Sunsets and Rattlesnakes in VA

Motivation to move

There are few things that motivate hikers more than the promise of beer and burgers. That’s what we had in mind when we woke up at Harper’s Creek Shelter this morning. The Devil’s Backbone is a campground and brewery located about 5 miles from the AT. If we could get to Devil’s Backbone from the trail, we could stuff ourselves with as much beer and burgers as humanly possible. And then I hope to get back on the trail with enough time to hike a few more miles.

Start the day and get a problem

Early in the morning, we set out on the road. Eager anticipation guiding every step. The first half of the day consisted of a climb up Three Ridges Mountain. After descending the other side, we were spit out at a road junction next to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Cody and stood in the small gravel parking lot on the side of the road, giving a thumbs up to every car that passed in our direction. As you can imagine, the rejection rate when getting a hookup is quite high. But we were very motivated to keep trying! There was beer and burgers 5 miles down the road!

Finally, a couple stopped and offered us a ride. As soon as we got into his clean car that smelled so fresh and clean, I realized how bad we smelled. It had been four days since we last showered and EIGHT days since we did laundry. We apologized profusely for smelling like dirty hikers and expressed our gratitude for taking us to the brewery. Needless to say, all the windows were down as we made the short trip down the highway. As we got closer, I told the driver they could drop us off at the gas station about a mile before the brewery. Partly because we actually needed to do a little resupply there, but mostly to shorten the trip and free them from the smelly gas chamber we were creating in their car.

A very expensive replenishment

I’ve said it hundreds of times, but refueling on an empty stomach is never a good idea. We showed no restraint as we ferociously grabbed every snack that caught our attention and stuffed it into our basket. When we checked out, our total was much, much higher than we had anticipated. Even the cashier laughed as I jokingly tried to hide the price from Cody while tapping the card reader. “This is the price we pay for hungry hikers,” I joked as I paid for our treasure trove of snacks.

Walking to the brewery

We saw a trail friend riding in the back of a pickup truck pass us as we made the short 1 mile hike from the gas station to the brewery. We greeted and quickened our pace so we could invite him to have lunch with us. During the walk we also received calls from Cody’s parents. I spoke to her mother on FaceTime and she brought the phone to Turkenna. Turk turned his head from side to side as I screamed his name and yelled at him into the phone. I must have looked crazy walking down the road howling at my phone, but I don’t regret it! It was great to see Turkenna and receive a positive report from Cody’s mom. She behaves like herself and has an appointment scheduled with our primary veterinarian in just a few days. We’ll find out if you’ll be able to follow the trail with us again at that appointment.

We ended up meeting Goat at the brewery and his shuttle driver joined us as well. We had a delicious lunch and filled ourselves to the brim with beer and burgers! It was exactly what we needed after so many days of hard hiking! After we finished, Goat joined us as we stood back by the road with our thumbs out. Finally, a local maintenance technician picked us up and we squeezed around his tools and equipment. He asked us all about our hikes as we drove back to the trail. All the usual questions like, “How far are you going to go?” We thanked him for the ride and continued along the trail to Humpback Mountain.

Almost stepping on a maraca snake

We were almost to the top of the mountain when Cody stepped onto a small rock on the trail. But as he started down the other side of the rock, a large rattlesnake was sunbathing right where his foot was about to land. I only heard him scream and saw him contort his body in the air and force himself to take a step to the side of the trail, away from the snake. He then quickly stumbled back and retreated from the spot where he had almost stepped on a rattlesnake!

I finally caught up to him and saw the snake coil up and start hitting us. We gave him plenty of space while we waited for Goat to catch up to us, so we could warn him. It gave me chills as we watched it slither into a small den under a rock at the edge of the trail. He sat at a perfect distance to attack unsuspecting hikers passing by his house. We all surrounded her to pass and continue walking.

Looking for a private

Our destination for the night was the top of Humpback Mountain at a dispersed campsite. This probably meant there was no outhouse and no rocky terrain, making it difficult to dig a cat hole. That was a conundrum for Cody, who desperately needed a toilet. Luckily, a 0.3 mile blue fire led to a campsite that FarOut reported had a bathroom. He said he would meet us at camp when he was done. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the bathroom (if there really was one)! After a frantic search, he resorted to digging a cat hole. It was close!

Sunset on Mount Humpback

He had dinner ready when he reached the top. We set up the tent together and then headed to the outcrop at the edge of the mountain to watch the sunset. It was simply majestic. I’ve seen my fair share of beautiful sunsets. Maybe it was because we had to work so hard to get there or maybe it was the serenity, but the views from Humpback Mountain at sunset are spectacular.

Hike to Waynesboro VA

When we woke up the next morning, we were eager to get an early start! Today we were going on an excursion to the city! Not only was this day a city day, but it was also the last day of hiking before going to AT Trail Days. Only 12 miles separate us from a relaxing day in Waynesboro, VA. Hot showers, dirty clothes, food and a bed awaited us. The terrain was easy. But of course it was, we started at the top of a mountain and we were walking towards a town. But that just meant we arrived at the road junction early and ordered a shuttle to pick us up.

Apparently there used to be a shelter in Waynesboro, but it had closed a few years ago. We had been informed that most of the hikers were staying at the Quality Inn, which was within walking distance of several restaurants and a grocery store. As soon as we checked in, we dropped off our bags and headed to the Delly Up restaurant. That’s where we met Nightcrawler and Goat (not to be confused with Billy Goat).

The rest of the day was spent at the hotel showering and washing clothes. Nightcrawler stayed with us that night, which worked out perfectly because he would be traveling with us to Trail Days the next morning. We all went to bed that night smelling much better and excited for a weekend of hiker trash festivities ahead of us!

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