Left Waynesboro about noon today and hiked south to the Paul Wilfe shelter.  It was only 5.1 miles, so it was an easy day.  Tomorrow I will tackle Humpback Mountain and then try to cover some more distance before I get to The Priest.  I’m a little worried about the climb there.  It’s 3,200 ft over 4 miles. Yikes!  It will be one of the major climbs of the trek.

• Paul Wolfe Shelter and privy.    
• Switchback.  (I’ve seen a few.)  
• Dinner on the trail.  

Hike statistics :
Day #18

• Miles from Mt Katahdin, ME – 1,332.6
• Miles from Harpers Ferry – 166.0
• Miles to Springer Mtn, GA – 856.6
• Avg daily distance – 9.2 miles

Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days. – Benjamin Franklin

I’ll post more later today when I get to Waynesboro. But I can’t resist putting this picture on the blog now. I hiked in the fog this morning. I was waiting for the Ewoks to shoot arrows at me.  

Here are me trail buddies from the last shelter.  The brothers started in Pennsylvania and are hiking south, but there’s no way I can keep up with them on my 58 year old legs. 

I made it to Waynesboro after hiking 7.5 miles out of Shenandoah National Park.  Tomorrow it’s off into the Blue Ridge.   

I’m staying at the Tree Streets Inn in Waynesboro tonight.  The place is fantastic!  I swam in the pool, did laundry, and even met “Casper” the local cat.   

And for the artistic; I thought this gate from long ago was cool.

I went to the infamous “Ming’s Garden” for dinner in Waynesboro.  Here’s my fortune.  Thanks to everyone following my blog! 

 Hike statistics :

• Day #17
• Miles from Mt Katahdin, ME – 1,327.5
• Miles from Harpers Ferry – 160.9
• Miles to Springer Mtn, GA – 861.7
• Avg daily distance – 9.5 miles

I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up. – Benjamin Franklin

Today was a day of just hiking.  Started at Blackrock and did 13.1 miles to Calf Mountain, not nearly as fast as yesterday however.  I think I cashed in my trail legs too early.  I’ll be heading into Waynesboro tomorrow and getting a hot shower, laundry, and perhaps a second “zero” day.

Someone passed out shots at the shelter last evening.  I had the white chocolate and peppermint one.  What a treat! 
On the more serious side, we all hang our food at night to keep the critters (bears) away,  

And I even saw a dragon on the trail. 

And yes, it’s raining again…

I can resist anything except temptation. – Oscar Wilde

I’m not going to post many pics today.  I’m at Blackrock Hut in Shenandoah National Park tonight.  I will add pics when I get to Waynesboro in 2 days, or sooner if I get LTE service somewhere.  Many are already on Carousel.

I now have LTE, so here are a few pics.

Lunch at the wayside.  

Ivy Creek Spring. 

Someone brought shots.  Nice!  I had the white chocolate and peppermint. 
Made great time today. Hit the trail at just after 12:30 and covered the first 9 miles in 4 hours, although most was downhill.  I easily made Blackrock Hut before evening – another 2.5 miles. I think my “trail legs” are starting to come.

Saw a mama and baby bear 50 yds off trail earlier. Count = 3.  By the way, you won’t see any bear pics from me.  I spend my time near them making sure they know I’m there and increasing distance safely.  They are wild creatures.  Duh!

A special thanks to Adam Hastings, the “trail angel” of Charlottesville.  He singlehandedly made it possible for Andrew to hike with me.  

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. – Walt Disney

The last 2 days I’ve been hiking with Andrew.  He was told by one of the thru-hikers we met that if he didn’t pick a trail name he could be “Weenie”.  So now he’s “Barbershop”.  We did 20+ miles together over the last two days, singing barbershop songs as we hiked.  I think I’m beginning to get my trail legs.  The old guy did great with the youngster.

  We climb a lot of mountains.

 
We met lots of NOBO’s on the trail including “Star,” an awesome pooch.

 
Here’s Bronco, Lucky, Pine Cone, and Luna.

  
And Disconnect.

 
This is Broken Feather, who is SOBO with me, with his Platypus Gravity filter.

  
You ask, “Puffin, what do you drink on the trail?”  The answer is purified spring water infused with fresh wild raspberries.

We passed this on the trail today.  900 miles to Springer, another milestone.  
And finally, “Turtle Pack” was overnight hiking with her mom.

 

Andrew and I are in Charlottesville, VA with his brother-in-law Adam.  Had steak at Outback and did laundry.  Tomorrow Andrew flies home and I get back on the trail to finish off Shenandoah National Park over the next couple of days.

You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life. – Winston Churchill