Warthog and I were up and on the trail fairly early this morning. Early enough that the trail felt quiet yet. I was glad we did, because it was one of those mornings that left your spirit full, so much so that your heart felt like it could burst from happiness. It’s a dorky thought, I know. But this is what the woods do to me. They make me happy. Unless of course I’m pulling a tick out of me. Then the woods make me paranoid. Lucky for me, it was the better kind of a start to the day. We only had a couple of miles to hike to get to a wayside with a diner where we wanted to grab breakfast. On the way, we saw a bird in its’ nest, we paused to watch a doe on the trail and when we did, we heard her fawn calling to her from the underbrush. If that wasn’t enough, we had a wonderful trail to walk on. It was smooth, flat, and even wide in some places. It was a good morning.
We also crossed a cemetery where we stopped to pay our respect. While we were there, Warthog pointed out what one gravestone had written, “The mountains have called and now I am home.” It wasn’t sad. Not like a memorial plaque we had read hundreds of miles back that said, “He lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone.” That one was rough. No, this one was filled with a joy – one that suggests the person laid to rest there had lived a long, complete life.
We made it to the diner around 10a. Snow Monkey and Wonder Woman caught up just before and Kirby came in after we had sat down. Warthog and I each ordered a meal and then split pancakes. After breakfast we walked across the wayside to the store for our resupply. Thanks to the generosity of the men next to us, we only needed a couple of items to get us through the rest of the park. The stores in Shenandoah are well stocked, but they are a bit pricier as we expected.
There were picnic tables just outside of the wayside. Hikers filled those tables and the lawn calling their dads. It’s Father’s Day and we are lucky to have reception to be able to connect. We didn’t have the same on Mother’s Day. After taking turns calling dads (Warthog and I share a phone), we needed to keep hiking for the day. We have a lot of miles to cover and other attractions we hope to hit today.
It was a big day. We saw about five bears (two cubs), a black rat snake, and horses at the stables. We took a break at an overlook for lunch. Then headed to the next stop, Skyland. It’s another building in the park with a restaurant, gift shop, and bathrooms. When we were here in 2015, we met our first thru-hiker drinking coffee on the patio. Warthog had been hoping to stop and drink coffee too. It was too hot outside and it was mid afternoon, so we grabbed a glass at the small cafe and sat in the air conditioning in the lobby. As much as I enjoyed getting to camp at our special spot last night, I imagine Warthog was experiencing similar feelings sitting there drinking his coffee. I was glad we were able to stop.
It was late enough in the afternoon that we decided to grab dinner too. Juan was our server tonight. He could tell we were thru-hikers (it was probably the sheen of sweat, dirt, and stink that gave us away). Once we confirmed we were, he then went on to tell us how inspiring we all were and how much he values what we are doing. Juan was incredibly sincere, generous, and kind. He reminded me of the way we felt when we crossed paths with thru-hikers and I was a little bit proud to be able to say that we indeed sparked excitement and inspiration in someone.
A lot of people stop us in these national parks. They usually see the line of packs outside of the building, often they take photos of them. When they notice us, they will might make their way over and say ‘hello’. Sometimes there’s a barrage of questions, sometimes they are sharing their own stories from thru-hiking, sometimes they just shake their heads in amazement – usually when we tell them how far we’ve hiked. It makes me laugh when I see them take photos of our worn packs. I kind of feel like an attraction at the park. Then when I hike and point my camera at an animal, I realize I am doing the same. And I laugh again, this time at myself.
After we left Skyland, we still had another six miles to cover. We knew it meant we would have to do some night hiking. I was okay with it considering how hot the day was. Hopefully the evening will be cooler. During golden hour we hit overlooks Stony Man and Little Stony Man. The light was fantastic.
Warthog and I pushed on ahead of our group. We ended up running into Monty, a thru-hiker we’ve been seeing a lot these last few days. We hiked with him a bit. During the last little bit of dusk we hit a park. It was perfect to grab a bit of water (no filtering needed) and Warthog took advantage of the opportunity to wash his hands. We decided to wait there for our friends to catch up, which didn’t take long. Then we all headed out together, the lightning bugs sparking in the air around us.
The temperature did drop some, a relief to us all. The winds were beginning to pick up and even though the forecast didn’t call for storms, it felt like they were coming. Oh they were, just not for us. We got to another overlook and could see the lightning over the city in the valley that was far, far away from us. We sat for probably fifteen minutes watching it. The color of the sky, the lightning, the bright city below… it was gorgeous. But it was getting late, so we pressed on to the shelter only a mile or so away.
I hate getting to camp late like this. I especially feel bad if we are arriving at a communal space, such as the shelter. Lucky for us, the general campsites and the shelter were positioned well enough that no one saw or heard us. Plus the wind cut the noise of us setting up. It was 11p when we got in. We camped in an open spot near a bear pole. Not the best place, but we set off to the side so we weren’t right under it. At least we didn’t disturb anyone in camp already.
The night was gorgeous and we slept without a rainfly again. I’m so excited that we can do that now. I love sleeping where we can see the stars.
-ansel