Week 9-10 at AT: Keeping those Virginia Blues away

Well, first of all… How’s your toe?

Hmm, my toe, well, it’s still attached. In the last post I mentioned that an amazing podiatrist cut my ingrown toenail on both sides and I immediately felt so much better. Each step had been so uncomfortable for so long that when I finally did it, it was certainly a huge relief. My friend Grassy dropped me off at the trailhead that Wednesday and I was able to hike 17 miles, which was more than I had anticipated. On the way to drop me off, we drove through a rocky forest road in his 4-door sedan which was definitely an adventure for both of us. She had already driven the same road to pick me up, but after a few more days of rain, the road conditions had worsened. Grassy whipped that little car all over the road and I made it!

Overall, my toe has been much better. I then took care of all the wounds as I should, however I think walking 15-20 miles a day after removing my toenail will still cause some swelling. About 4 days after it was removed, it was still quite swollen and certain areas were quite sore to the touch. I ended up sending a photo to the podiatrist and he quickly responded saying it could be infected and gave me some new wound care instructions along with a 10 day course of antibiotics. I’m on day 5 of taking them and I think the worst is over. Fingers crossed!

The photo I sent to the podiatrist made me laugh, it was funny how I was still in pain here, but at least I had these beautiful mountains to look at. This trail is wild…

Where the hell are you, Veto?

I have traveled about 340 miles to Virginia. I just resupplied for the last time in Daleville, VA, where I also spent a night in a hotel, did laundry, and stripped all my clothes with permethrin to keep the ticks at bay. I’m currently in Buena Vista, VA, where I went off the road in the morning to stop at the local library, grab a coffee, eat a hot meal, and resupply. I stopped just before a 2000 foot climb so I’m relaxing right now haha. Virginia has been long and hard, but I feel like it’s gone by pretty quickly and I’m looking toward Maryland where I can reconnect with some family and maybe even take my first triple zero.

Five Things I’ve Been Doing to Keep the VA Blues Away

Since Virginia is the longest state on the Appalachian Trail, covering more than a quarter of the entire trail, I’ve been looking for ways other than hiking to keep myself busy and not get discouraged. Someone told me that people often quit smoking in Virginia and that it presents a real mental challenge for hikers, so it’s important to have fun whenever possible. Even my good friend, Clyde, who I mentioned in the last post, told me to go on as many side quests as I could in Virginia because of how crucial it is to find beauty in the state 🙂

I reconnected with some fellow travelers… and met new ones along the way 🙂

Since they removed my toenail, I had to take some time off the trail, so I stayed back a little with some of the friends I had made. I spent a good week, maybe mostly walking alone, which I had done before and didn’t mind at all. I feel like hiking alone can be mentally rewarding and has given me time to think a lot while walking and have a good time on the trail. Hiking has always been my option to recharge my social battery.

Veto, jetlag and small bites

That being said, a week was enough time to recharge and I was ecstatic to run into some familiar faces when I arrived at Angels Rest Hiker’s Haven in Pearisburg, VA, which, if you remember, was where I had been taken to the podiatrist a week earlier. I was having major deja vu during this time. I stayed at the hostel and reconnected with Small Bites and Jetlag, who had gotten zeros there! These guys were from my original tram and of course we had to take a group photo for old time’s sake.

Jetlag had been doing some slackpacking for the next while, so he was a little ahead of Small Bites and me. Small Bites and I got back on the trail together and have been hiking together ever since. We had a crazy 21 mile day where we woke up at 2 in the morning, 5 miles from McAfee Knob, which is one of the most scenic spots on the trail and offers incredible sunrise views.

McAfee Knob Thru-Hiker group photo for the Class of 2026. Photo taken by Jenga 🙂

Swim!

This is a good time to mention how hot and uncomfortable the weather has been. Being from Florida, you’d think I’d have a little spunk when it comes to the heat. Man, it’s so brutal out here! Doing an elevation gain of 4,000 to 5,000 feet each day with the sun beating down on you saps all your energy. I have made it a point that every time I get to a water feature that has a swimming hole, I take an hour or two out of my day and enjoy it. It’s been such a great way to not only reset and refresh, but also eliminate some of this hiker stench that I feel like it reaches new levels with each passing day! Some of the best spots have been in places that require a quarter-mile side trail to get to, but it was worth it!

Dismal Falls was a 0.3 mile climb with stunning views and freezing water, I lost half my day here but gained a lot of smiles 🙂

Having hiked 10 miles during the day in brutal heat and high humidity, Small Bites and I spent most of the afternoon at Jennings Creek, which offered beautiful views and a way to cool off. I ended up having dinner there before returning to the trail in the evening to finish one more climb of the day.

Cheesin moments before a giant water snake appeared on a rock, eek! Jennings Creek!

Just a man splashing and splashing

I expressed my gratitude for the magic of the trails, always!

I may have mentioned trail magic in a recent post, but with the heat, rain, and dog days of summer approaching, trail magic has been so special these past few weeks on the trails and I’ve been so grateful. Hikers are hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, and when we walk down that trail to a road junction and someone hands out snacks, leaves water on a drier part of the trail, or even cooks a meal, it makes us all smile. People go out of their way and spend their energy, time and money to support our hiking community and it’s very inspiring.

Pancake Breakfast provided by Johnny Shofar who has been making magic on the trails for years and has been on the trail for the last two months feeding hikers.

I was pleasantly surprised at 4am to have some hard soda left in a bag at the McAfee Knob trailhead, I had a good bevvie with my sunrise.

While I was waiting for my friend to rescue my toe and me, Will Smith’s parents had set up magical trails in the parking lot. I was sitting on a forest service road in the middle of nowhere and it was such a lucky coincidence that while my friend was lost for two hours trying to get to me, I got some magical trail and met some really sweet people.

This parking lot was empty when I arrived and the magical trail gods blessed me! Much obliged!!

Only hikers understand how wonderful it is to have a hard-boiled egg on the trail!

Become one with the bugs

After all that rain I complained about in the last post describing how exhausting and wet everything always was, well, it’s stopped for the most part. Now that spring has blessed us with rain and summer is beginning to bless us with heat, I’m being cursed…by TICKS!

OMG, ticks are everywhere. I have found at least 10 on my body and probably about 4 attached to my skin. Lyme disease is a fairly well-known risk on the road and I remember reading somewhere that it is especially concerning when you get to Pennsylvania. Well, I’m in Virginia and they’ve been quite a hassle. Lyme, of course, is on my mind, but there is also a syndrome known as Alpha-Gal syndrome which is caused by tick bites and can lead to a life-threatening allergy to red meat, dairy products, and other mammal products. The bad news is that unlike Lyme, where if you are bitten by a tick and have symptoms, you can be treated with a course of antibiotics, Alpha-Gal syndrome has no cure and it does not matter how long the tick was attached to you during its transmission. When I got pulled over for zero in Daleville, I stripped all of my clothing with permethrin, which is an anti-tick chemical and I think, for the most part, it’s been working for me!

I found this girl at the top of McAfee Knob 🙁 I think she’s a female lone star tick

They shouldn’t be allowed to be so small…

Plus, now that the clouds have parted and the sun has been warming things up, I’ve been seeing a lot more snakes! I almost stepped on this rattlesnake the other day when I was leaving the shelter where I got some water. I thought it was a noisy insect like a cicada or something, but when it curled up next to me, I almost lost it! I had never been this close to a rattlesnake and the rattle continued for a few minutes even after I had passed along the trail.

DANGER FILARIES!

Of course, I’m grateful for every doge I meet along the way, they lift my spirits.

Apparently his route name is Sticks, but I’m not sure why.

I never stopped taking photographs 🙂

I felt on top of the world after 4 hours of sleep and a 5 mile hike to McAfee Knob to see the sunrise.

The craziest trail magic I’ve ever seen! Communal trail MILK!

I have been taking electrolytes non-stop and drinking as much water as I can, never enough!

Never stop sweating until you reach Mount Katahdin!

The oldest tree on the trail is in Virginia. Keffer Oak!

Spend lunches on the cliffs enjoying the much-needed breeze 🙂

I think Small Bites just played here.

That’s all?

Yes, for now. This post is long, I know, but so is this trail. I know it’s a bit of a sit down and read it from start to finish. I think I’ve sat in this library for three hours trying to sum up in words the adaptation and shaping that the Appalachian Trail has done to me and it means a lot that people click on this. I’m going to keep persevering, smelling bad and removing ticks, hoping to make it through Virginia and the next 1,400 miles I have to travel.

Thanks for coming to my chat tent 🙂