Returning to Shenandoah – The Trek

Monday June 29, 2026

With a mediocre night’s sleep in my system, I return to Shenandoah. I persevere and manage to enjoy some views and identify my first bird by its song on the top of a mountain.

Hiking in a pool

TOAt 5:00 am, cars started passing me, waking me up from what wasn’t much of a dream in the first place. I had fallen asleep around 2:00 am and that was after mediocre sleep the previous two nights. I tried my best to sleep more, but I couldn’t sleep much more for the next 3 hours. I gave up hope of getting enough rest and drove back to the trailhead on Route 55. After shaving on the side of the road and gathering my gear for a 4-day backpacking hike, I hit the trail around 9:30 a.m. With temperatures expected to be around 90 degrees and rising over the next few days, I decided to leave my bear canister in my truck to save weight. I could store my bear bag in the bear box at the cabins I planned to camp at. My pack felt incredibly light, definitely better than Friday when I had the bear can but only 2 days worth of food.

The humidity was immediately evident. After two days of rest, my calves had stiffened and were sore for about an hour to start the day. I hiked 3 SOBO miles into Shenandoah National Park and entered the Denton Shelter for breakfast. It was a nice shelter with a picnic table under a gazebo separate from the shelter. I checked FarOut and confirmed that the northern boundary of Shenandoah was about 9 miles away. He would be there in the early afternoon.

Back on the trail, I noticed a lack of momentum. I felt abysmally slow with each step. My quads had two days of rest but hadn’t recharged at all. It was like trying to walk in a swimming pool. I had plenty of food and rest over the weekend, but something was still missing. Maybe it was the bad dream. For the first time I was asked if I was going to complete my hiking plan for the day, a little over 20 miles to the Gravel Springs cabin. It wasn’t even on my planned average of 23.5 miles.

Vibrissa Meetings

While contemplating the reasons for my lackluster pace, I ran into Birdie and Bogey. They had taken the trail from Front Royal, further south, and were now continuing their hike. I told them I was glad to meet them and that they had given me two potential new hobbies that I was excited about: rock climbing and bird watching. We also agreed to take care of each other when I change my hike and drive to Mount Katahdin at the end of July.

Just a few tenths of a mile behind them were Detour and Cheeks. They had been talking about my trek and we are curious to know how you become a The Trek blogger. They were considering blogging their future hikes. I really encouraged them, they would no doubt have an interesting perspective to share given that they are sisters who enjoy backpacking together.

Another tenth of a mile behind them was Genuine! He had made it through Shenandoah, although I suspect he faced a little more rain than I did. His spirits were as high as they were on Bearfence Mountain. He had met Birdie and Bogey before and was glad to know that they were only a mile ahead of him. All three of them, as well as Detour and Cheeks, seem to me to have similar personalities. I’m sure they would get along just fine, on the trail, at the campsite, or even as another classic Appalachian Trail tram.

A few tenths of a mile later, as it was beginning to seem like fate, Roo came walking down the trail. He was happy to learn that I had installed “the Bird app” and was in the process of tuning my ears to hear its many calls and songs. He was also happy to know that he was getting closer to the rest of the group. ET was a short distance behind Roo, who completed the day’s Vibrissa trail meets.

Cheeks, See You Tomorrow and Detour have a quick reunion on the road.

government property

A few miles later, the trail turns sharply around a sharp curve at a new fence with signs that say «No Trespassing on U.S. Government Property.» The fence continued on the other side of Route 522. A sign next to the trail explained that this was the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), a 3,200-acre wildlife conservation facility. I stopped at a water source about 2 miles from the Shenandoah border and sat on a log for half an hour while I filtered water and ate peanuts and sunflower seeds. I was hoping to regain some momentum for the big climb back to the park. It wasn’t having much of an effect, in fact there were a few moments where I closed my eyes and was ready to fall asleep. I still had about 12 kilometers to go. I had time left in the day to do the miles but I didn’t know how I would find the energy. In the end I forced myself to get back on the trail and brought a liter of water to drink and stay awake. The weight was easy to carry as the rest of my pack was lighter than usual without the bear can.

I was sweating for much of the climb, which was quite rocky at times. Once I reached the park boundary, thankfully the trail leveled out for about 2 miles until I reached Skyline Drive. I knew I would take the AT up SOBO to The Pinnacle, saving any possible backfire for the return trip from NOBO when the weather was warmer. That meant I had a mountain peak in front of me, Compton Peak.

Compton Peak

A couple of day hikers asked for directions to nearby Compton Peak. I got them going in the right direction, but in retrospect, I should have realized their doubts about the route and gone a little further with my help. I could have shown them on FarOut that although the trail was short, it was also a decent climb of about 500 feet. They would also be looking for a four-way trail crossing with a concrete pillar. They would have to turn towards the pillar to reach the viewpoint they were looking for. I took the AT and hiked the two short trails at the four-way intersection, including the beautiful view from Compton Peak. I left Compton Peak and a little less than half a mile ahead. I identified my first bird, a scarlet tanager near the lookout, although I had to wait for it to fly through the trees to spot it.

I stopped at a spring to refill the water bottle I had just finished. Again, I spent 20 to 30 minutes, hoping that a long break with some snacks would help me regain some energy and drive. It seemed to work, if only briefly. I walked down Compton Peak and saw the two-day hikers heading back down the trail. They reported that they had taken the wrong road, straight at the four-way intersection, and had missed the turn toward the view of Compton Peak. I felt a little bad because it was now easy to tell that they weren’t sure where they would have to go. There is also the question of interpreting the cement posts in Shenandoah National Park that are intended to guide visitors. You have to get quite close to the metal bands to see the instructions printed on them. The particular cement pillar at Compton Peak Junction also did not specify which of the two directions perpendicular to the AT was the overlook. The trail in the other direction is steep and only leads to a rock formation with no views. On the cement pillar this trail is labeled «view 0.2». The actual view from the top of the mountain is in the other direction and is also labeled «view 0.2.» I could have saved them a bit more walking by showing them in the FarOut app exactly what they needed to do, what to look for, where to go, and even giving them an idea of ​​the terrain ahead. As someone who is always looking for ways to be more helpful, I will take this lesson to heart and use it whenever I encounter other hikers looking for directions.

The view from Compton Peak.

A young rabbit lazes along the path.

Running on smoke

It was already after 5:00 pm and I was still doing everything I could to keep my increasingly uncooperative legs moving. I crossed to the east side of Skyline Drive and went up Marshall Mountain. The climb was hard, but I knew it was the last one of the day. I squeezed all the remaining juice from my muscles to reach the top, where I not only enjoyed a beautiful view of the park and the valley beyond, but also some friendly deer that had also climbed to the top of the mountain to eat plants and admire the view. The scene was beautiful, the late afternoon sun shining through the relatively thin layer of leaves at the top of the mountain illuminating the opposite side of the deer, giving the creature a fantastic orange glow. Up ahead, a few cliffs offered more views. I had dinner and watched the sunset before heading down the mountain to the nearby Gravel Springs cabin, where I set up camp just as daylight was ending. Tomorrow would be a comparatively easier day, with a stop at the third and final shoulder, Elkwallow. I fell asleep in just a few moments with thoughts of completing the triple crown blackberry smoothie running through my mind.

The view from Marshall Mountain. The fog and “corn sweat” are evident.

The view from Marshall Mountain.

Sunset view from Marshall Mountain.

Sunset view from Marshall Mountain.

-See you tomorrow

Total: 21.6 miles, 46,370 steps

• Hike type: Backpacking
• Camp: Tent, Gravel Springs Cabin

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