Roads and roadsides (Day 70)

My first night camping alone was a success. I woke up late and said good morning to a barred owl that was perched in a tree near my tent. Today I would encounter my first Shenandoah Wayside. These are establishments in the park that sell souvenirs, snacks and hot food. I was excited at the prospect of a lunch that didn’t come out of a wrapper, as well as a place to charge my phone.

choose your own adventure

There were two options for routes to Loft Mountain Wayside. You could follow the AT all the way and then take a steep half mile side trail to the store. This would add an extra mile to my walk for the day, so it wasn’t ideal. Or I could pick a spot where the trail intersects Skyline Drive (the main road through the park) and hop on it. The path would take me directly to the Wayside, no side trails needed.

Some hikers choose to hike the entire Shenandoah section. The views are much better and the original AT followed this route. I wasn’t planning on doing this, but traveling the road in small sections makes getting to many of the Waysides much easier. Today I followed the trail as long as possible and hit the road at Doyle’s River Falls Trailhead. This was the last place the AT intersected Skyline Drive before reaching Wayside. I walked about 2 miles and arrived just before 2 p.m.

Roadside Mountain Loft

I mailed some postcards I bought at the gift shop and ordered a burger and a blackberry shake for lunch. While eating, I struck up a conversation with a friendly stranger. When he discovered that I had lost the lid of one of my water bottles last night, he gave me a new bottle from his cooler. This was very helpful because Wayside had nothing to buy and I thought I would be out of luck for the foreseeable future.

new faces

Once my phone was fully charged, I hit the road again. I walked along Skyline Drive until I reached Icy Creek Overlook. Here, the AT crossed the road again and I was back on the road. There were only a few more kilometers to go to the shelter and I arrived earlier than expected.

I’ve met new people in the last few days, which has been really nice. I was separated from most of my previous group after Trail Days and felt a little alone at times. Things are getting better.

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