Day 87 – This Is Shenandoah National Park

Day 87

Start: Rockfish Gap

End: Blackrock Hut

Miles Hiked: 20.6

Miles on AT: 885.2

No slackin’ today. Well, at least I didn’t. Janitor and I started the morning just before 10 am at Rockfish Gap. The plan was for him to hike with me for 4 or so miles and then I would continue on. 

When we arrived at Rockfish Gap, we stumbled upon more trail magic – kinda. Hoka, the shoe company, was there with a booth, but it was a little pitiful compared to Altra’s trail magic from yesterday. The one guy running it had a few granola bars and some water and that’s about it. We were all set for our hike, so we just waved and moved on.

We set back out on trail – well, back on the road – to hike into Shenandoah. I’d been eager to see what was so special about Shenandoah National Park, so stepping into the park felt like crossing another milestone. But, pretty quickly, I was underwhelmed. 

As usual, we hiked through the green tunnel that looked a lot like yesterday’s green tunnel. However, as we started climbing, we found more black raspberries to feast upon, mollifying us a little bit.

At the top, there was a collection of radio towers with a set of curiously placed tractor seats spread around an AT symbol. We had to have a mini photoshoot, obviously.

All too soon, it was time for Janitor to go. We descended and reached the road, exchanging goodbyes. I was sad to see him go, but we would only be separated for a few days.

Back on trail, I climbed through a grassy field before disappearing into the forest again. I wouldn’t stay there for long. At the summit of Little Calf Mountain sat a beautiful bald with open sky and clear views of the surrounding mountains. I found a shade tree and ate my cream cheese bagel from town.

The air was warm, a bit uncomfortably so, but the breeze moving across the bald cooled me down. After my break, I resumed my hike and continued picking and eating black raspberries and blackberries when I could.

Today was amazingly humid. My shirt was dripping wet and I could easily squeeze the sweat from it. My goal was to stay as hydrated as possible, but I was losing a lot of water. The trail made hiking easy since it was smooth and well-graded. I ran into one woman who had hiked the trail back in 2012 and chatted with her a bit.

I crossed Skyline several times. Cars waited at the lookouts for their owners, who walked along the stone barriers, soaking in all angles of the presented view. While I did have to climb a bit today, the mountains were pretty manageable and not steep at all.

What really got me was the heat. I took several breaks to hydrate and cool down. The air was barely moving and I was grateful for any breeze that managed to make it through the trees. My last climb up to Blackrock Hut (my shelter for the night) was only about 400 feet, but felt much longer given my weariness.

I made it to camp around 7 pm and immediately had to sit down and decompress. 20 miles out of town is no joke. Eventually, I gathered the strength to set up my tent, eat dinner, and complete my chores.

There were about 5 guys at the shelter, all 40+, who provided entertaining conversation, although it didn’t last long since hiker midnight was rapidly approaching. As the sky darkened, I ensconced myself in my tent and got ready for sleep. I was a little bummed that Janitor couldn’t teleport in to be with me, but that’s how it goes.

And that’s day 87.

Follow my journey on instagram (@jenbrownhikes) for more updates!