After a short week off the road to visit DC and go to weddings in our respective cities, Singe and I are back on the road! We moved back to Daleville, VA at the end of May and it’s been a whirlwind ever since! I feel like I blinked and I’m already in PA looking towards New Jersey!
As you know, the AT map is divided into 9 submaps. Virginia is so large that it is the only state that has two maps to cover the miles. Singe and I strategically made sure to finish the southern VA map before our scheduled break so we would have another map behind us when we returned. This was a very good decision for the mental game of overcoming VA. Our break was also very well scheduled. We drove through southern Virginia and honestly…it was getting exhausting. Having free time to wait so I could rest and restart gave me enthusiasm for the next section of the trail. I would have been hit HARD by the Virginia Blues if it weren’t for this. Not to mention, our free time coincided perfectly with the rainiest week this year. Which means we only had about 2 days of rain when we got back, compared to the 6 days in a row that most people had! Sorry to everyone in the way, but ugh!
Days off
We could have extended the miles a little further, but we decided to push ourselves each day so we could spend a day exploring DC together before each flying home. This was wonderful. We ate a lot of good Mediterranean food, explored some Smithsonian museums, walked around the mall, watched the entire new season of Love on the Spectrum, caught up with old friends, and I even got to perform a comedy show on a local show. I tried new trail-inspired material I wrote on trails and it was great. I can’t wait to delve deeper into this when I get back from the trip. Although it was quite a shock to go from meeting the same 50 people on the road to being thrown into Union Station with hundreds of busy strangers, it was worth it and we quickly adapted to city life.
Although it seemed strange to be apart from Singe after spending the last two and a half months together, my visit home was perfect. I got to snuggle with my dog, see my cousins at a family wedding, have a great breakfast with my grandma and two of her friends, and celebrate my dad’s birthday! I was also able to bring home some winter clothes and swap them for summer things! I was a little nervous that after the monotony of southern Virginia, being at home would be too comfortable and make it difficult to get back on the trail, but it was just the right time. Seeing a group of people who love me and are committed to my hike reinvigorated my drive to DO IT!
For the first time in 700 miles I started having problems with my shoes. I didn’t realize how worn out they were until I compared them to the new boots I had at home! I got back on the trail with new boots and was excited to have the blisters fixed, but actually wearing these new boots turned out much worse. I ended up asking my cousin to send a pair of trail runners I had left her to Buena Vista to end my suffering! I had never been a trail runner and was skeptical that they would keep my sprained ankles safe, but they literally saved the day! I have officially converted!
Milestones!
When Singe and I returned to Daleville, we were able to have lunch with four hiking friends before hitting the trail. It’s always good to meet friends from different parts of the trail. So we’re back! We passed the 1/3 sign and never looked back! 
We took a short walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway and watched the storms roll in the skies around us. The timing was perfect to meet our friend Loon, and the three of us have been hiking together ever since!
Before we knew it, we were passing the 800 mile mark…and then 900 in Shenandoah! Milestones come faster and faster these days. We knew we only had a little over 100 miles before we hit Shenandoah, which is basically the last big stretch of VA. So close!!
Northern Virginia
Everyone talks about how dreamy and pleasant Shenandoah is, but I really loved the previous miles! The excitement that is building for Shenandoah, the pace and alignment in how we want our days to be, the zero in Buena Vista, VA, the knowledge that we were so close to catching up with friends who continued on while we had our break, it all feels so exciting and motivating! Plus, there are a lot of really nice sections that aren’t talked about much. Like the ridge before Priest Mountain! And of course, Priest Mountain itself was quite motivating for me. Not only is it the last really big mountain to conquer in a while, but it’s also famous for having a refuge log where people confess their sins along the way and I couldn’t wait to read the hottest news. It seems like every day we find little motivators to get excited about. «Oh! Today is James River Pedestrian Bridge Day!» Is that something I ever really thought about when I imagined doing the AT? No! Is that the reason I walk 18 miles that day? You bet! Can we camp for free at a brewery on the outskirts of town? We will be there! (Although this brewery hype didn’t turn out so well for me as I suffered a random 12-hour stomach bug at camp and spent the night once again throwing up outside my tent. I had to take the next day off to make sure my body was going to be able to hike in Shenandoah. Luckily, it was nothing like my noro spell in April and I was able to return the next day with no problems!)
So ta-da! Suddenly you’re in Waynesboro, VA and it’s time to start Shenandoah! The second and last national park en route. There will be a separate Shenandoah review coming soon! Then once you leave Shenandoah and enter Front Royal, you’re really at the final push where you complete the roller coaster (a 15 mile stretch of PUD, meaningless ups and downs), the 1000 mile marker, and THE WEST VIRGINIA STATE LINE!!!! More to come!
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