5/15-6/3: Daleville, VA -> Harpers Ferry, WV

At long last, I have made my way through Virginia and onto new states! Northern Virginia was just as beautiful and fun as the first half of the state, and the highlight was the 101-mile traverse of Shenandoah National Park.

I left Daleville after a nice zero day there. Surprisingly, that was my first full zero since Georgia (not counting my week off trail)! What can I say, I like my nero days. It never felt better to get back on trail and be back in the woods after being in such a car-centric place and walking on busy roads. Soon after, I crossed the 1/3-way mark! Once again, there was a more official and out of date sign followed by the true 1/3-way mark a bit later.

I didn’t really know what to expect from the section of trail in between the Triple Crown and Shenandoah, but I found it to be very beautiful. The next day, I loved paralleling the Blue Ridge Parkway for a long while, with many nice overlooks.

I also got not one, not two, but FOUR instances of trail magic! First, hot tea from a very sweet old woman, then an egg McMuffin(!) from another hiker getting back on trail. Then, I was delighted to find a “repeat offender” spread from Giggles, who I had met already in Pearisburg! I had a really nice time relaxing with several other hikers at her trail magic. Finally, I got a beer from a pair of section hikers I had met the night before. Such treats.

Traversing Thunder Ridge the next day was tough but rewarding, with good views and cool rock formations like the Guillotine. The trail was also very grassy at times, and I pulled a couple of ticks off myself. Daily checks finally paid off; you have to be vigilant about that since tick-borne disease is a big and scary risk on trail. I also ran into trail friends from Marion, Legs and Hooter, as well as her dad, who was joining her for a section hike!

I did a true hero day in Glasgow, VA, this time beyond a doubt. I resupplied, had a big lunch, and most importantly, picked up my new shoes that I had ordered to the post office there. My first pair had served me very well, lasting about 800 miles! They’re only expected to last ~500 miles. It was hilarious to see the difference between the new pair and the old, which was even more striking than I expected. The new shoes felt great to hike in over the next couple days; they made a big difference.

I successfully hitchhiked for the first time back to trail with my trail friends Sticky and Pickles. I ended up hiking around them for several days, including Sticky’s birthday! It was cool to be around them and get to know them better.

Macy’s birthday came and went too, and that was hard. I felt sad not to be there with and for Macy on her birthday. We did get to talk eventually, but it was stressful trying to find enough service to reach her. It’s definitely hard to be apart while I’m on trail, and some days I feel that more than others.

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful section of trail, though. I loved the views coming over Cole Mountain and later at Spy Rock.

That night, I stayed at the Priest Shelter, where as a fun tradition, the logbook acts as a confessional of sorts. I confessed my own trail sins, like occasionally sleeping with some food if I have too much to fit in my Ursack (oops, hehe).

In the morning, we were treated to an immense, incredible spread of trail magic from Tootsie Ru, Gearmaster, and Wandering Barmaid. It was all the more exciting because a) it was perfectly placed between a huge downhill and huge uphill and b) it was during Trail Days so I wasn’t expecting anyone to be doing trail magic elsewhere (I did not end up going back to Damascus for Trail Days btw).

We had pain au chocolats fresh from a local bakery, avocado toast, fresh eggs from Tootsie Ru’s chickens, buttermilk pancakes with real maple syrup(!), bacon, plus plenty of snacks, drinks, and candy to top it all off. (Side note: why do authors (*cough cough* GRRM) feel the need to describe food and feasts in such detail? SO annoying to listen to while you’re hiking!) It was all so delicious, and our trail angels were so friendly and delightful. I spent a very long time there with trail friends new and old: Hooter (now sans dad), Birdsong, Tarzan, Frostbite, and Pedals. It was trail magic rivaled only by my parents and Woods Hole/Mira & Shepard.

That night, the same 6 of us from the trail magic squeezed into a campsite that theoretically only fit 3 tents at Rock Point. I had a wonderful, goofy time with them all watching a super cool sunset – probably my fav sunset on trail to that point!

The next day, I made it into Waynesboro, VA, the southern gateway into Shenandoah NP. Hooter, Birdsong, and I shuttled into town together and hung out all evening. We were originally going to camp in a park near the YMCA, but luckily we discovered it was the very first night of a nice church hostel! We were glad to be inside and amongst friendly folks. It reminded me of The Place in Damascus if it were a kinder place and had better amenities, lol.

I took another full zero day in Waynesboro, and it was one of my most relaxing days off. I spent the whole day with Birdsong and Hooter. We had booked bunks at Stanimals hostel for the night, which had a nice, homey vibe and a fun, eclectic caretaker, Bugs.

That was the day of our long-awaited lunch at Ming’s Chinese buffet. This place had been hyped up since literally my second day on trail; numerous past thru-hikers specifically recommended it. It was definitely pretty solid food as Chinese buffets go, and I had so much food for shockingly cheap!

Birdsong likes to cook on days off (a genius move), and he, Hooter, and I had gone in on all the ingredients for several projects. Back at Stanimals, we made cookies together, and ate a big pasta dinner. Hooter and I enjoyed being Birdsong’s sous-chefs. It felt like a little family dinner 🙂 The next morning, Birdsong made eggs and potato hash to go with pancakes for breakfast, too! In all, we ate super well thanks to him. It was a really nice zero day; there were lots of laughs and good times with the three of us.

That off day felt like a bit of a turning point for my trail experience. I knew that as I got further north, there would be way more meeting up with friends and family, and fewer “normal” town days – starting the very next weekend when I’d get to see Macy! But for the time being, it was time to get back on trail and enter Shenandoah National Park.

Shenandoah NP is the second and final national park NOBOs pass through on the AT. Affectionately called the Shennies by thru-hikers, SNP has a reputation for being a relatively easy and fun section of trail.

Shenandoah was very different than I expected. For one thing, I only learned a few days prior that the Shenandoah River doesn’t go through the park at all! The trail through the park was very similar to how it had been for the past few hundred miles. The biggest difference was the increase in development and amenities, with Skyline Drive going through the whole park and several campgrounds, camp stores, and waysides along the way. This was in sharp contrast to the Smokies, where it felt like the trail was more remote, more difficult, and more beautiful as soon as we entered the park.

To be honest, I found the Shennies to be pretty underwhelming on that first day. The AT is sometimes called the “green tunnel” because there’s so much tree cover that you can kinda be walled in by green in the summer. That day was definitely pretty green tunnel-y. Both elevation and terrain were relatively forgiving, though, so it felt pretty cruisy. I was able to do bigger mileages than ever in the park, with my longest (non-slackpacking) day ever coming the next day at 22.0 miles.

The Shennies absolutely grew on me over the next few days, starting with the super cool Blackrock summit first thing in the morning. That night, I camped with Birdsong and Hooter right at the summit of Hightop Mountain, behind a nice overlook. We had a fun evening together and watched a lovely sunset, probably my favorite yet!

The next day was full of unique experiences. It started off with a bang with great trail magic from Caveman and his brother, including a fresh pot of chili (one of my favorite foods), among other things! Caveman told us he’s been doing trail magic at the same spot in the Shennies 5-10 times a year since 2014.

I met up with Hooter and Birdsong to eat lunch at a legit campground with cars and everything. That felt a little surreal…only in SNP!

After lunch, I stowed my trekking poles and took a blue-blazed side trail (gasp!) to do the Bearfence Rock Scramble. It was SO cool! I had such a good time on the tricky, spectacular scramble route. Up on the rocks, I also met friendly day hikers, Todd and family, who were very excited to learn about thru-hiking. Introducing the idea of a thru-hike to people, especially to some wowed younger kids, really put what I’m doing in perspective and made my day. Todd even gave me some trail magic snacks on the way out!

The trail was very pretty around Big Meadows, where I stopped for dinner at the Big Meadows Wayside. The Shenandoah waysides are little restaurants and general stores alongside Skyline Drive, famous for their blackberry milkshakes. Dinner was only decent, but the milkshake was delicious. I was glad to partake in an iconic Shenandoah experience.

After dinner, I caught up with Birdsong and Hooter once again at another campsite right behind a good overlook at Franklin Cliffs. It was another great evening with them, and we watched an even better Shenandoah sunset – best one yet!

I felt wabi-sabi again that night. I was really excited to see Macy the next day, but I was also kinda sad to be getting off trail and leaving Hooter and Birdsong behind, or rather, ahead. It had been really great hanging out with them for the past week.

My half day of hiking the next day, Saturday, was both tougher and cooler than I expected. I loved the views from Stony Man Mountain and Little Stony Man Cliffs. There were a lot of day hikers since it was now Memorial Day weekend. (Another reason I was glad to be getting off trail for a couple days!)

My Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Bryce picked me up at a trailhead at midday; it was so good to see them! They are documentarians, and they gave me a documentary-style interview about the trail. It was cool to see how that process worked, and they asked interesting questions.

We drove out of SNP and into Front Royal, VA, where Macy was waiting for us! It was so, so great to see her again. The four of us got good BBQ before going our separate ways. Macy and I stayed in a nice AirBnB outside of town in the countryside.

I had an absolutely lovely zero day with Macy in Front Royal. I found it to be a delightful town! We went to a bakery, a coffee shop, an ice cream place, and a Thai restaurant over the course of the day. Macy even helped me use a laundromat for the first time.

We went on a cool tour of nearby Skyline Caverns. I hadn’t done something like that for a long time, so it was a nice change of pace. Macy really likes caves, apparently, and it was cool to see her excitement. Tarzan and his girlfriend happened to be in our tour group, too! It was funny to run into a trail friend in the “wild” like that.

Afterwards, Macy and I drove back into the park and had a nice, leisurely drive of about 1/4 of Skyline Drive, stopping at all the overlooks. The northern Shennies are beautiful! It was fun to get a sneak peek of what was to come in the park. It’s true what they say though, the views from Skyline Drive are way better than from the AT. All the more reason I was glad to be there with Macy!

We also picked up a nice section hiker who was hitchhiking and gave her a ride through the park. It was neat to be on the other side of that and be a trail angel for once.

The next morning, Macy and I ate breakfast at the Apple House restaurant, including delicious fresh apple cinnamon donuts. Then, on our way back into Front Royal, we ran into Birdsong and Hooter at the trail crossing! It was so good to see them one more time. They were both excited to meet Macy, and vice versa.

All too soon, it was time for Macy to leave and me to get back on trail. Driving back into the park was a little scary in dense fog! Macy and I said teary goodbyes at the trailhead. Somehow, it was the hardest goodbye yet. I was so glad to have had such a nice weekend with Macy.

It had never been harder for me to get back on trail and get back into the rhythm of hiking. I hiked through rain and fog all day, and throughout the next morning. I was glad to have gotten my fill of Shennies views with Macy! Luckily, the fog burned off by my last afternoon in SNP, and I had lunch on a spectacular cliffside. I was really glad to leave Shenandoah on a high note.

Over the next few days, I ran into several old friends, including a few I hadn’t seen since Georgia. I also crossed over 1000 miles! That was an exciting milestone.

Before finally checking Virginia off, there was one final challenge: the Virginia Rollercoaster. VA went out like a lion with this “14-mile stretch of steep climbs and descents with few views,” according to FarOut. It was definitely a tough, rocky section, especially later on, but it was also much more beautiful than I expected, even without views per se. There were several nice stream crossings and flowers all around. I was glad to split up the Rollercoaster with a stay at Bear’s Den Hostel about 2/3 of the way through.

Bear’s Den is owned and run by the ATC in a cool building that looks like a castle. They have an awesome hiker special where for $40, you get a bunk, shower, laundry, plus a frozen pizza, a soda, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream! It was a good warmup for the half gallon challenge 😉

I had a very nice time at Bear’s Den. There were a lot of people there, including Oriole, who I hadn’t seen since Damascus. I was glad to see her and get to know her better! I also met a trail angel Queen Diva and had a yummy Coney dog (in addition to all that other food). In the morning, I played griddlemaster for a few of us and made pancakes for a good breakfast before getting back on trail.

A few miles later, both the Rollercoaster and Virginia were over with! (Kind of. We crossed into West Virginia, but we’d leapfrog the border for the rest of the day, so VA wasn’t quite done with us.)

That day turned out to be the hardest for me mentally of the entire trail so far. It was HOT. I felt slow and tired all day. Then, since water was scarce in the WV section and I wasn’t planning on going straight into Harper’s Ferry that night, I had to carry 4 liters of water, twice as much as usual, for a while to last me overnight. It was so heavy and unwieldy. Then, when I finally got into camp, I discovered several holes in the mesh of my tent. It was clear that a mouse had gotten in.

I know exactly when it happened. The night Macy dropped me back off, it rained hard overnight, and at one point I bolted upright because I realized I had accidentally left some food in my hip belt pocket. I quickly took care of the situation, and at the time I thought there was no harm done. Clearly, my blunder was less harmless than I thought. I felt so sad and pissed at myself.

I was camping right at the other WV/VA state line, where we left VA for good. Reboot and Adirondack, who I had met in Shenadoah, were there, setting themselves up for the 4 state challenge.

The 4 state challenge involves hiking 44.3 miles so that you’re in 4 states in a single day: starting in VA, passing through WV and MD, and ending all the way in PA. No thanks. I wasn’t touching that with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot-long pole.

One reason of many that I didn’t want to do the 4 state challenge is that I wanted to spend time in Harpers Ferry, and my friend from college Joanna was coming to meet me there! I loved descending into town from Loudoun Heights and (finally) crossing the Shenandoah River – beautiful!

Harpers Ferry, WV is considered the “spiritual” or “psychological halfway point” of the AT. I visited the ATC headquarters and took my iconic halfway picture there. It felt really exciting and special to see it alongside all the other thru-hikers’ from this year and years past.

I saw a TON of fellow hikers in town; it was great to see people that I had met at all different points in the trail, and to meet new ones as well! I got fresh bread from the nearby Bolivar Bakery too, which was a super special treat. I love bakeries in general, and it was especially amazing considering that sort of thing is hard to come by on the trail.

In the late morning, Joanna and her dad arrived from the DC area! It was so good to see her; she was my first non-family visitor! We had a lovely day around town seeing the historic sites and scenery. She also took me to Walmart to resupply, which was handy since it’s surprisingly hard to resupply in Harpers Ferry proper, lol. Joanna also brought me some unique snacks that brought me back to college :’)

Joanna and her dad left at about 4:30pm. I had originally planned to hike out then, but I discovered an outdoor local music festival in a park on the way back to the trail. I ended up sitting there on the grass with some trail friends, including Funcut, and his friends who were visiting and had some trail magic for us all. It was a lovely time socializing and listening to the music.

Meanwhile, I chatted with someone who was conducting interviews with hikers à la Humans of NY. When I left, his wife handed me a whole bag of more trail magic food! At this point, I had been given so much food that I had too much to carry and store overnight. I also had Joanna’s leftovers from lunch that I was packing out for dinner. Plus, it was getting later than I wanted due to staying for the concert. I decided to stay the night in town. My hand was forced, but in the best way. Does it count as getting vortexed if you stay one night in a town when you intended to stay zero?

Funcut had made a similar decision, and had met a hostel owner who had a spot for us both. We rode with his friends to the hostel, and when we got there, his friend Flamingo surprised us by paying for our stays! It was yet another wonderful act of kindness. Trail magic galore that day.

I was so glad to have had such a positive day in Harpers Ferry after the challenges of the day before. It left me feeling really good about my hike as I reached the spiritual halfway point. I’m halfway there!!