Big Days and Big Views in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains: AT Flip Flop Days 100-106

Day 100

I didn’t sleep very well in the hot hostel bunk room at Stanimals Waynesboro, but I perked up after coffee and pancakes. Subtitles and I shuttled back to Rockfish Gap around 8:30 and started hiking. I had some trouble with my Zoleo, but after redownloading the app and installing a software update on the device it started working again. 

The trail was so easy that I felt like I was running. We were easily hiking 3 miles per hour and made it to the first shelter, 5 miles into the day, for a break a little after 10. We took lunch around noon to break up the climb up Humpback Mountain. We decided during lunch to push to get to Reid’s Gap today in order to hitch down to Devils Backbone Brewery for dinner and free camping. 

We had some phenomenal views today, but the trail became very rocky after Humpback and slowed us down considerably. Despite the obstacles, we stubbornly clung to our goal, pushing ourselves to exhaustion.

Earlier in the day, the easy terrain and possibility of doing my biggest mileage day was a confidence boost, but the rocky terrain humbled me once again. The miles passed slowly, but we were still making decent time. My feet and hips started hurting. 

We finally made it to the last road crossing before Reid’s Gap. We walked the Blue Ridge Parkway for the last half mile instead of the trail. It took less than 10 minutes to hitch a ride down to Devils Backbone. We had a great dinner at the brewpub; I got a BBQ platter and a beer, and Subtitles got a burger. After dinner, we set up our tents in the designated AT hiker tent city. I took a nice, hot shower then went to bed. 

Day 101

After a long day yesterday, we took our time in the morning. We meandered back to the road to try to catch a ride back up the mountain around 10, and a nice lady picked us up almost immediately. 

The first mile of trail wasn’t bad as we worked out our soreness from yesterday, but after the Maupin Field Shelter the rocks returned. The climb up Bee Mountain was steep. Despite only being on trail for an hour and only walking 2 miles, we stopped at the Bee Mountain summit for lunch. 

The next climb up Three Ridges was also steep and rocky, and we took another break at that summit, disbelieving that we had only hiked 4.2 miles all day. We were already planning a short day, but the trail conditions would have forced a short day on us anyway. There were some incredible views, but the rocks and elevation profile continued to slow us down. 

We arrived at Harper’s Creek Shelter at 3:30 for a break. With how the day was going, neither of us were sure we wanted to walk another 3 miles to where we originally planned to camp, so we ended up staying at the shelter for the night. 

Day 102

We got an early start to the day. The first 3 miles down to the Tye River were easy and a nice warmup for the day. The suspension bridge over the Tye was cool. Then we started the long climb up the Priest.

We stopped at Cripple Creek about a third of the way up the climb to get water and take a break. It was a strenuous climb, and we stopped for another break another third of the way up with a nice view. We stopped one last time when we were almost at the top. 

We were tired from the long climb, over 3,000 feet of gain, but we recovered quickly on the flat trail on top of the ridge. We enjoyed the view at the rock ledges, but we didn’t linger, because we wanted to get to the Priest Shelter for lunch. 

We took a good lunch break at the shelter. The privy there was the nicest I’d seen on trail so far. We enjoyed reading the “confessions” in the log book. 

After lunch, we had a few small views, but next up was Spy Rock, which had great 360 views. At about 3:00 taking our break up there, I had to decide what I was going to do for resupply. I could walk 2.5 miles down to a camp store in Montebello, or we could get a ride into Buena Vista tomorrow. Subtitles didn’t need much, so I decided to take the walk into Montebello. 

I left my pack at the trail with Subtitles and started the walk to town. The beginning of the road was just as rocky or worse than the trail, but eventually it turned into a nicer gravel road. It was quite steep going down for the first 2 miles. The last half mile was on a curvy asphalt road, but thankfully it wasn’t very busy. A deer and her fawn ran across the road ahead of me, struggling to get traction on the road.

I was worried the store might be closed when I got there, but they remained open until 5. I gave the whole store a once over and then picked out what I wanted. I took a quick break to down a Powerade and eat an ice cream bar before heading back up to the trail. 

It was impossible to use trekking poles while carrying two bags of food. My shoulders fatigued carrying the weight in my arms instead of on my back. I walked as quickly as I could manage, not wanting to get caught out after dark without my pack.

I got a message from Subtitles that the trail to the shelter had been easy. He had carried my pack there for me. I walked into camp right at 6, just as he was beginning to boil water for dinner. I handed over the food I got for him and had the sandwich I bought for dinner. We also split a bottle of Coke that tasted heavenly. 

I set up my tent and went down to the water to wash the day’s grime off of me. I had a little chafing but got it under control. With the 5 miles to town and back, it was a 19.2 mile day with over 6,000 feet of elevation gain. I was beat.

Day 103

I didn’t wake up until 6:45 and didn’t get out of bed until 7. I woke up dizzy, which had me a little concerned. After the long day yesterday, I wasn’t in a hurry to start hiking. We packed up, ate, and hit the trail at 9. The first 7 miles of the day were easy but offered no views, just a beautiful forest. My dizziness went away gradually throughout the morning.

We stopped at Tar Jacket Ridge for lunch with one of the best views on the whole trail. We stayed there for almost an hour enjoying the view and the sunshine. 

The next mile was through a meadow. We took a blue blaze down through the meadow to get some water. I think my dizziness was from dehydration, so I made sure to drink as much as I could. 

The next climb up Cole Mountain was a little strenuous, but it opened to a bald with more beautiful views. Our last climb was up the poorly named Bald Knob, which had a forested summit with no views. It was a strenuous, mile-long ascent. We took a break at the top. 

We assumed the last 4.5 miles down to the shelter would be easy. They were not. The descent was steep and rocky. We finally made it to camp with achy feet and knees. I used the privy, collected water, cooked dinner, ate, hung my bear bag, rinsed my legs in the creek, and set up in the shelter. I’m getting better at sleeping in the shelters, but around 11:30 I woke up and heard a bat in the shelter. It didn’t bother us, and at least there were no bugs around. 

Day 104

I felt good when I woke up, relieved to not be dizzy again. We hit the trail at 8:30. The first 5 miles were easy, following the creek for a while and then circling around a reservoir. However, staying at a lower elevation and in the dense forest made for hot, stuffy air. 

We took a break at an old road bed. I had eaten a snack while we were walking, but I was still feeling hungry at break and had another one. After the break, we had a long climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I fell behind Subtitles, but caught him at the next water source where we had lunch, just before the Parkway and before the big climb up Bluff Mountain.

Despite my hunger, I had a hard time eating all of my lunch and it wasn’t sitting well. I chalked it up to eating too much too quickly. I told Subtitles to go on ahead of me, since I was moving slowly today.

Almost immediately after starting the climb, I started to feel ill. I made it a mile uphill before I stopped. I felt dizzy, nauseated, out of breath, fatigued, and overheated. I took a little break, but I was not confident that I could safely continue. I slowly hiked a half mile back down to the Punchbowl Shelter. I called Stanimals in Glasgow, where we were planning to stay tomorrow, to request a bunk for tonight and pickup at the Parkway. Then I let Subtitles know I was bailing. 

I hiked the rest of the way back to the road slowly. I didn’t have to wait long, because the shuttle arrived early. We had to take a bumpy dirt road, and I felt queasy until we reached pavement.

I checked in to the hostel, took a shower, and started laundry. I went to dinner at Scotto’s with Chopsticks, Ramble, and Carlo, whom I had met in Unionville, NY. We all went to the grocery store so they could resupply and I could get some ice cream. I stayed up for a while talking to Chopsticks and Carlo. I had a great night’s sleep in the hostel bed. 

Day 105

I slept in until about 7 and laid in bed until 8. Subtitles made it to the hostel before I got out of bed. We lounged about in the morning before going to Scotto’s for lunch. After we came back, we watched a movie and some more TV before going back to the restaurant for dinner. It was a nice, relaxing zero.

Day 106

Subtitles wanted a true zero, since he hadn’t had one since he restarted in Harper’s Ferry. So I’m having my second double zero in 2 weeks. I’m not complaining though, especially after not feeling well the other day. 

I slept in until 8:30, and it felt so good. Subtitles made pancakes and I did dishes after breakfast. We watched movies in the morning before turning on college football. I went to the grocery store to resupply and get something for lunch. It felt like I was buying too much, but after feeling hungry in the last stretch I didn’t want to go hungry. Everything I bought fit well in my food bag, so I think it will be a good amount of food. 

The rest of the day was more relaxing while watching college football. We went to Scotto’s one last time to get a pizza for dinner. 

Lack-of-Shower Thoughts 

It felt good to surpass 1,000 miles hiked on the AT this year and to push bigger miles during this stretch, having two 19 mile days and a 16 mile day. Being back with Subtitles helped me get back in the thru-hiker mindset too. However, struggling with dizziness in back to back days has me a little concerned about being able to continue. We are going to slow down a little bit in the next stretch, and I am going to be better about hydration and eating enough. We are also expecting some support coming soon that will hopefully help us lighten our loads and ease some of the challenges in the upcoming sections, but more on that later.