AT Day 63: Into Shenandoah National Park

Daily Miles: 24.4, Total Miles: 888.7

Got a much appreciated ride to Rockfish Gap by High Class, a local trail angel/2020 AT hiker.

It wasn’t long before I entered Shenandoah National Park on a cool, beautiful morning. The first thing I noticed was the sweet smell of honeysuckle flowers and it stayed with me all day.

This was a great day on the trail with more gently gradients, good tread and nice forest scenery with some views of the Shenandoahs. Still some ups and downs but a lot of cruising too.

Leapfrogged and had lunch with Blackbeard from New Orleans. I then hiked in the afternoon with a young couple from Boston, Encore and Cruise Control.

The only downer for the day – I had noticed the low hanging branch over the trail but looked down to check on rocks on the trail. The top of my head struck that branch mid-stride stopping me cold and I collapsed to the ground. You would have thought I learned my lesson the first time that happened.

Saw quite a few whitetail and rabbits today and heard a new bird, yellow-throated vireo.