The Triple Crown of Blackberry Smoothies (Day 74)

Today we visited our third and final Wayside in Shenandoah National Park. It’s a little bittersweet, since it has been a very fun experience. But it also means I’m approaching the middle of the AT.

Elkwallow Trail

We arrived at Elkwallow Wayside at 10am and stayed for a few hours (shocking, I know). The lunch counter didn’t open until 11am, but I was determined to wait and order my third blackberry smoothie of the week. Shenandoah is known for its blackberry products.

They sell jam and syrup in their gift shops, and in their restaurants and Waysides you can order a variety of blackberry desserts. A few other hikers and I set out to order the blackberry smoothie at the three Waysides we visited this week. We call it the Triple Crown of Shenandoah.

last hurray

After completing this most imperative task, I ran into some hikers I hadn’t seen in a while and then headed back to the trail. My group did a mix of road and trail hiking today. The views and weather have been beautiful all week and I know I will be leaving this place tomorrow.

I made it almost 20 miles today before getting tired and camping with some people at a dispersed tent site. We watched a bit of the Brazil vs. World Cup match. Morocco on someone’s phone while we had dinner and then called it a night.

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