The reward: a free weekend

Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28, 2026

A blog post with double duty! After doing everything possible on Friday, I enjoy a well-deserved Saturday and Sunday off the track. I enjoy the amenities of Basecamp and spend time meeting other hikers.

happy coffee

hAfter skillfully evading the storm last night, I woke up quite pleased with myself. It was the start of an unprecedented two-day weekend. I headed straight to Happ Coffee to enjoy their two free refills with the purchase of a house drip coffee. Leaving the park I was able to watch the Formula 1 qualifying round for the Austrian Grand Prix live, an event I had not been able to see live since I began my walk. There was an exciting ending and I’m sure I caught the attention of a few people in the cafeteria with a loud gasp.

After the action, I got to work deleting my blog posts from last week. I had decided to combine my Saturday and Sunday posts into one, since they would be city days consisting of housework and food, topics that don’t lend themselves well to a lot of blog content. As a result, that post will be published on July 4th and no posts will be published on July 5th. Posting will resume on Monday, July 6th to continue my hiking exploits from June 29th.

Royal Front, Base Camp, Vibrissa

After drinking three cups of South American coffee, I figured I should make the drive to Front Royal. I was especially intrigued by a place called Vibrissa Beer. The building has a place called ‘Basecamp’, which is supported by the bar and several other hiker-focused businesses. Basecamp has lockers, shower, bathroom, washer and dryer, all of which is available to hikers free of charge. I checked out the Basecamp facilities and decided that tomorrow I would take a shower and do my laundry. It was Saturday, I worked hard all morning and drove 90 minutes. It was time for a “drinkypoo”. I returned to Vibrissa and sat at the bar. I ordered a «Compass,» a Hefeweizen, and said the magic words «I’m a hiker hiking the Appalachian Trail,» which opened me up to a great deal: 50% off my first two beers.

The words caught the attention of a couple sitting next to me. They explained to me that they were also walking along the trail. I quickly realized that I had seen them about 4 or 5 days earlier in Shenandoah National Park. Our brief encounter came just before Blackrock Summit, they were looking for a water source and I was able to confirm that the water in the nearby shelter was flowing well and simply delicious. The couple, Birdie and Bogey, and I swapped stories and I learned they were minivan camping buddies. We compared our setups, theirs was a little more sophisticated than mine and featured hinged doors built into the trunk storage area. They often use their truck for their rock climbing adventures, but they were taking a break during their hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Once they left, I ordered a «Southern Stacker» burger, a short rib and brisket burger with pimento cheese and pickled red onions. I watched a World Cup match with the help of another refreshing beer. I went to the grocery store to pick up a few more snacks and sports drinks to replenish my calories, fluids, and electrolytes before heading back to Shenandoah for the night of car camping. After many days of near-perfect weather, things were starting to get back to normal and warm up. Even with my newly acquired fan it was difficult to cool down enough to fall asleep. I stayed up until midnight listening to podcasts and getting caught up in the real world before I managed to lay my head down.

Vibrissa Beer & Kitchen in Front Royal.

The Southern Stacker burger.

Coffee to grow

It was time for the highlight of the weekend: Formula One. This time they were racing at the Red Bull Ring, a circuit in Austria owned by Red Bull, a company that also owns one of the F1 teams. It is also the home country of the beverage company and serves as its home race. I got up early enough to stop by the grocery store and pick up some glazed donuts before heading to a local coffee shop I had found: Coffee To Grow. It was a perfect place to relax, have a good coffee and enjoy the show. The space was much cozier than popular coffee chains and had a plush chair to soothe my bruised buns throughout the run. I have a feeling I’ll be visiting here again next weekend to repeat the experience at the British Grand Prix.

The cozy coffee shop Coffee to Grow.

Base Camp and Iron Mike

After watching the entire race and the post-race show, I headed back to the grocery store to gorge on a pound of meat and macaroni and cheese from the hot bar. Vibrissa was a short trip down the road and I wanted to finish the remaining tasks so I could relax at the bar for most of the rest of the day. Laundry was the first available task, so I threw everything into my laundry bag and walked to Basecamp. A trio of hikers, Roo, Cheeks, and Detour, were showering and doing laundry. They were almost finished and soon I had my own things going. I cleaned out my refrigerator, my water bottles, and my filter and headed back to my truck to pack up all my food for the next week. Once I finished doing the laundry, it was time to take my first shower since Glasgow two weeks ago.

I got out of the shower and walked over to Mountain Trails and the outfitter to browse the selection and meet Iron Mike. Sure enough, he was behind the counter talking to visiting hikers. He is one of the main reasons Basecamp exists and is a former hiker himself. In the store I came across Buffalo y Queso, also known as “The Dips.” They were trying on new walking shoes, Queso in particular was desperate for a new pair as they had a hole in the sole (!). Like me, they were planning to head to Vibrissa once they finished their shopping, so I thought I might meet them again soon.

Frente Real historic center.

Base camp!

My John Hancock on the Basecamp board.

The new fashion of the trails

Smelling better than I have in a while, I walked into Vibrissa ready for a cold beer. As I approached, I saw Birdie and Bogey sitting by the window and asked them to join them. The three of us talked for over an hour, joining in on our car camping adventures. I was intrigued by his rock climbing adventures; The more they talked about them, the more I became convinced that I would love to take up this hobby. It sounds affordable, fun, and full of like-minded people. Shout out to Bogey’s shoulder blades that make mine look like something you’d find at the bottom of a wing tray.

Buffalo and Queso took a nearby table and we immediately combined our groups. Roo, Cheeks, Detour and ET joined us shortly after and we moved to a large table outside where the conversation turned to something I wasn’t expecting; birds. I had heard about this “birding” trend, but hadn’t taken it too seriously. Roo and Birdie were addicted to it and had identified almost a hundred birds since they began their walks. They use an application to record and identify bird species. For them it was like a game to find as many birds as possible while walking. Roo had developed a talent for reproducing bird calls, which he shared with the table and a handful of Vibrissa customers within earshot. Their passion for bird identification was infectious and I had to download the app to see what all the fuss was about. I admit that I heard a lot of different birdsongs and calls along the way and I can see the appeal of knowing a particular species of bird by its song alone.

The afternoon was exactly the experience I wanted, joining amazing fellow hikers over some cold beers. The group split up before dinner so everyone could attend to their various needs before heading back to the trail. I headed back to the grocery store to pick up my usual order of calories and sports drinks to replenish my walking energy for tomorrow. I felt lucky to spend the time I did with the group in Vibrissa, although it was a little bittersweet to part ways with them knowing they were going to be NOBO and I had two SOBO days ahead of me.

Birdie, Bogey and see you tomorrow.

Car camping crisis

I left Front Royal and returned to the AT planning to camp where I would begin my hike tomorrow, Tuckers Lane. When I reached the trailhead, the entrance was blocked by orange cones. It was closed for works. I quickly discovered there was additional parking nearby and backed my truck into a space. The heat was the worst I have experienced so far. It was a reasonable 72 degrees outside, but the van refused to cool down. I had the sliding door open with the fan spraying fresh air at me and I was still struggling to feel comfortable. Around midnight I tried and closed the door. Between the road noise of I-66, a train passing a few hundred yards behind the trailhead, but mostly the heat, I was barely able to fall asleep for more than a few moments. At 1:30 am I lost my cool, I knew there was another parking area 10 minutes away and I jumped in the driver’s seat so I could park there. The noise was much better but I still struggled with the heat.

Last week

One of the best weeks so far! I definitely had a rough time in Shenandoah but the views were incredible. Counterintuitively, I enjoyed seeing my first venomous snakes and black bear along the way. Camping at The Pinnacle was a highlight, having the amazing sunset for me was a quintessential Appalachian Trail experience. The weather cooperated, keeping me cool and dry most of the week. The retro-blazing was a huge bonus that opened up some extra time off the track which I enjoyed immensely. I even showered and did laundry for free.

next week

Starting from Tuckers Lane, I will walk 12 miles south back to Shenandoah National Park. I’ll finish the park and complete my triple crown of blackberry shake on the Elkwallow trail. As we move into July, it looks like warmer weather is on the way. I hope it doesn’t affect my hiking plans, but with temperatures expected to be in the 90s, I’ll be faced with something unlike anything I’ve encountered so far.

-See you tomorrow

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