Hollers and Waysides

Welp, this morning I'll be heading into Shenandoah Nat'l Park from Rockfish Gap, where the Blue Ridge Parkway ends and Skyline Drive begins. Currently stopped off in Waynesboro, VA 5mi west of Rockfish Gap where the Grace Lutheran Church runs a wonderful hiker hostel in their basement...really. They have showers with clean towels, cots you can set up in a big room downstairs, a big screen TV, computers, snacks, COFFEE, CEREAL WITH WHOLE MILK...I'm in Lutheran heaven right now - all donation-based. Otherwise the 'Boro has been a wonderful stop-off to briefly get out of the rain.

Rain. Thankfully I got a taste of what it would be like during my freshman DOC hiking trip where it poured most of the time. It generally brings a whole new world of strange blisters, pruned hands, shelters that are full and mighty slippery rocks. I used to think that when the birds started chirping again the clouds were about to break but I'm pretty sure birds are full of sh*t these days. Anywho, the weather's supposed to take a turn for the better these next few days and I'm pretty sure someone up there will give me clear (blue?) skies for Shenandoah so I'm a'ready to stop whining.

SNP - Skyline Drive stretches for about 100 miles from Rockfish Gap (not too far from Charlottesville) to Front Royal, VA and winds atop the ridgeline with beautiful overlooks over the surrounding farmlands and neighboring ridges. The trail will cross Skyline maaany many times over the next 4-5 days or so and the park is famous for its waysides, tourists and 'thousand-mile stares' from the thru-hikers - beginning the final push to get through Virginia. I don't even really know what a wayside means just yet but someone told me it means food so I'm down. And as I've said a million times I'm mighty excited to finally see some familiar territory and inch back towards the Mason-Dixon Line. The South has been really amazing and the people have been so wonderful, but it's high time I got excited about moving to New England so I think I'm walking in the right direction. I leave you with a few links and videos this mornin'.

Interactive AT Map from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Whiteblaze.net - online community of AT enthusiasts

A youtube vid of Roscoe Holcomb playing a few songs on Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest in the '60s. An oldtime banjo legend.



Enjoooy the weekend and Stephanie Madison hope you had a wonderful birfday!!