reached the shelter at about 6:00 pm. We were happy to find that it had a great spring 50 feet from the shelter. Hoops carries a hoop. She's very good at using it. She's able to do some pretty fancy spinning. She can do it using her waist, neck, arms, and even her elbows. Beacon got it going a little. I gave it a try too. I was able to do it for a short time.  It started raining pretty hard at 7:30 pm. A perfect time for a storm. It's 8:30 now, time to turn in.

At the shelter tonight is Beacon, Great Legs, Hoops, All the Way, King, Slip, Me,and a couple section hikers.