Stretch—Days 51 to 59

Starting June 5

Day 51: 0 mi (727.8)

I was very easily convinced to zero and my body definitely needed it. I shared a room with Fox and the Scientist. The zero worked out well since my new shoes broke right away and Outdoor Trails helped me fix it, thanks! Hanging out with everyone was fun and a good way to decompress as well. Best zero so far.

$3 emergency poncho, $20 lunch/dinner, $5 beer, $18 hotel

Day 52: 18.5 mi (746.3)

I had my first visitor the trail, Justin. I took him into the woods and luckily the terrain wasn’t too crazy so I pushed him a bunch of miles. He got a taste of trail life and got to meet some of my fellow hikers. It was a pretty good day.

Day 53: 13.5 mi (759.8)

Justin (now MRE), Backtrack and I pushed out of the shelter early to meet Justin’s mom for a ride back to Troutville’s Trail Days. Backtrack and I ran the 5k while Justin and his mom did McAfee’s Knob. I ran into The Fonz after a long period apart and easily convinced him to run it. The Fonz and I won overall Man and Woman for the race. Backtrack, Justin and I headed back to the trail. I was surprised how much Justin was willing to do in a day and I’m hoping I didn’t push him too hard for tomorrow.

Day 54: 22.6 (782.4)

MRE got off the trail. He did 50 miles in 2.5 days with no trail legs. That’s pretty damn good. I definitely missed him when he left but I’ll make him come out again.

Day 55: 22.2 (804.6)

Chaffing.

Day 56: 1.8 mi (806.4)

I wasn’t going to go to Buena Vista, then I decided to go for lunch, then I decided to stay. I even took a nap. It was a good day.
$11 booze, $18 food, $10 resupply, $18 room, $160 impulse ordered an Enlightened Equipment 50 degree quilt (13 oz)

Day 57: 20.6 (827)

Felt awesome today. It turns it I just needed one more nero.
$3 shuttle back to the trail

Day 58: 15.5 (842.5)

A big group of us made our way to Devil’s Backbone Brewery. It was a hot hilly day that made the beer more satisfying.
$85 food/booze (crap…)

Day 59: 861.7 (19.2)

I woke up feeling awful, got sick a few times while hiking but was determined to make it to Waynesboro. I started slow (5 mi/4 hrs) and picked up my pace enough to make it to Ming’s all you can eat. Just after the Paul Wolfe Shelter I saw a large bear. I tried to scare it off but this one was a bit aggressive and decided to charge me. Even though I thought I was going to get mauled, I stood my ground, made myself tall, tried not to make eye contact and started talking to it. Luckily it was a bluff and the bear veered off from me. I backed away slowly banging my trekking poles over my head and cautiously moved on. I’m definitely glad I know my bear safety (seriously, read my bear safety post of you’re unsure of what you would need to do). I’m very thankful I’m I got out of that in one piece.
$14 dinner