DOUBLE ZERO IN FRONT ROYAL

AT Days 059 & 060:  Monday June 5,  2023 & Tuesday June 6, 2023

Mile 972 + 0 miles / 0km

Total Distance Hiked: 972 miles/1564 km

Super 8 by Wyndham, Front Royal. Virginia

A:  ft /m  D: ft / m

I’m taking a break from journalling so Hammer is posting this update on our double zero in Front Royal and a reflection on our time in Virginia, which we have almost finished hiking. Over to Hammer: 

I woke this morning knowing we did not have to get up and get hiking. We have a double zero and this morning I was thankful for the sleep in. Corky, on the other hand, was up about 3.30 for reasons I am unable to fathom.

We went down to the motel breakfast about 7am. There was coffee, juice, toast and pastries. For me  the pancake machine, replacing the more usual waffle machine, was a treat. At the press of a button and a few seconds later a conveyor belt popped out a 3 inch pancake, very disappointing. In Australia it would be called a pikelet not a pancake. So 3 ” pancakes/pikelets and some maple syrup later, topped off with some toast and more importantly for Corky plenty of coffee so her day started fully caffeinated.

Today was the day we needed to replace some equipment and so we went over to the outfitters where the very friendly Charlie Brown ( either his real name or a good trail name) helped Corky replace her shoes. She’s changed her shoes from Altra Lone Peak to an Altra Olympus. She recons they look like off-road tractor tyres, so she’s ready for Pennsylvania or as some call it Rocksylvania. Charlie  really earnt the sale for replacing the tips on my hiking poles. I tried replacing the tips in Daleville without success.  So that by the time I got here they were worn down to a nub, and would not unscrew. It required a hot air gun to melt the glue to remove the small section that the tip is attached to. This gave Carlie Brown a real workout to remove. We also got some tick repellant and we were on our way.

We went to the store to resupply for the couple of days to get to Harper’s Ferry. I dried the wet tent, fly and ground sheet on the grass section behind the motel which at some point I realised was the dog exercise/poop area. Luckily I had avoided the land mines and the tent dried quickly.

I then ordered new shoes for me and a new Big Agnes Copper Spur tent (a new Big Agnes Hilton) to be delivered to Duncannon about 177 miles up the trail. It has taken a bit of time for me to accept replacing the tent. The repair job with tenacious tape has solved the major leaks but it is just not the haven in a storm that it has been for 400+ nights of camping since we got it in 2016. I look forward to the new updated version in about 8 days time. And we hope there is little rain in the next 177 miles. What are the odds? 

REFLECTIONS ON VIRGINIA

In the last week of hiking through Tennessee we started to hear about Virginia and how AT through hikers suffer Virginia Blues, because Virginia at 556 miles is the longest state traversed by the AT.   For PCT hikers who’ve hiked around 1,700 miles through California it seems almost funny to worry about such a thing. State borders are artificial constructs. We found that breaking the trail down to town segments helps. Each segment all you have to do is reach the next town and then the next. This makes the milestones shorter term and more rewarding.  

Our first taste of Virginia was in Damascus and was overwhelming positive. Everyone in town was friendly and considerate. The town was gearing up for trail days, which is a 3 day hiking extravaganza. As many as 20,000 hikers will descend on the town by shuttling up and down  the trail and heading to Damascus. It’s a gear junkies feast. All the major and many smaller hiking gear suppliers have stands and will have repair teams. There are gear give aways, music stages and talks from legends of the trail. One guest speaker has through hiked the AT trail 18 times. While it all seems very appealing, Corky and I have decided to stay on trail and hike during that time. I have been to the 2016 PCT trail days in Cascade Locks and while fun and interesting, I feel like one Trail Days experience is enough for me.

Our accomodation in Demascus was delightful. It was an older house with great owners and a wonderful friendly vibe. The owners had thought of most things a hiker or biker would want. We used our time to recover, shower and eat and felt totally rejuvenated upon leaving and ready to tackle the trail ahead. Damascus was early into our hike through Virginia, no chance of getting the blues so far.

Following Damascus, Virginia did offer the chance of cheese burgers on a number of occassions while staying on trail at Bushy’s Mountain Outpost and the next day at Trent’s Groceries. And through Shenandoah NP we had quite a few opportunities to visit campground/resort stores. With frequent town food stops, how can you get the blues. 

We did have a few rainy periods  in Virginia which at times was akin to tropical rain storms which I have experienced in New Guinea and Far North Queensland. Heavy downpours in humid weather. Only here the rain could hang around for days. This could give you the blues, but it passes and the sun comes out. So not enough to give you Virginia Blues.

Days of  rain and a leaky tent may have started the blues temporarily but they soon disappeared when several days of fine almost hot weather through the Shenandoah National Park restored our equilibrium.

For me and Corky,  Virginia has also been home to some sensational trail magic. The spontaneous generosity of Marc and Laura in Lexington to first give us a ride into town and then to offer us a place to stay when our accomodation did not work out will be an enduring memory. Such generosity and kindness from strangers makes you feel that there are no strangers,  there are just friends we haven’t met yet.  So how can you have Virginia blues?

Another memorable trail magic event was just before McAfee’s Knob, a group of last year’s hikers were celebrating the life of their hiking companion from 2022 who was tragically killed when he fell from the ledge. As sad as it was,  his trail family had gathered to remember their friend and  to celebrate his life with the hiking community. Life, health and fitness is a gift. So how can we have Virginia Blues.

Now that we are nearing the end of Virginia we will be leaving with enduring memories. Virginia is not flat and there is no such thing as Virginia Blues.