Slacking to the Shenandoah’s

I took a zero in Daleville on Fathers Day while at the Beech Hill Hostel in Daleville.  It was really hot and the bunk house didn’t have AC, but I was pleasantly surprised at how it cooled off at night and was able to sleep pretty good.  Daleville was good, had Hibachi and BBQ.  Yes, real BBQ does exist in Virginia! 

The Trail will Provide

There were only two of us there on Sunday, so the next morning Beth that runs the hostel cooked us made to order eggs.  Eggs!  Yes!  As I was packing up to head out I realized I had left my hat in a shuttle.  It was really hot and was going to be tough if you weren’t’ in the shade.  I did the same thing on my shakedown hike and the driver mailed it back to me.  I couldn’t believe I had done it again.  There is a saying on the trail that the “The Trail will Provide”.  So as I was kicking myself in the rear end for being a dummy, guess who pulls up at the hostel?

Sunny Florida! Just in time to save Billy Bob with a hat!  Sunny you the man!

Sunny pulls up with another section hiker as he had left his van at the hostel.  He was heading back home the next day and gave me a hat!  Thank you Sunny!  I hooked up with Ivan and LuLu as they had stayed at the Super8 and we headed out of Daleville and passed the 1/3 mark.

Billy Bob sports a new hat with Ivan and LuLu at the 1/3 mark

It was really hot, and LuLu was nursing a swollen ankle the last few days, so we did a short 11 miles to the Wilson Creek Shelter where there was water.  It was another 7 miles to the next water source.  A thunder storm rolled thru before dark and blew pretty hard.  There was one lightening strike, came out of nowhere, that was pretty close.  It came up quick and I hadn’t battened down the hatches on the tarp before it came thru and I had the sides up pretty high to let the breeze in.  So, I was laying in the hammock and reaching out both sides with my arms holding the tarp down so the wind didn’t get under it.  The Billy Bob Abode survived, but it was pretty iffy for a few minutes.  

It took all of the restraint Billy Bob could muster to not post a blog with the click bait title, ” Girls Gone Wild at Fullhardt Knob”

More Magic!

The next day, the trail starts crisscrossing with the Blue Ridge Parkway.  After a few miles, we came across Johnny Shofar who was making Blueberry Pancakes and coffee for hikers!  The pancakes were fantastic!  

Johnny makes a mean blueberry pancake. It was delicious!

Johnny made us pancakes, blew his Shofar for us, and told us about Jesus

More Trail Magic from former Thru Hikers, Rube and Dirt Time! Dirt Time is from Lilburn! Gatorade, Cokes, Bananas, Apples and Snacks. Thanks guys!

Don’t talk Politics

We were trying to do 17 miles that day and make it to Middle Creek campground, not too far off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  An RV campground that had a store, showers, even a swimming pool.  We stopped at a shelter to eat lunch and me and LuLu headed out first.  When you left the shelter the trail followed an old road bed that sits below the Parkway for just a little bit, and then it jumped back up the hill towards the Parkway.  The old road bed was a nice easy grade down hill and me and LuLu started talking about the sorry state of politics in our country.  A great example of why you shouldn’t talk politics out here because we plodded right past where the trail jumped off the road bed and walked down hill for 30 minutes before realizing we had screwed up.  Lost an entire hour and walked an extra 3 miles for nothing.  So instead of a 17 mile day, we now had a 20.  “Thank you sir! May I have another!”  Ivan was now ahead of us, which was a good thing since the grill at the store closes at 6:00.  Closes at 6:00?  Are you kidding me?  Was really looking forward to a burger or sandwich, which wouldn’t have happened if Ivan hadn’t been in front of us to get us something before they closed.  Thank you Ivan!  After you got there, you could see why they close at 6:00 because there is one girl who cooks the food, runs the cash register in the store, does the registration and also is the shuttle driver.  The sandwich, beer and milkshake were really good at the end of a long hot day.  

Did I mention it was hot?

The next day was also hot and long.  It was only 14 miles, but had 5500 feet of climbing.  Water was tough to come by and did I say it was hot?  We camped with a nice Mennonite family from Tennessee who has been doing some pretty big sections the last few years.  Great people, and ran into them several times the next week.  

Team Tennessee. Tigger, Opinion, Mamanita, Diesel, and Frito

We made it to the James River where there is a large pedestrian bridge over the river.  Some locals were jumping off the bridge there into the river, about 25 foot drop.  Sorry, there is no video of Billy Bob doing a back flip.  It was too late in the day for me and we were trying to meet a shuttle to take us to a hostel in Glasgow, called Stanimals.  A 5-B booster shot was needed.  New clinical trials have shown that the 5-B’s, (Bed, Bath, Beer, Burger and Bubble Cleanse for those of you have forgotten or are just tuning in), not only have a high efficacy rate for Wet-ass-itis,. but are also effective in curing Hot-ass-itis, as well as Drag-ass-itis.  So, go get your shots!

Slack Packing

Stanimals is in Glasgow, VA.  A really small town.  When I say small, there are probably a dozen legitimate businesses there.  Two of them have tanning beds.  I think there is some more Jeff Foxworthy material here.  There is a Family Dollar, a small grocery, and a restaurant.  For a such a small town, the restaurant, Scotto’s, was surprisingly good.  They have a special room in the back, just for hikers.  Hmmm?  A special room?  Just for hikers?  The “Hiker Den”.  I think I smell something here? I guess that’s the point.  When you just hiked 20 miles, and are badly in need of a booster shot, you don’t really get your feelings hurt.  Bring me a beer please and I will sit wherever you want.  They had great wings, pizza, burgers and pasta.  Yes I had all of those.

Glasgow, VA. Two of the buildings in the picture have tanning beds.

So Stanimals also has a location in the next town up the trail, Waynesboro, VA.  They offer a Slack Packing package of up to 5 days that includes shuttles to pick you up and bring you back to the hostel at the two different locations.  Includes a zero day also because you are going to be doing a lot of miles.  

Have to go next door for the tanning bed

Hikers aren’t the only ones discriminated against in Glasgow

I think I have explained this before, but in case I haven’t or you don’t remember, slack packing is basically a day hike and all you have to carry is stuff for the day, and someone else either picks you up or brings your full pack to you at the end of the day.  With the heat, and the water situation, this area is in their second year of drought, we thought it was safer and more effective to be carrying more water which is tough to do carrying a full pack.  The 5 day package allowed us to do 99 miles in 5 days and be safer in the heat.  Some of them were pretty tough days even with a slack pack.  The day we did 20 with a big 3000 ft descent and then a big 3000 ft climb over Three Ridges was tough and would have been really tough with a full pack.  The end of the Slack Pack left me at mile marker 887 and 22 miles into Shenandoah National Park.  

A view from Skyline Drive (The Blue Ridge Parkway) inside Shenandoah National Park

Waynesboro

Waynesboro is a bigger town, has not only a Walmart, but a Walmart Market.  Several restaurant options, and a place two doors down from the hostel, Klines Dairy Bar, that makes their own ice cream every day.  I had two banana shakes and two blueberry banana shakes before I left.  A Mexican place that was a restaurant, pool hall and convenience store all in one.   Delicioso!  

Hasta Manana!