Spending Hours in the Shenny Wayside Vortex

The end of Virginia brought sunshine, blackberry milkshakes, birding, and the longest stretch without a shower so far. I’m learning how to hike through the heat, finding joy in spending time with a good crew, and continuing to force myself to be present. We hit the 1000-mile mark, survived the infamous Rollercoaster, and somehow still enjoy walking every single day. The days are hot, the bugs are out, but I’m still all in.

The Shennys

The Shenandoah mountain range was so lovely. Before heading in, we met up with my friend Eazy E who I met on the Colorado Trail in 2023. He’s a ridge runner for northern Virginia and told us about how he was surprised that most people are road walking the Skyline ridge highway this year instead of hiking the proper AT. Why you may ask? Because the AT actually used to be right next to the road and has way better views. The AT has been moved down below the road and you cross it often anyways. This surprised me a bit, I have been shocked on this hike how few “purists” there are compared to the CT.

However, our purism remained throughout and we very much loved the 100+ mile Shenny trail stretch. Perhaps it was the four days of consistent sunshine (the most we’ve ever had). Perhaps it was the trail-side stores called “waysides” that we hiked by everyday. But most likely it was a good crew of people. At every wayside, we’d pull up and meet Rorschach, Poppins, Duracell, Energizer, Sleepy, and Cookie. For the first time all trail, we were hiking the same mileage as this group and we saw them everyday. We all got sucked into the wayside vortex each time and even when we tried to avoid it, we’d still spend upwards of 3 hours there.

I tried the famous blackberry milkshake, ate many kids sized grilled cheeses, and was so amazed by how cheap the beer was. How could we leave quickly?! I remember on one of the last waysides, it was advertised as a fancy restaurant. Since Strider and I quit our jobs, we are budget hiking and we made a point to only be there for a little bit. When we walked into cozy couches and outlets, I saw Strider take his shoes off and I knew it was over. We got sucked into this vortex for a while as well. There was WiFi and AC! Of course we did! It was sooooo hot most days and when we left the waysides midday, it would only get hotter.

Towards the end of the Shenandoah section, I will be honest and admit that I found myself getting bored. Green, thick shrubbery, and passing the road every 2-3 miles. The mountain laurels were not as prominent in this section and we both smelt so bad. This was the longest we’ve gone without a shower since the first week! And now it’s so hot that we both smell like a rotten gym locker room. Sometimes I can see day hikers scrunch their nose. When they pass me, I can’t get over how amazing some of them smell (is that creepy?).

Muggy Summer has Arrived

I am amazed with how strong my legs feel these days, but the heat is really getting to me. Being wet with sweat all day requires diligent electrolyte consumption and also a lot of patience. Since living in Colorado, I knew that the summer heat and humidity would get to me. It’s here. Full force. I need to start getting used to being wet all day long.

Sleeping in the heat is even worse. I am so sticky crawling into my silk liner at night and then my 20° quilt is practically useless. I’ve unzipped the foot box so it is just a blanket now, but when the humidity is high, there’s no point unpacking it at all. I’m reminding myself that this is just an adjustment period, at least I hope. It’s summer after all! And it will be until I finish!

Trail Magic in Rockville, MD

When we got out of the Shennys, our bestie Antsy picked us up and drove us to his parents house in Maryland. We had to keep the windows down so he could breathe. This was some of the best trail magic we’ve had as Antsy is a thru hiker (we also hiked the CT together) and so he knows what we want. Shower, food, laundry, time off feet. It’s not that complicated, but boy, were we spoiled. Antsy cooked for us, we swam in the pool, and he even took us to REI and Trader Joe’s. I cannot put into words how excited I was to go to my first TJs since I started. I bought way too much dried fruit, my food bag was sooo heavy, but I have no regrets. Except that I wish I bought more. Strider and I also both got short sleeve shirts so that maybe the hot will get more tolerable. Thank you Antsy and thank you to his lovely parents!!

Virginia Reflections

I cannot believe that I am 1000+ miles into my thru hike. Virginia took us 35 days to get through and it’s crazy to think in 35 days we could be in New England! So, how do you not get the Virginia blues you may ask? My answer… birding.

A hobby that I thought was only for retired folk, I promise it is not. With the app Merlin, I’ve been using my time in the woods to study bird calls and now I can confidently say I can recognize 90% of the bird we hear by song and most by sight. They are sooo cute and the real magic comes in when I learned that playing the calls back to them will make them appear next to you. I stopped doing this as much when Poppins told me that this is called “spamming” in the bird community and not looked upon fondly during mating season. Ugh. Fine. I won’t be Snow White for now.

So with that, the Virginia Blues never hit me. I still am falling more and more in love with the trail everyday and getting stronger as well. Everyday is a test out here. Waking up everyday knowing you will get your ass kicked, but feeling joy in that anyways. To be able to move is such a blessing and everyday out here without an injury or sickness is a gift.

We made our way through the “rollercoaster.” An infamous stretch in Northern Virginia that purposefully takes right up the highest hills in the forest. No, its fine, trail crew. I think its so funny and awesome that the trail is specifically made to be hard as hell. I love the signs saying “WARNING” at each end of it. Thanks so much! I will not be riding it again. We felt pretty strong this day and are learning to laugh at our perils, it makes life a lot more fun. I think one of the biggest things I am learning out here is life is just not the serious. Life truly is a Pointless Up and Down (PUD).

We also hit 1000 miles! This number is so unbelievable to me, but whats even crazier is that we have 1200 left. I keep getting hit with waves of sadness where I feel like my thru hike is ending soon and I have to remind myself I am not even halfway yet. It’s so important to stay present to me and celebrate every little milestone.

See you out there, thanks for reading.