Could you take my picture, cause I wont remember

More new photos are up in the VA album. Only part of one more day in VA so not many more to add there. I lose my chase car after tomorrow so I don't know how frequently I will be able to upload the pics, but I will get them up whenever I can, or will send them to Katie to handle for me.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all like the pics.

http://sabrinaandmatthiking.shutterfly.com

Can everyone agree that no one should be left alone (Song is by Filter for those who are confused)

- Snowfox

Day 70 (6/29) - King Nothing

Day 70 - 0.0 mi/995.2 mi tot
Northern VA

Time for another zero day, since here we are in Northern VA where the friends we had made over the past year all are living. Had a great day relaxing and taking care of some gear issues, including washing my pack and some other items in an attempt to minimize the stink that is permeating everything I carry. Sabrina and I also had breakfast with a co-worker and got caught up on work-happenings and had a good time there.

Other than that, we watched some TV and then met up with a bunch of friends from the gym for dinner. This was entertaining since many of them are participating in a Paleo diet challenge and definitely did not get to take full advantage of the many good options at Sweetwater Grill. Good thing I am not on that diet right now, I might waste away to nothing since I couldn't really carry many of the things that they are allowed to eat. Overall a good day and I think I will take another zero day tomorrow here and get back on the trail on Thursday. This will give both Bird and Twiggzy the chance to stay caught up since they were both planning multiple zero days this coming weekend.

And it all crashes down, and you break your crown, and you point you finger but there's no one around.

- Snowfox

Day 69 (6/28) - Roller Coaster of Love

Day 69 - 14.1 mi/995.2 mi tot
Ashby Gap (US 50) to Snickers Gap (VA 7)

So, first things first, happy anniversary to my Mom and Dad. Hope they are having a great time on Cape Cod during their annual vacation time there.

On to less important things, the hike today went through a part of Virginia called "the roller coaster". This is probably the place where the term "PUD" was coined. PUD is the acronym for pointless ups and downs and that is all I did today...climb up a hill just to drop down the other side. All the while hiking on the side of a ridge with a great valley on one side and a great ridge on the other. This is the definition of pointless. No views, no cool riverside walking and climbing just for the sake of climbing a hill. Still a few more miles of the roller coaster to finish up on Wednesday, but not until a rest day tomorrow. Should be a good break and with a bunch of friends.

Love is like a roller coaster baby I wanna ride

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 68 (6/27) - its the only one you've got

Day 68 - 20.0 miles/981.1 mi tot
US 522 to US 50

Wow...a very hot day today and with 4 big climbs it was an extra sweaty one too. The three of us (Bird, Twiggzy and I) got a late start after breakfast and resupply in Front Royal. The night in the hotel last night was good with AC and pizza but we needed to get out and back at it today. We saw 2 bears in the morning and made our 20 miles to meet up with Princess not too late.

Unfortunately when we got there we were greeted with horrendous news...Bear, Lindsay's dog that had hiked with me just over a week ago had a tragic accident and had to be put to sleep from his injuries. I really don't know what to say/think about this whole incident but I hope that Lindsay and Tom know that they and Bear are in my thoughts and we are all very saddened by the news. I am just glad that I was able to have him as part of my journey and I will have great memories of those fun, wet and exciting 16 plus miles we did that day. He will definitely be missed.

This was the hardest song I have had to pick yet, but the song by 3 Doors Down seems to go with how much fun Bear always seemed to have whenever I was around him. He always seemed to be up for a run and did great as a hiking partner and I will especially remember him climbing over the ladder style going through the fields near Newport, VA while we tried to get him to go around.

He always seemed to:

(You've got to) live this life your given likes its the only one you've got.

- one saddened Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Huckleberry "Bear" Ashton

I'm crying as I write this post because my sister's dog died today.  Bear was the first dog that I had any real experience with and the first dog I learned to love.  He was the most beautiful yellow lab with the sweetest nature that anyone could ask for.  He was 2 years old.  I don't pray much but I ask those who do to please include Lindsay and Tom in their thoughts today.

RIP Bear, you will be dearly missed.

 

 ~Princess

Day 67 (6/26) - Animal I Have Become

Day 67 - 18.3 mi/961.1 mi tot
Range View PATC Cabin to US 522 (Front Royal)

So after getting in at midnight last night and getting to sleep shortly after, the three of us got up at 630 am for another day moving north. The review of the new tent is good but having a decent ground to stake it into makes a big difference (hard packed gravel roads are tough to put stakes into). It could have been a bedsheet for all I cared at that point though I was so tired.

Anyway, today was a hot one and we kept to the shade as much as possible to minimize how hot we got and how much water we needed since it was somewhat sparse today. Apparently it was not too hot for wildlife today as we saw a rattlesnake (picture above somewhere) and a bear. As for the bear, I have finally answered the age-old question: does a bear poop in the woods? I can convincingly say the answer is yes and I have two pieces of proof.
1) See second picture above. No comments required.
2) The bear I saw today was a cub and I came around a corner of the trail and there he was about 30 feet off the trail. He (?) was in the middle of umm....lets just say "his business" and he looked at me, I looked at him, he finished "his business" and ran off into the woods.

I feel like that convincingly answered the question for good.

34 more miles to Rte 7, and I am still on track for Monday afternoon/evening.

So what if you can see the darkest side of me, no one will ever change this animal I have become.

- Snowfox

Day 66 (6/25) - Fade to Black

Day 66 - 35.7 mi/942.8 mi tot
Lewis Mtn Campground to Range View PATC Cabin

So we (Bird, Twiggzy and I) planned for this to be an easy day...looking to cover 23 miles and set ourselves up for a 25 mile day tomorrow to a hostel near Front Royal. We started the day at a reasonable pace planing to end up at a shelter around 5 or 6 pm for the evening. We had a great day with two nice and relaxing long lunch breaks, including one at Skyland Lodge (anywhere is good with a taproom) and eventually made it to a picnic area to make dinner before the final 2 miles of the day. Well, on the way to the shelter, we discussed it and found out that all three of us were feeling pretty good and would be interested in making a longer day out of it and heading all the way into Front Royal the next day.

So here was the plan...eat dinner with a nice long rest and head about 14 more miles to somewhere near Elkwallow Gap and set up camp for the night. We did about 3 miles on the actual trail then did the rest walking along Skyline Drive. Yes it was nighttime, but there was really no traffic on Skyline (the joy of a tourist-only road) and a nearly full moon. We got some really cool views from some of the overlooks and it wasn't a bad walk. It made for a very long day and some very tired feet at the end but it makes for a better day tomorrow. Definitely my longest day yet...so much for my talk about no more 30+ mile days, but it is definitely better with more people. As for night hiking, it is better with a full-ish moon and also not bad with multiple people. Unknown how often I will cover miles at night, but we will see as I keep moving forward.

I will be into NoVA Monday night and probably all day on Tuesday so drop me an email or a comment on the blog if you want to meet up somewhere. I don't plan on doing a lot of traveling around the area, so I might post a possible meet-up location once I figure it out.

Drifting further everyday...getting lost within myself

- Snowfox

Day 65 (6/24) - Life is a Highway

Day 65 - 26.9 mi/907.3 mi tot
Loft Mtn Campground to Lewis Mtn Campground

Opted for a long slack pack day with Bird and Twiggzy today to jump to the next campground in SNP. We did most of the day on the trail in the woods except for a short section around lunch and a section at the end of the day on Skyline Drive for some better views. This is a good option since the original trail followed Skyline Drive until the option was brought up to charge hikers to use the road, so the trail was moved off the road and into the woods.

Anyway, we made it to the campground, bought some beer and settled in to relax for the night. This group of us seems to be working well and hopefully we can keep moving north at the same pace. Back to full packs tomorrow and ending in my first night without Princess since she returned with the chase car. First time in the new tent also.

I wanna ride it all night long.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 64 (6/23) - from the halls of Montezuma

Day 64 - 22.3 mi tot/876.3 mi tot
I64 (Waynesboro) to Dundo Picnic Area (camped at Loft Mtn Campground

Got a decently early start out of Waynesboro and was back on the trail and moving by 730. The first part of the day was hiked with a retired Marine out for a 2 week section hike named Trail Rat. We had some good discussions about the USMC but eventually age got the better of that retired Marine and he fell back on one of the steeper uphills. To be honest, I felt kind of proud at out-hiking a Marine (even if he had a few years on me...sorry Pat).

Anyway, shortly after that I caught up with Bird and Twiggzy and we all ate lunch adjacent to Skyline Drive with Princess, who had met us there to resupply us with water and had also brought me gifts of gatorade and cupcakes. Wife of the year, no competition. The two of them opted to slack pac the rest of the afternoon and we all wound up sharing a campsite at Loft Mtn Campground for the night. We are planning to slackpack tomorrow to the next campground, 26 miles ahead and repeat our evening (which was a lot of fun).

To the shores of Tripoli (or at least the shores of the Potmac River in a few days).

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 63 (6/22) - gimme a break, gimme a break

Day 63 - 0.0 mi/854.0 mi tot
Waynesboro, VA

another zero day? Why not? It was really hot today, I covered 78 miles in the past 3 days and I am ahead of schedule so it can't hurt. Waynesboro was a good place for it too with lots of food options and plenty of places to get supplies and occupy my time. There was a pretty good crowd of hikers who had the same idea and we saw them at all the likely places: dollar store, laundermat, all you can eat chinese buffet and the library (just to name a few). It was good and relaxing and I sould be good to go tomorrow starting into Shenandoah National Park (I won't be typing that out again so watch for SNP in the future). Staying at the Lutheran Church Hostel (air conditioned) again tonight and looking for a good start in the morning.

Break me off a piece of that KitKat Bar.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 62 (6/21) - 'Till I Collapse

Day 62 - 29.7 mi/854.0 mi tot
VA56 to I64 (Waynesboro, VA)

The big climb this morning wasn't as bad as it looked like it might be. The flat spots were a nice break and made the climb bearable. Other than that it was a basic hiking day with some ups, some downs and some flat spots. Got some trail magic from Wingin' It with sodas at the BRP crossing and some more drinks floating in a spring a little later.

The 30 mile day was a huge day and one feat that I don't want to repeat too often. It worked out fine and I don't feel too bad, but we will see how I feel in the morning. I think it will be a short (possibly a zero) day with a potential meet-up with a co-worker after his meetings in Waynesboro. Keep checking back for updates on how tomorrow will end up.

Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out, till my legs give out (which they didn't, thankfully).

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

On the road again...

Hi from the chase car!  I'm not nearly as interesting as Matt and his travails, but I thought I'd let you know what I've been doing while waiting for Matt to get back from work, I mean hiking.   In a word...driving.  I usually have to take the long way around in order to get to where the trail crosses a road, due to all these pesky mountains.  I'm not sure how many miles a day I'm clocking but it's a lot I promise.  I've also managed to get a flat tire by running over a nail (this is the 4th time in this car alone) and rip off part of the plastic underbody spoiler in front.  Oh well, we never liked it anyways :-)  Mostly I spend a lot of time in cafes, libraries, or sitting on the side of the road with a book.  I also spend an inordinate amount of time picking up very disreputable looking men (and a few women) from roadsides.  Don't worry, they're hikers...smelly but safe.  I know what a blessing it is get a ride so I'm trying to return some of that goodwill.  I'll be with Matt until July 2 then I've got a plane to catch to spend some quality time with my parents (it sounds better than "mooching").

Now returning to our regularly scheduled programming......new pictures (with labels) are up in the Virginia album.  For those who don't have the photo address here it is:
http://sabrinaandmatthiking.shutterfly.com/pictures/5

Goin' places that I've never been, seein' things that I may never see again...

~Princess

Day 61 (6/20) - like a prayer

Day 61 - 25.7 mi/824.3 mi tot
US 60 to VA 56

So today was my biggest mileage day yet...until tomorrow when I am shooting for just under 30 miles in a marathon slackpacking effort to get to Waynesboro and catch up with some friends ahead of me. The day today was a great one (except for the 2000 foot climb to start the day) with warm, but not hot temperatures, relatively low humidity and a bunch of breezes, probably remnants from the thunderstorm system that moved through last night. Once I got up that climb, the walk across Cold Mountain was really great with a big grassy top, lots of new wildflowers to take pictures of and some great views.

I spent most of the rest of the day along the ridge and finished with a climb of, and huge 3000 foot descent of, "The Priest". There were some really great views of the farmlands below, but that downhill seemed to go on forever and I finally got to the bottom to where Princess and the chase car were waiting. Made a quick soda run and set up camp near the Tye River for the night and got to soak my feet in the river while I ate my dinner (mac & cheese with tuna). A whole school of little fish spent the time my feet were in there feasting on my toes, which is apparently a new-ish spa treatment that people pay big bucks for. The Snowfox personal finance tip of the day: find a river and use the $$ for beer instead.

Hoping for a very early start to the long day tomorrow and laundry and a shower in town later in the afternoon.

Just like a prayer you know you'll take me there.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 60 (6/19) - everything is to the back with a little slack

Day 60 - 21.8 mi/798.6 mi tot
US 60 to VA 130

For those who are actually paying attention, you will notice a little anomoly in the to/from points for today. After spending the night in BV, it made more sense for me to start today near there (US 60) and hike south back to the point where I stopped yesterday (VA 130). There was no backtracking here, just a convenience I could do because of Princess and the car. I also got to go down a very steep and rocky slope instead of up it, which was a nice bonus. Only carrying one day (or so) of food has been pretty nice too...the advantages of a chase car.

After ending the day relatively early, we went back to Karen and Charlie's house and helped with priming some trim in their living room while Charlie got and prepared a great dinner of salmon, asparagus, cous-cous, salad, wine, bruschetta and a nice cold gin & tonic. A great way to end a very hot day (after a shower of course) and some really great conversation with dinner too. We will definitely be keeping in touch with them and will be stopping at Franks For The Memories anytime we are doing the I 81 drive that direction.

Because inside out is wiggity wiggity wiggity whack! (I don't know if I am more embarassed about this song reference or my previous Hanson Mmm Bop one...probably shouldn't be proud of either).

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 59 (6/18) - Under The Bridge

Day 59 - 13.2 mi/776.8 mi tot
Thunder Ridge Outlook to VA 130

Due to a lack of suitable road crossings about 20 miles from my starting point today, I opted for a short day and a side trip to Natural Bridge (one of the 7 NATURAL wonders of the world). The hiking today was relatively easy with a long stretches of relatively moderate grade, flat (across) trail. Made grea time and was done in under 4 hours. A nice early lunch and we were off to the bridge (oh yeah, I also got to walk across the longest pedestrian only bridge on the trail today too...a lot of bridges today).

We opted to take the cavern tour since it was inside and a perfect 54 degrees inside, which was a nice break from the heat outside. the tour was pretty neat and the rock formations were really cool. After the tour we headed for Buena (pronounced Boo-nah...not like the Spanish word) Vista to hit the library and get some dinner. We ended up at "Franks For The Memories" where we had some good food and met one of the owners, Karen. We got to talking and she offered to let us pitch our tent in her backyard for the night. Her husband, and co-owner Charlie, came by shortly after that and showed us to the house and let us take showers. We walked the few blocks back into town and enjoyed some art, live local music and a classic car display. Unfortunately hiker midnight (8:30) caught up with us and we opted for bed so I would be ready for my hike in the morning. I think I am going to hike south from near here about 22 miles to where I stopped today then go north from here the following day. some great trail magic to end the day!

I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 58 (6/17) - I want to check you for ticks

Day 58 - 22.0 mi/763.6 mi tot
VA 43 (Bearwallow Gap) to Thunder Hill Overlook

It is amazing what a lack of humidity and some breeze will do for a hiking day. Its very easy, under those conditions, to do 10 miles by 10 am and 15.3 miles by noon. It made for me getting into Thunder Hill Outlook about an hour before planned. Apple Orchard Mtn was a very long, sustained climb and seemed to never end, but it was a cool FAA radar dome at the summit.

The hike was fairly uneventful, but I had a "first" for the AT. I had my first tick on my leg. I was suitably prepared and used my tick removal tool to get it off then cleaned the whole area with Purell (which, by the way, cures pretty much everything and can also start fires). It was probably only on me for about 20 minutes so it shouldn't be an issue, but I will continue to watch the area just in case.

Next up for tomorrow, a half day (about 14 miles) and a side trip to Natural Bridge.

(both Princess and I were unable to recall any witty lyrics from the song)

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 57 (6/16) - Spiderwebs

Day 57 - 19.5 mi/741.6 mi tot
VA 652 to VA 43 (Bearwallow Gap)

Not only was I the first person out on the trail today, but the spiders were out in full force last night. The webs were huge and some were in 3D around multiple branches on small trees, those were pretty neat. The big ones that looked like traditional webs were only missing words that said "what a pig" to be complete. I managed to avoid most of them but definitely scraped a lot of web and some bug carcsses of my hat as I walked this morning.

Overall the day wasnt too bad except for the humidity. At one point this morning I actually wrung out my shirt and probaly got 4-5 ounces out. At least it wasn't very sunny or too hot otherwise. there were also several decent water sources along the way so I was able to stay hydrated.

The Blue Ridge Parkway wasn't too bad to cross (probably helped that it was a Wednesday) and I got some cool views from the overlooks I walked through. It will be interesting to see how the traffic volume changes as I get closer to a weekend.

Other than Princess finding another nail with her tire, the pickup went fine (good thing the tires are under warranty) and we are currently camping at the Peaks of Otter campground about 5 miles from Bearwallow Gap. It is a pretty nice campground with a nice lake in it that she will probablu explore tomorrow as the tent dries out (there is some serious thunder going on right now, but no rain yet...yet).

I'm walking in the spiderwebs, leave a message and I'll call you back.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 56 (6/15) - I Wanna Rock

Day 56 - 21.9 mi/722.1 mi tot
VA 311 to VA 652 (into hotel in Daleville, VA)

So one of the benefits of having Princess come back to support me was her bringing me my IPod to listen to while I am hiking. Today was the first day I had it and it was charged enough to use. It was a really good day to have it for some sections since the heat and humidity today were killer and it was a nice distraction to get me through the day. It was also good to have some music in my head and have a bunch of songs available to research future blog post titles.

Today I went over McAfee Knob and walked along Tinker Cliffs near Roanoke. Both of which provided some great views and some good places to take breaks and try to cool off a little bit, which didn't really work. By the time (3:30 pm) that I got to VA 652 to meet up with Princess, I was soaked and very hot and the nice cold water she had for me was greatly appreciated and needed. We sat there in our chairs for a little bit to cool me down before we decided that it might be a good night to hit up a hotel and enjoy some air conditioning instead of sweating the night away in our tent. Turns out that was a great plan since a line of thunderstorms just rolled through and we would have been soaked. A pizza delivery also was a nice touch to the evening.

Tomorrow, I will pass the one-third mark for the trip and will encounter the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time too. It is pretty amazing to think that I have covered 33% of the trail and am moving forward north to get finished in Maine in late September. The Blue Ridge Parkway will be a common sight for me for the next few weeks as I cross or intersect this road several dozen times between here and Front Royal, VA.

There's only one thing that I want to do - I WANNA ROCK!

- Snowfox

Day 55 (6/14) - aint no mountain high enough

Day 55 - 21.5 mi/700.2 mi tot
VA 621 to VA 311 (camped at Catawba General Store)

Hmmm...slackpacking? How will this go? Some people say it works great others don't like it at all. Overall I give it a B plus for a grade. It was really refreshing to do 21.5 miles without feeling like I got hit by a truck but it will make putting my full pack back on more difficult for tomorrow. I need to not make a habit out of this, although it did good things for my heel healing (almost completely closed up).

Dragon's Tooth was a nice long climb today and I was rewarded with some great views from the top of the tooth and a nice seat for my lunch too. It was a little bit of a technical climb to get to my perch but was well worth it. Tomorrow I go up over McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs, two other places that are supposed to be really nice on my way through Troutville and Daleville.

Seems like hiking and meeting up with Princess at an end point will work well and will give me a chance to make some good miles while not having them take too big of a toll on my body by only carrying a day or two of food at a time. The Catawba Genera Store has a nice large lawn that they let hikers tent on so we are taking advantage of that tonight.

Aint no river wide enough to keep me away from you girl.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 54 (6/13) - zero

Day 54 - 0.0 mi/678.8 mi tot
Roanoke, VA

Ahhhhhhhh...a zero day. And the specific zero day I have been dreaming of since Georgia. OLIVE GARDEN!!!!! That's right folks, all you can eat soup, salad and breadsticks. I did some serious damage there, to the point that our waitress looked at me funny when I asked for a third bowl of soup and our 4th or 5th basket of breadsticks. I was a great meal and I still went back and had two large pieces of ice cream cake after.

We did my resupply and Princess' basic supply for the next several days after that and went for a high class dinner at McDonalds. We then mooched the free internet at Barnes and Noble for a while before heading back to VA 621 to camp for the night.

You blame yourself for wanting more.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

I'm in the photograph

Well some of the them anyways.  Just wanted to let everyone know that we've uploaded more photos.  Since I'm providing trail support for Snowfox until early July, there should be more frequent photo updates at least where I can find free WiFi.  There are some new photos in the NC/TN album and a new VA album.  Hope you enjoy them!



http://sabrinaandmatthiking.shutterfly.com/

-Princess

Day 52 (6/11) - there's something women like about a pickup man

Day 52 - 12.1 mi/662.6 mi tot
Bailey Gap Shelter to campsite 1 mi N of Rocly Gap

Blew through a fast morning to get to Rocky Gap as quickly as possible to meet up with Sabrina and Lindsay for our hiking the next day. I got to Rocky Gap by 1130 am and waited about 4 hours before deciding that somehow our plans got messed up and I needed to get somewhere with cell service to figure out what the new plans were. I started walking down VA 601 (funny how a state road could be a rutted, loose gravel backroad) towards Newport, VA. Finally after a while I ran into a house where the owner was out mowing his lawn and I went to ask if there was a way I could use his phone. He let me make some phone calls and offered some beer as well as a ride into Newport. He had the cooler in the back of the pickup and said to help myself to another on the ride down. Not a bad way to spend a nice afternoon, wind in my hair, flying down the road with an ice cold beer.

I finally got linked up with Sabrina and Lindsay and we hiked in about a mile from Rocky Gap and camped there for the night with a nice campfire before we crawled into the tent to escape the bugs. Should be a nice hike tomorrow.

I've got an eight foot bed that never has to be made. You know if it weren't for trucks we wouldn't have tailgates

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 53 (6/12) - who let the dogs out

Day 53 - 16.2 mi/678.8 mi tot
1 mi N of Rocky Gap to VA 621 (Craig Creek Valley)

Bear (Lindsay's dog) was definitely running the show today. He led the entire 16 miles and became quite good at finding and following the white blazes and definitely had the best fun of all four of us. overall the hike wasn't bad if you discount the whole afternnon thunderstorm or the extreme swelling and discomfort in my two human hiking partners. It was a very pretty 16 miles but may have been a bit large of a chunk for a day hike. Oh well, it was good to hike with Princess again for the day and Lindsay now has a better idea of what we do out here every day.

Didn't get to slackpack today due to some logistical problems but I will probably do a slackpack day on Monday or Tuesday to make up for it. The rest day tomorrow will be a very nice break too. special thanks to Woody and Gary for being so accomodating with us here in Roanoke and letting us invade their house last night.

Woof woof woof!

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 51 (6/10) - Not an addict

Day 51 - 23.2 mi/650.5 mi tot
Pearisburg, VA to Bailey Gap Shelter

I just can't help myself. I hit my planned end point at 3 pm and couldn't resist the urge to push the next 4 miles to the next shelter. I was only planning about a 19 mile day but decided that it would be better to get one more hill climb out of the way and make tomorrow a little easier. I am tied into a 11 mile day tomorrow since that is where I am meeting up with Princess to start our several weeks together so I will not be completing another long day tomorrow also.

Today started and ended with big climbs up from river/stream valleys to ridges. In between I was treated to more than 13 consecutive miles of ridge running with very little elevation change and overall a pretty fast day. I even caught up with a few people who had a 7 mile head start on me this morning. Always a good feeling to see that the training I did for over a year leading up to this is paying off. Thanks CrossFit Tysons Corner (and congrats to Alison on her Level I Trainer certification)!

So short day tomorrow, slackpacking about 16 on Saturday then a nice zero day on Sunday before getting back to the big days on Monday.

Its not a habit, its cool, I feel alive...

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 50 (6/9) - the good old hockey game, its the best game you can name

Day 50 - 16.6 mi/627.3 mi tot
Wapiti Shelter to Pearisburg, VA

With the anticipation of a possible last game of the NHL season, I hustled through my 16.6 miles and made it into Pearisburg by 1:15 pm. This gave me plenty of time to grab a shower, hit the library for some internet time and do my resupply shopping in plenty of time to watch Chicago clinch the Stanley Cup in OT over Philly.

I stayed at the Rendezvous Motel where, despite the somewhat seedy name, was treated to a very affordable room that included AC, a microwave, a fridge, free long distance phone calls and plenty of TV channels, all in a nice clean room. Definitely gets my seal of approval.

That was about it for the day, nothing really exciting to pass on.

I play air hockey, ball hockey, bird hockey, roller hockey...(the chorus goes on for many more types of hockey than I am going to write down here).

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 49 (6/8) - Stupify

Day 49 - 24.0 mi/610.7 mi tot
Helveys Mill Shelter to Wapiti Shelter

There are two ways to interpret today's song title:
1) I am an idiot for doing 2 consecutive 24 mile days
2) I have stupified myself with my ability to do 2 consecutive 24 mile days

Both are correct, although I will be in Pearisburg tomorrow afternoon, about a day ahead of plans (plans that were still good as of this morning).

Another fast day today, covering 16.3 miles by 12:30 then walking 0.4 miles each way for a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and some other treats at Trent's groceries. I needed some minor resupply here to get me into P'burg and spent about 1.5 hours here around lunch time doing some relaxing.
I also got to purchase a birthday beer and haul the 24 oz can the final 7.7 miles to the shelter. Amazing what stupid things alcohol can make you do, but at least it was a can and not a glass bottle, that would be a lot to haul out.

Saw a bunch of deer today along the trail, but not much else, including other hikers.

I ran into Dan as he was approaching Trent's, his final destination for the evening, and probably our last meeting until next week sometime, when I catch back up to him after a day off on Sunday in Roanoke. I will actually be a day or two south of Roanoke for that day off but since Sabrina will be around with a car, I can get into and out of there without the hassle of trying to find a hitch.

I will probably take a short-ish day tomorrow (16.6 mi) and stay in a hotel in Pearisburg for the night to get a shower, some mexican food and some library internet time.

To all my essays in the barrio - ROCK!

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 48 (6/7) - go snowfox, its your birfday, gonna party (hike) like its your birfday

Day 48 - 24.0 mi/586.7 mi tot
Chestnut Knob Shelter to Helveys Mill Shelter

My original thought was to do 30 miles on my 30th birthday, but my wisdom and my feet convinced me otherwise. 24 miles was still a huge day and was plenty for me with how my new shoes are treating my feet at the moment.

Not a very eventful day other than the mileage (I finished 15 miles by noon) and I did see a bear as I scared it away into the woods. There were two "trail magic" moments during the day as I came across a pile of gallon jugs of water shortly followed by a bag of sodas. I tried to make it to a road crossing in time for a free shuttle to a free breakfast but I did not make it in time.

There is a big crowd at this shelter tonight incuding a dog to scare off any possible wildlife visitors. A shorter day tomorrow looking at about 18 miles or so and into Pearisburg early on Thursday.

Drink Bacardi (or Crystal Light drink with electrolytes) like its your birfday.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 47 (6/6) - Serenity

Day 47 - 16.7 mi/562.7 mi tot
Crawfish Valley to Chestnut Knob Shelter

Today I was in overdrive and was flying all day finishing the 16.7 miles by 2 pm. I saw very few other people and the hike through the long green tunnel was actually a very serene and quiet day. I stopped at this shelter for what was supposed to be a quick break but a wind and rain front came through and I opted to stay here for the night rather than push forward in the bad weather. I figure that I could make it up tomorrow with a big 24 mile day. The terrain certanly looks like that would be a relatively doable task for tomorrow.

A quick resupply at Trent's grocery on Tuesday will get me into Pearisburg on Thursday morning then continuing to push north to meet up and camp with Princess on Friday night.

Where do we go when we just don't know and why do we relight the flame when its cold?

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 46 (6/5) - hotel, motel, holiday inn

Day 46 - 13.7 mi/546.0 mi
USFS Rd 86 to Crawfish Valley/Reed Creek

Got up and out this morning to go the 7 miles into Atkins, VA and the Relax Inn to pick up some food boxes. Dan and I both got there a little after 10 and managed to talk our way into paying $7 each to use an recently vacated room for an hour to shower and do a load of laundry. Not a bad deal, although I probably shouldn't advertise that I rented a motel room by the hour with another male.

After that it was time for a quick resupply at the Shell station/truck stop and onto "The Barn" restaurant for lunch. Given the state of my apptite recently there wasn't much question what I was going to order - the hiker burger with cheese, all the way, with an order of fries and a side salad. The hiker burger all the way is 1 lb of beef, with cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions, tomatoes, mayo and mustard. Quite an impressive heap of food and I demolished the whole plate without much trouble and still ate a full dinner for 2 tonight when I got to camp.

I caught back up with Art and Emily temporarily today but they were pushing on past my end point so hopefully I will see them again soon, they are a good pair to hike with for me. Unfortunately, my schedule and Dan's are about to diverge somewhat so I may be pushing on past him tomorrow or the next day, but will probably get passed by him during my zero day on Sunday so we may end up doing some more hiking together shortly, which would be nice.

Knock, knock...housekeeping. Want me fluff your pillow?

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 45 (6/4) - when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's amore'

Day 45 - 18.7 mi/532.3 mi tot
Dickey Gap to USFS Road 86 (4.2 mi N of Partnership Shelter)

Had a huge morning today covering 14.5 miles by 12:30 and a first lunch of PB&J&Nutella on tortillas at Partnership Shelter. This shelter is directly adjacent to the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area Headquarters. From this very nice building hikers can use a dedicated phone to place a pizza delivery order. So that was lunch #2, a 14-inch meat lovers pizza. I ate that during the nice 3.5 hour break I took on the shaded porch. Dan and I then hung out with Radar, Peru and Bluegrass while they waited for, and got, their pizzas and eventually decided to push on another 4 miles to make tomorrows hike a little more convenient.

Unfortunately this means I cut a full day out of this section of trail and have food left that I will have to carry over into the next section. Oh well, it will all get used eventually. We will be into Atkins in the morning to resupply and hopefully move onward after another good lunch at a restaurant, or at least a truck stop.

Still looking forward to next week and meeting up with Princess (she gets her trail name back once she is out here.

Pizza!! Pizza!!

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 43 (6/2) - I wish I was a little bit taller

Day 43 - 16.0 mi/492.2 mi tot
2.4 mi N of Saunders Shelter to Thomas Knob Shelter

Started today with a nice big up to Buzzard Rock on Whiterock Mtn and were rewarded with some great views and took a nice long break for lunch. Continued on and took the side trail up to Mt Rogers the highest point in VA.

I did this for 2 reasons:
1) to start my next adventure, getting to the top of the highest point in all 50 states, and
2) the mountan was named after William Barton Rogers, the first state geologist of VA and the founder/first president of MIT. So did I really have a choice?

But I did get to be the tallest persn in VA for a few minutes.

When I got to the shelter (which I have to stay in due to camping restrictions) there were two ponies there. This area has a herd of free range ponies living here and we should see more of them tomorrow. They are very much not afraid of humans and the little one tried to lick my legs to get the salt off of them.

Just Dan, Puck and myself here tonight so far and we aren't really expecting any others to join us either.

I wish I was a baller.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 44 (6/3) - and I would walk 500 miles...

Day 44 - 21.4 mi/513.6 mi tot
Thomas Knob Shelter to Dickey Gap (VA650/VA16)

Another big milestone day today, I crossed the 500 mile mark right before lunch. 1666 mi more to go from where I am staying tonight. Also, another big mile day that I completed relatively early (4:30 pm) and still had plenty of light left to handle dinner prep and camp chores before retreating to the tent to avoid the bugs. Also another day where Dan and I kept pace and met up at several locations during the day to eat, chat and make plans for upcoming sections of the trip. Unfortunatelt, I think we are going to part ways after Atkins, VA as I make the attempt to get some big mileage days under my belt. He is on a section hike from Erwin to Damscus and isn't planning on the same mileages that I am looking at. Oh well, is been good hiking with him and I will enjoy the next few days until we split.

Today was pretty neat, going through the Grayson Highlands portion of VA with a bunch of large grassy balds, spectacular views (supposedly, but I couldn't see them through the fog this morning) and a bunch of wildlife. Today I saw some more horses and another fawn on the trail.

It was hot all day today and with not much wind right now, I don't know how much it will cool down tonight, hopefully some. Tomorrow I am looking at a shorter day heading to Partnership Shelter which is one of the few spots on the trail where you can get a pizza delivered. It is just under 15 miles from here so that might mean a late lunch is in order. There is also a rumor that showers might be available there too.

After that, into and out of Atkins the next day and onward towards Pearisburg and more days closer to seeing Princess/Sabrina again. Probably take a zero day with her on Sunday before getting back at it next Monday.

And I would wak 500 more (three more times)

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 42 (6/1) - (S)he's Got Legs

Day 42 - 11.8 mi/476.2 mi tot
Dave's Place, Damascus, VA to 2.4 mi N of Saunders Shelter near a pond

So maybe it was my new shoes, maybe it was the 24 hours away from hiking, maybe it was the beer yesterday or maybe it was the climb out of Damascus but my calves were killing me today as I started my trek. Oh well, just burning off some more of the calories I consumed in Damascus, but the grilled catfish at Quincys was worth every calorie and the tartar sauce they make there is great.

Damascus was a neat little town that seemed to be the most hiker friendly one so far. It really had everything a hiker would need in a very compact area. Unfortunately as I move further north, I hear that everything becomes more expensive. Most things so far along the trail have been very affordable for hikers.

Spent the day today leapfrogging with Dan B from Mass. We get along really well and have ended up with generally the same mileage goals so we end up camping together relatively often. Hopefully his "geriatric pace" (his words, not mine) will continue to match up with mine for a little longer through VA. He is in his 4th year of section hiking and is doing a Erwin to Harper's Ferry section right now that will just leave him a relatively short section in Maine to complete the AT.

as I am typing this Puck just rolled in to set up his hammock here for the night too.

I am looking forward to a day off in Pearisburg and some time with Sabrina there and for a bunch of nights along the trail following that.

She's got legs and she knows how to use them.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek

Day 41 (5/31) - Meet Virginia

Day 41 - 10.2 mi/464.4 mi tot
Abingdon Gap Sheter to Dave's Place, Damascus, VA

Finally out of NC/TN....which, for those who don't know, are essentially one state on the AT with the trail following their border or jumping back and forth for a huge number of miles. It was also the first time since the GA/NC border on Day 9 that we saw a sign introducing us to a new state. I guess I shouldn't complain since I will be in VA for about a month anyway. At least here I have people I know to come and meet up with me, especially Princess who is planning and extended time of roadside camping between Catawba and Waynesboro with me.

The 10 miles into town flew by and I was checked into the hostel shortly after 1030 this morning. A really nice place with a private room and a locking door for $10.50. Can't beat that deal. Spent the afternoon getting new shoes than watching Duke pull out an OT win over Notre Dame for the NCAA lacrosse title. went back to the bar later for dinner and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. A great day overall.

Plans for tomorrow include laundry, breakfast, a post office visit, a library visit and on the road around noon to get about 12 miles in and set up camp.

Daddy wrestles aligators, momma works on carborateurs.

- Snowfox

Sent on the go from my Peek