More Shenandoah

Looking back through my photos from last Fall, I realized how many great shots I have--I wish I could share them all. Maybe in a slide show in the future. Even though it's somewhat random and chronologically out of sequence, I wanted to post a few more highlights from 2011.

Hiking through Shenandoah NP in October was one big highlight in itself. For the most part I had spectacular weather (except for a freezing squall that nailed me around Skyland) and the leaves were at their peak. The photo above is looking at Stony Man from the south on the AT. Having spent quite a bit of my youth in SNP, Stony Man has always held and almost mythical place in my imagination.

As the highest point in SNP it has great views, especially from the cliffs on the west side. Spent many a rooted evening watching the sunset from this spot.

Not far north from Stony Man, a side trail goes down into Jewell Hollow where a friend's uncle had a cabin. Another view full of memories for me.

And of course the deer and bear and everybody else have become pretty used to visitors.

It's hard to tell scale in this photo, but this giant old friend was about 15' up to those first branches. A regal old white oak. There's a good reason why so many people love Shenandoah. Even with all the touristy stuff, it's a really special place for hikers too.

1000-Miler

On Halloween day I reached the 1000 mile (NB) mark on the AT--a rather nondescript spot with only this special blaze to give notice. I was late into my 2nd day of slogging through wet snow and blowdowns after the big storm so I almost walked right by it. But the significance finally sunk in: even though it's taken me 3 years, 1000 miles is a long way to walk. I had mixed feelings, realizing that I was closing in on Harpers Ferry and the end of another hike. But I was relieved to know I was near the Blackburn AT shelter as it was another brutal day of hiking.

Live from MM1000.

The Great October Winter Storm of '11

By next morning much of the snow in the valley had melted, so I headed north on the AT on a clear crisp morning. Little did I realize the extent of this storm (knocked out power to 100s of thousands of folks in PA, NY, CT) or how much snow I would encounter on the ridge. This early storm had several factors compounding the difficulty: it was a very wet, heavy snow; being so early most trees still had their leaves so there were blowdowns every 100 yards or so.

I was the first one out, breaking trail for miles on end with wet snow raining from the trees. I must have lost the trail over a dozen times--the blowdowns were so extensive in some places that the trail was totally obscured. It was one of the most difficult days of hiking I've ever experienced. I was soaking wet and overheated, but if I stopped for more than a few minutes the temps were only int he 30s so it was cold.

My brother Joel met me at the Rt 7 crossing but I was several hours late, it was such slow going. We had a snack and chat but I had to move on as dark was approaching. I ended up hiking 2 hours by headlamp to find the shelter that night. I can't tell you how glad I was to find the shelter, exhausted, wet and becoming pretty scared. Even though it makes for good stories I wouldn't want to repeat that day.

A Change in the Weather

Well, sorry for the delay getting these posts up. I know it's been 9 months but I had technical difficulties exporting pics into the blog. So that being said, I'd like to add a few posts to finish out last year's hike since it's almost time to start again!
As you can see, within a day of reaching Front Royal, things got very interesting. I ended up taking an extra zero day to wait out the storm which wasn't so bad since I had Patty as company and some decent amenities in Front Royal. The little downtown had a couple good restaurants, a local coffee shop and an AA club so I was all set. Just anxious about the storm.

More updates to come

For any of you following my journey, I apologize for the lack of recent posts. Even with the iPhone it's been sparce opportunities to upload info.
I'll be catching up the next few days so stay tuned. I also have some fine hi-rez photos from my new camera that I'll be sharing. Thanks for your support and God bless.

Front Royal, VA

I made it into Front Royal on Wed eve 10/26. I had the good fortune of hitching a ride with the second car passing me on 522. Good thing: my feet were pretty ground up from all the rocky trail in the north end of SNP. Had a slight knee strain coming down Marys Rock in the wet leaves too, so I wad ready for a break.
Took a "zero" on Thurs and was feeling pretty good to head back out Friday when I heard report of a winterstorm warning. Hmmm... Not good.

Shenandoah National Park

The AT runs for a liitle over 100 miles in Shenandoah NP. It's a beautiful, wildly diverse section. Some areas like Big Meadows, Skyland, and Loft Mtn. are high traffic areas where the trail is almost manicured to perfection for those tenderfoots :) But other sections have an almost wilderness feel to them and I might only see 1 or 2 people over many hours. A lot of SNP is old, broken up granite which makes for tedious and grinding hiking. But there's always the omnipresent Skyline Drive which the AT crosses numerous times. The upside of that is many food opportunities at the waysides and campstores. I don't think I wad hurting for calories that week.
Also, saw a lot of bears some of whom were quite unafraid. Not a good thing.