Virginia, the place of meadows and rain

Our little group of four had rented the apartment above Marion Outfitters. It was quite a cozy stay and we picked a great night to head into town as the sky decided to completely sink during the night.

One problem, however, is that the sky never stopped falling. I walked out onto the porch with my coffee and saw a total downpour. Knowing that we couldn’t afford to stay another night, and that the rain was supposed to continue for at least the next four days, I submitted to walking through it.

Our group rushed to pack up all of our things and catch a ferry that would take us back to the trail shortly after the Memorial Day parade ended. No one seemed too excited about the prospect of never being dry for the next four days.

Jessie and Big Dripper ready for the rain.

We were dropped off at the Mt. Rogers visitor center and put on all our rain gear under the awning. Jessie grabbed a new FrogToggs poncho to cover herself and her backpack. She is handling the rain with style.

A rainy and foggy AT

The initial plan was to hike 14 miles to a campsite and just accept the fact that we would be soaked. When we came upon the first shelter, everyone already seemed a little frustrated because their shoes, socks, backpacks and well… everything was soaked. We had talked about leaving him and spending the night at the shelter.

A beautiful property with plumbing to boot.

The thought of another day with low mileage didn’t sit well with us. We wanted to push at least a few more to make it a less daunting task to get to another shelter the next day. Fortunately, the Settlers Museum had a wonderful pavilion that was open for hikers to camp underneath.

View of the trail from the Settlers Museum.

The entire property was an incredibly beautiful place that is definitely worth visiting. We felt pampered by running water and bathrooms that were free for our use. Jessie and I ended up putting two picnic tables together to sleep head to head and try to stay off the wet ground.

Jessie and I’s picnic table to sleep on.

The first time I camped on a picnic table, I slept pretty decent. There was a buzz of excitement in the air because there was talk of a gas station, right down the road, just 3 miles away. The promise of a hot breakfast and energy drinks really motivates a group of hikers to get up and go.

The heavenly glow of gas station candy.

It was everything we had dreamed of. Between the incredibly nice pavilion and the gas station kitchen, the rain didn’t affect it too much. Big Dripper finished with a great spread, topping it all off with a buzz ball and cold beer combo. We all end up feeling satiated and full of enough junk to keep us going.

Jingles, Sal and Big Dripper with their gas station food.

Gas station mixology.

A view of the meadow after the rain.

Broken storm clouds over a large expanse of prairie.

It was a long day that took us through some pretty pretty meadows. One of the nicest aspects of a storm is that when it breaks, it leaves large clouds behind to accentuate the rolling fields. Oh! And we’re already a quarter of the way there!

Jessie and I and the 1/4 point.

There were some sections where the trail took you through private property. It was a pretty sketchy experience, having us climb over and over tangles of barbed wire fencing using some fairly tall makeshift ladders. It was certainly a place to take extreme caution.

The ladder over the barbed wire. Quite difficult with a complete package.

A nice stretch of trail that goes into the meadows.

The cows that guard all the barbed wire.

We ended up finishing at the Knot Maul Shelter, making it a full 17 mile day. Less than 10 minutes after the whole gang arrived, the clouds darkened and the biggest downpour yet bombarded the roof of the shelter. We were very grateful not to be in our tents that night.

Jessie and Big Dripper watching the storm from the shelter.

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