SoBo

Good lord does it feel great to hike again. The weather has been decidedly different this time around with summer kicking into its hot, humid glory but it has been an absolute dream. 

After a few glorious days in DC, Makeda (my own personal trail angel) drove me to Harpers Ferry so she could pick up baby Harper (who is now living the good life in a swank DC condo with a loving mother) and drop me off down in Front Royal, VA. 

In speaking with my hiking buddies, it looked like I would be able to start hiking south from Front Royal and catch them somewhere after Luray to turn around and hike back. 

That Saturday I didn't get back onto the trail at the road crossing until well after 3:30pm and with a pending uphill climb I knew I wouldn't be putting in many miles that day. It didn't help that my resupply consisted entirely of protein bars, honey roasted cashews and fig newtons purchased at a Sheetz gas station en route to the trail. 

The air was thick and heavy as I trudged back into tick country and up onto the ridge line and into the Shenandoah's. I made it a confusing 6ish miles (my AWOL guide was remarkably poorly marked) before running into an old friend, Roadrunner, who was heading down the hill and out of the park. His shin splints were bothering him so he was planning to get to town to pick up some new shoes. In speaking he mentioned that there was a nice stealth campsite just up the hill which sounded like just the spot I was looking for. 

When I finally arrived I briefly contemplated pushing on before realizing  that my body needed time to readjust to the daily grind of hiking. I set up my tent and got situated, scarfed down a protein bar and the promptly had no idea what to do. My phone was dead, my headlamp battery was quickly dwindling and I had no book to read. My only option was to read my AWOL guide so I decided to sleep. It was 7:30pm. 

It is terrible being separated from your hiking group on the trail. There is safety and companionship in numbers and when a bear stumbles into your tent at 2:00am there are other people to commiserate with.

After a fairly restless night I peeled myself from my tent well before sunrise and set out as the sun was peaking over the ridge line. The hiking was simple and enjoyable, my spirits lifted by the knowledge that I would be crossing paths with my friends at some point to end my journey south and continue northbound. I was worried with my phone dead that I was missing information from them but I knew they were planning on hiking past Luray a few miles so I should be good. 

Around lunchtime I arrived at Elkwallow Wayside - a stop at a road crossing where hikers, bikers, etc can stop and grab a hot meal and resupply somewhat. I saw Red Knees upon entering the store and immediately mauled him with hugs. He informed me that Beetlejuice, Goatman and 2 Pack were a ways behind but that he thought they were planning to aqua blaze? Perfect. 

I kept walking south slowly, waiting to see them emerge from around a corner. I waited. And waited. Finally, 20 miles into my day (and at almost 4:00pm) I found a fellow hiker that had an external battery that could charge up my phone (Goal Zero solar chargers aren't worth half of what they cost) and check my messages, of which I had over a dozen. 

Of course, loads of messages from the tribe, informing me that they were gonna do a short day and go into Luray to watch the NBA finals. Thankfully they were as far south from Luray as I was north so I once again slung on my pack and began to trudge south. 

When we were reunited at the road crossing it had been a 24 mile day and I could not have been happier to see my friends, along with their new companions Kermit, Grinch and Monk, all of whom I had met previously. Perhaps most shocking was that Barbarossa was there in a pick up truck, ready to pick us up and drive us to a barbecue at his house. 

The dinner was fantastic as was drinks at the bar after where we watched the Heat beat the Spurs in Game 2 (to Monk's delight). After the game, Barbarossa drove us back to the trailhead as it began to pour. Instead of hiking up we opted to go up to the public restrooms a bit up the road and hide from the thunderstorms in the safety of two handicapped restrooms (remarkably clean, mind you). 

The next morning was gross. The air was thick and the fog hung low, with gusts of rain and wind whipping through the mountains. I thought to myself - I've hiked these miles. I don't want to do them again, especially in this rain. So instead of rehiking, Goatman and I stayed behind with everyone's packs and tried to find a way up to Terrapin Hostel, just outside of Front Royal. 

Thankfully, Barbarossa was able to drive us up and there was some semblance of room at the hostel (read: it was cozy). We took a long afternoon nap and resupplied while we waited for our friends. It was good to be reunited again. 

The next day, in order to be around a television for the Heat game we opted to slack pack backwards 12 miles to Terrapin and spend an additional night. The Heat got destroyed but it was a lovely, quick hike that included a surprise run-in with Ms. Janet and her van full of hiker trash. That night we all got our own beds and slept amazingly, ready to put in some good miles the next day.