The Benefits of an Erratic Journey

This week, we returned to Central Virginia, to finish a 57 mile section of the AT that we skipped previously. Those miles had been hanging over me – nagging, unfinished business that chafed like a bad rash. I’ll pretend that I planned it all meticulously, hiking this section of thick rhododendron and mountain laurel growth at just the perfect time for peak blooms and catching up with a friend for the meaningful walk across the James River. Yeah, I meant to do all that. I planned it from the start!

AT Box Score

• Friendly People – 120/120
• Unfriendly Wild Critters – 1
• Errors – 1
• Injury Report – Nursing some heel pain in both feet

I was surprised to see the number of people on Trail hold pretty steady this week, despite leaving some of the more popular day-hike sections of Virginia and not having hit the prime summer vacation period yet. It was fun hiking Southbound (SOBO) for a few days – that is the best way to meet the many thru-hikers going Northbound (NOBO) toward Maine. Many people time their journey to reach the famous Trail Days celebration in Damascus from May 16-18, so the “bubble” of hikers hasn’t reached this part of Virginia, for the most part.

My snake count was quite low this week, so am I just not seeing them or are they off partying someplace else? 

I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it another full week without making some sort of mistake. This week’s error was relatively minor, but could have caused a lot of wasted time if I hadn’t caught it quickly. Despite the general fact that the Trail runs in a North/South direction, it is sometimes a little tough to tell which way is correct. Hop on the Trail from a visit to town, step away for a bio break, or hike in erratic sections, like I did this week, and it’s easy to go the wrong direction. Even your compass can mislead you, when compass North is actually trail South. I typically look ahead on Farout to see what my first site should be, and if I don’t see that site, I know I’m going the wrong way. In this case, I only lost a few hundred yards before I turned around to head in the right direction. 

There’s this concept of “trail legs” that hikers talk about, which refers to the time when your legs stop screaming at you every day from the torture you inflict on them. I think I’ve got the legs part solved, it’s just my heels that are still complaining at night. Drop me a comment if you have suggestions for heel stretches I should add to my routine!

Skipping Back

Coming back to Central Virginia this week helped me accomplish two things, beyond solving the nagging problem of unfinished miles. 

For many years, I’ve made my home near Richmond, Virginia, where the James River is a central part of the culture of the city. It is the carotid artery of Virginia and Richmond, today as always. The James River runs approximately 350 miles from its headwaters in the Appalachian Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay. As long as people have lived in Virginia, the James River has provided transportation, entertainment, and sustenance for them. It served the first English settlement at Jamestown, fueled the colonial capital in Williamsburg and continues to be the centerpiece of the current state capital in Richmond, where it offers the only Class I-IV white water rapids in any urban area in the US. Our best festivals and events happen in and around the James, so it’s a special part of city life. So, crossing the James on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike was particularly important. In theory, I could have jumped off the James River Foot Bridge, like many weekend swimmers were doing this week, and floated home!

This was my first glimpse of the mighty James River during my AT thru-hike.

Because we were so close to home this week, Blue Bear and I were fortunate to have a good friend come hike for the day. This friend has always been in perpetual motion, accomplishing more in a day than most people do in several. Without training, she was able to set the pace for our hike, so her new trail name was borrowed from a name that her Italian friend often uses for her: Pepperculo or “pepper pants”. It was great to have her infectious energy on the Trail and have a fellow Richmonder cross the James with me!

Fun Size and Pepperculo wrap up a gorgeous hiking day by crossing the James River Foot Bridge.

Skipping back on this erratic journey also helped me catch the mountain laurel, rhododendron, and wild roses with their most beautiful blooms. Since the first week of my hike, I’ve been watching these Virginia blooms prepare for the big show. This week, on this section of trail, they were ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR!!

Even though most of the rhododendron plants were at peak bloom this week, this portion of the path reminded me how fleeting those blooms are. I’m so grateful I caught this section at the right time.

Curiosities from the Trail

This may be one of my favorite curiosities so far! This nondescript plant was catching the mountain breeze in such a way that made it dance, even though all the plants around it were still. You go, little plant – you can dance if you want to!

Remember to Look for Beauty

These wild roses bloomed just in time for Mother’s Day. In addition to being beautiful to look at, their scent was amazing!

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