It would be a major understatement to say that the 61 mile hike from Thornton Gap to Bears Den Hostel went better than the 80 miles Deep Woods and I did just last month...physically anyway. With the exception of the 9-1/2 mile ride I had remaining on the Roller Coaster on the last day, the … Continue reading Thornton Gap to Bears Den Hostel Complete!
The 80 miles from Rockfish Gap / I-64 up to Thornton Gap in the Shenandoah's are complete! Took a couple of attempts but we finally checked off the remaining 20 miles in the extreme southern end of the park. Loonie's sister came along with us for this one. It was perfect hiking weather...in complete contrast … Continue reading Southern Shenandoah’s (and more) Are Complete!
A quick update before we set off. Loonie and I are heading to the Shenandoahs soon, the plan being to complete the AT through the park as well as fill in the gap between there and Bears Den Hostel. We'll then jump up to Boiling Springs, PA and stroll back to Pine Grove Furnace SP. … Continue reading Pre-Shenandoah Update
Picking up from my last post... Day Five: Campsite past Jenny Knob Shelter (10.7 mi) On the schedule for this day: crossing the 600 mile mark since setting off from Springer Mountain in Georgia years ago. In the grand scheme of things, when it seems everyone and their brother is knocking off one of the … Continue reading VA 42 to Pearisburg: Part Two
Its said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you've spent much time following along here you'll know that after each hike I promise to myself and the world that I will be physically prepared for the next season. Those promises are rarely … Continue reading VA 42 to Pearisburg: Part One
In years past, I spent a considerable amount of time pouring over hikers' journals over at trailjournals.com. Before the days of TheTrek, Instagram, vlogging on YouTube, etc., people kept some pretty detailed accounts on trailjournals.com of their daily lives on the trail. Many still do, but it has tapered off now that the majority of … Continue reading Recollections…
First, I did get a link together for the album of pics from this last trip. You can get there from here. Pretty disappointing how most came out but at least we have something to look back on. We have got to get our hands on some phones with better cameras. Wouldn't do me much … Continue reading Who’s Counting?
Picking up from where I left off in the last post... Day Four: Tentsite - 5.5 mi Since we were way ahead of schedule, we decided to dial the miles back a bit this day. The short climb out of Caledonia was stiff but the rest of the way to Quarry Gap Shelters was easy … Continue reading Finally Back on the AT: Pen Mar Rd to Pine Grove Furnace State Park – Part 2
It should come as no surprise that not much has gone according to plan this season. The whole world seems to be upside down right now and it's anyone's guess as to when we might see a bit of normalcy. Thankfully, everyone in our extended family has been spared of both the virus and financial … Continue reading Finally Back on the AT: Pen Mar Rd to Pine Grove Furnace State Park – Part 1
First, a quick update on upcoming hikes: In a few weeks, Deep Woods and I will set off from VA Hwy 42 (just down the road from Bear Garden Hostel) and shoot for Pearisburg, VA. That’s just shy of 80 trail miles. We would have preferred to do more but that’s all that time would … Continue reading Concessions…
