Thursday, June 18 9:04 pm 18.5 mi
AT 656.7 Pine Swamp Branch Shelter → AT 675.2 Laurel Creek Shelter
Weather: Mostly really nice – weather report showed more rain than we actually got. Laid gear out to dry at Wind Rock which took the wet edge off of everything, but dark clouds rolled in and started pouring rain at about 4 pm, right when I was passing the War Spur shelter. Waited out the worst of it for about 20 minutes and continued on. Drizzle on and off rest of the day.
Trail Conditions: Less (NOT no) wading today. TONS of blowdowns near shelter tonight. Trail was sneaky hard today – got a fairly early start (about 7:30, same as yesterday) and despite much nicer conditions weather wise, it took me much longer to cover less miles. Two decent sized climbs today.
My Condition: Feeling good! Really nothing to report today physically. Mentally/emotionally, humbling day. I had hoped to make it to the next shelter in another 6.6 miles, but I came nowhere even close to making that kind of time
Even with putting on fairly damp clothes this morning, it was so much easier to get started on the trail with the sun shining as opposed to sheets and sheets of rain the previous morning. Despite better conditions and viewpoints today, I ran across 7 or 8 SOBO hikers yesterday and none today. The climb up Johns Creek Mtn Trail was unrelenting, and every 20-30 yards the incline would get even steeper as you had to step your way over a water bar. Have the shelter to myself tonight – there’s a bird with a nest left of the entrance, and even the bird is giving me a wide berth. I keep trying to reassure it that I mean it and its nest no harm, but it flies off whenever I’m in the shelter. Got pretty close to 2 deer grazing just off trail – they just watched as I approached – 40 ft, 30 ft, 20 ft, 15 ft – finally close enough, they bolted. Virginia is DEFINITELY NOT easy hiking!
Post Trail Analysis
People often exaggerate when it comes to the Appalachian Trail – Virginia is flat and easy and is like hiking on a runway, Pennsylvania is nothing but rocks and more rocks, Georgia is such a great way to ease into the trail, Katahdin is easy and you feel like you just float your way up it...disregard most of what you hear, because a shocking amount just isn’t true. It may have been true to one particular hiker who is telling you their story, but that doesn’t mean it will hold true for you as well. My experience with Virginia was lovely, but I most certainly did not find it easy flat or easy. Lots of people talk about experiencing the “Virginia Blues” as they traverse the state, as it just keeps going and going and going – no matter how many miles you walk, you’re still in Virginia. For me, that wasn’t a problem at all – I was treated to so much awe inspiring majesty and variety that it never got old for me. Later on, I would get the “Pennsylvania Blues” however, feeling rather uninspired by the trail as it meandered through my home state. I don’t think there’s any harm in following the stories of other hikers, listening to the tales of their journey and even drawing advice from their words, but it’s so critically important to form your own opinions during this journey. You may be following in the footsteps of Earl Shaffer, Grandma Gatewood, Heather Anish Anderson, Jennifer Pharr Davis, Scott Jurek, and Akuna, but you’re experiencing a totally unique trail from what any of them saw during their journeys. Hike your own hike, and let the journey inspire you in your own way.
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