Day 2 Virginia mini SASH #11: Blowing in the wind

Yes, and how many years should a mountain exist? Before it is washed out to sea? …The answer, my friend, is carried by the wind. bob dylan

(Oct 30, 25) We unpacked our suitcases at dawn. It was cold, but fortunately it wasn’t raining. Unfortunately, I discovered that the bottom of the footrest of my sleeping bag was wet. The back of the shelter had many leaks. The footprint of my tent saved my bag from getting soaked; that and the fact that the slope of the floor went towards No Filter’s sleeping place. He was sleeping in a good sized puddle of water. She was also lucky to have used her Tyvek as a sheet under her bag. It rained a lot, but I think the seal around the skylight on the roof of the shelter was to blame for the leak. But hey, we had some nice roller coaster posters to look at yesterday. After packing up and heating up coffee or tea, Matt and I got the day off to a good start around 8 a.m. There were still no filters on the shelf. Today’s goal was shorter than yesterday: over 6 miles to Whiskey Hollow Shelter.

With the roller coaster behind us, the hike wasn’t bad and we kept a decent pace in the morning – well, decent for me anyway. It didn’t rain today, but it was still a little cold. Most (“all”) of the water sources observed at FarOut in this stretch were either dry rocks or just wet rocks, which was surprising considering the rain the night before. Like much of northern Virginia above Shenandoah National Park, there is almost nothing worth seeing along the trail; just walking miles. The only excitement was again playing dodgeball with the cars while crossing the US Rte. 50 at Ashby Gap. And then, my slip and fall on the duck boards running along a creek just south of Rt. 50 crossing. The boards were as slippery as ice and one step and I was sideways in the thicket. Lying on the ground, I was glad to see that I had landed on English Ivy and not poison ivy. After that we went up and decided that we wouldn’t stop today for a cup of tea or cappuccino; Besides, there was no decent place for a break anyway. We have a second breakfast and lunch as we travel like hobbits on a journey; Elven Lembas (also known as Clif Bars).

After the Route. 50, the hike became very easy along a ridge and through Virginia’s Sky Meadows State Park. Once again, sadly, there is nothing of note to see or see. We headed down a hill and arrived at the blue Whiskey Hollow fire around 4 pm Noting all the dry water sources and a less than encouraging note on FarOut about the water flow in the shelter. We left our backpacks at the intersection and walked another 0.2 miles to Crooked Stream; We could hear it flowing as we approached and found good flow and pools to fill and filter our bottles. We also carried our dirty bags full of water up the small hill; 10 pounds of water is no fun even for half a mile.

We sailed to Whiskey Hollow Shelter before dark and were able to set up and prepare dinner this time without headlights. It started to rain a little, but luckily the picnic table was under the eaves of the shelter on a porch. We were alone, as No Filter walked past us earlier in the day. At first I was excited for my main dish of Cuban rice and beans from Good-to-Go. But it lacked flavor, even with Tajín added, and I was tired. I felt like I was going to sleep well tonight since I hadn’t really slept the night before. I didn’t finish my food and headed to the shelf. The nights were cold, but I had just purchased a set of lightweight merino wool base layers from REI (long sleeve shirt and pants). They definitely kept me warmer in my sleeping bag. There’s no question if you’re camping in weather below 40 degrees; The merino wool base layer set is a must have. I felt myself falling asleep and then I heard the wind pick up. Later reports said the wind was 30 to 40 mph overnight. This caused a constant rain of acorns on the tin roof of the shelter; Just as I was going to fall asleep, another wave of acorns. Once or twice large tree branches hit the shelter. Fortunately, not enough to cause damage, but the thought of a tree falling was now in my head. Again I didn’t sleep well at night.

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