Day 49 – 54 Heat Waves and Roller Coasters

Day 49 Miles 944.7 – 955 (10.3)

Our town day in Luray started with heading to the Luray Caverns, a vast underground cave full of stalactites. They opened at 9, which was a perfect excuse to sleep in. We walked the mile from the hotel to the caverns and enjoyed the cool temperatures within them.

After the Luray caverns we road walked to resupply at grocers, buying just a few days. It was downright hot as we waited for a hitch. Thankfully we were quickly (~10 mins) picked up by a local woman in an old jeep. The temperature cooled a few degrees as we climbed back into the forest and up the ridge line, but the hike to Elk Hollow Wayside was sweaty. We arrived just after the diner closed, so had tortillas with ham and cheese for dinner and hiked a few more miles before calling it a day.

Day 50 Miles 955 – 972.4 (17.4)

The morning started warm, and it got hotter from there. Sassafras developed some pretty bad heat rash on her legs. Our shirts were drenched in sweat as we climb and descend and sit and attempt to exist in the heat. We didn’t plan to go into Front Royal, but by 4 when we got to a road intersection, air conditioning, a cold beer, a free shower, and free laundry were hard to pass up. We caught a ride quickly and spent the afternoon in the luxuries.

A body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest stays in rest… We were at rest and convinced ourselves we should get a hotel.

Day 51 Miles 972.4 – 988.7 (16.3)

After a free hotel breakfast, we walked back to downtown, got an iced coffee, and just barely caught the free trolley back to the trail. 5 minutes of hiking later we were balls of sweat again in the >90 degree heat. The day persisted, walking and perspiring.

Day 52 Miles 988.7 – 1006.5 (17.8)

We woke up early at 6 am anticipating another long hot day. We knew we would enter the “Rollercoaster,” a famous section in Virginia for no views, and many steep ups and downs.
Soon enough we were in it. Like most hyped sections on the trail, it didn’t feel as bad as it was described. In some ways, we enjoyed the inclines since they were reminiscent of our hiking in Colorado.
We had plans to meet family local to the area at a brewery and spend the night with them. This anticipation made the last miles brutal in the heat, but by 5 we had a cold beverage. While waiting, we talked to some locals interested in the trail and they had considered hiking it next year. They graciously bought beer and pizza for us- a great form of Trail Magic! John, if you are reading this, the offer still stands for advice if you choose to pursue the AT in 2025.

Day 53 Zero

We zero’d with our family who picked us up from the brewery, enjoying the AC and hoping to give Sassafras’s heat rash an opportunity to recover. I did some yard work to help out, and we enjoyed the much-needed rest. 

Day 54 Miles 1006.5 – 1026.5 (20)

We had the opportunity to try out slack packing. I had mixed feelings, it was odd to hike without a pack. We rode the rest of the roller coaster, entered West Virginia (the shortest state on the AT at ~ 6 miles), and finished the day in Harpers Ferry at the Appalachian Trail Conservatory.
There were 40+ Northbound Hikers who had been through there that day and 800+ whom had been through this year.