First it was an idea and then an accomplishment. Within 24 hours I hiked 22 miles and biked 17.5 miles and in between I slept like a log on Loft Mountain. This took me half way through the South District of Shenandoah. My second time out I hiked an even more ambitious 23.1 miles and biked 22.1 miles while collapsing at a Days Inn overnight. I was going out with a bang! (Or a thud!)
Allow me to give you a feel for what a day hike along the AT is like. The picture below I took early on my first day. From this view point you can see Loft Mountain in the distance. Over hill and dale the day’s hike was 13 miles and this is what it looked like. Good thing I didn’t expose myself to this ominous prospect too often or I might have given up!
Being this far from home had required I adjust my approach. Note that these are two-day hikes with a near-by overnight stay. While I felt that I needed to do this to finish before summer’s end, in truth I was also wondering how the experience would be different. Probably the greatest advantage I found was being able to start my hike hours earlier on the second day. It was fun to hit the trail while the sun was still low in the sky. The biggest precaution I took was front loading my hikes in recognition that I would have more energy the first day. A funny realization was that because I was be so exhausted after the first day I slept equally well on the ground as I did in a bed.
After 10 south-bound hikes within its boundaries I had reached the South Entrance and emerged from the National Park. Except for Dickey’s Ridge at the far north, I was done. I’d achieved my goal of walking the A-T within Shenandoah. On the one hand I was thrilled about what I had accomplished but on the other I did have reservations. Look at the pictures to the right and below. These are the sorts of glorious vistas I had all to myself day after day. Being a part of this was spiritually uplifting and I was going to miss not having this glory to feed my soul.
But wait! It just occurred to me. There are other National Parks with trails and magic all their own. I’ve only just begun!
Ready or not, here I come!
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