AT Day 49 Shenandoah National Park

3rd June

22.3 miles

Rockfish Gap (861.9) to Bushcamp (884.2)

While walking down the street yesterday on route to Subway for lunch a car pulled up beside me. A guy yelled out, ‘Hiker Trash’. That’s a term of endearment among us long distance hikers. He hiked the trail last year and was in town staying at the same hotel as me. I had my lift sorted to get back to the trail this morning.

It was around 9.30am when I made it back to the trailhead and started hiking. The weather was great, nice and warm with plenty of blue sky. I seem to be in a good weather window at the moment, finally. A chance of a thunderstorm or two in the next week but otherwise fine. I’m happy about that.

I passed many sweet perfumed day hikers and many thru hikers who were slack packing sections of trail. For once I didn’t smell like a wet toilet brush as I hiked past them.

I think today represented some of the easiest hiking of the whole trail so far. No steep hills, lots of gentle grades and occasional nice views on the mountain ridges. The only issue was the lack of water. One poor girl had run out of water 6.5 miles from the next water source. I offered what little water I had but she politely declined. It can be easy to run out if water on warm days like today.

By late afternoon I arrived at a water source after hiking a whole 12.4 miles without any water sources, the longest of the trail so far. There was a shelter and flat area for tents nearby and the place was already quite full. I knew at least 10 hikers were behind me all heading to camp at this site. As I still had loads of energy I decided to keep on hiking. Within a few miles I found a flat campsite. I was alone.