April 22-26, 2024 four DCUL backpackers and two hiking dogs covered a delightful 57-mile section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) from the Bearfence Rock scramble south to the Shenandoah National Park (SNP) boundary at Rockfish Gap. We were treated by abundant wildflowers, butterflies, sweeping views, and jovial companionship.
The relatively moderate mileage per day allowed us plenty of time to admire the scenery, talk among ourselves or with passers-by, read books in camp, and generally savor being on trail. We encountered plenty of goal-oriented AT through hikers grinding out 20 or more miles a day, but we were in recreation mode — hiking with just enough athletic challenge to make our knees feel like they had gotten a workout. The days were warm, but only hot for a few hours, with relatively low humidity for Virginia. The nights were cool but not cold — perfect for sleeping and controlling bugs. The only rain were scattered sprinkles late at night. We also timed the traffic well, in that we met many AT through and section hikers, who told amusing yarns about their adventures. We were a few days ahead of the main AT through hiker “bubble,” though, so we never faced actual crowds.
The first day of hiking was the hardest, covering 14 miles with a full load of food. That’s just the way it worked out, since we planned to sleep near AT shelters (known as “huts” in SNP) which are irregularly spaced. Aileen and Noah started by tackling the formidable hand-over-hand Bearfence Rock scramble. Since creatures without opposable thumbs are not permitted on the rock climb, Ollie and Artemis (along with their loyal emotional-support humans Laura and Mark) stayed on the gentler AT. The final 1200-foot climb of the day in the late afternoon heat to the appropriately-named Hightop Hut was especially rigorous, especially for those in our group wearing fur coats. The fur came in handy that night, however, when temperatures dropped into the 30s.
We treated ourselves to a late start on day 2, since we only planned to cover 8.2 miles from Hightop to Pinefield Hut. Along the way we ran across the social media celebrity goldendoodle Leo and his buddy Michael who have been vlogging their AT through hike on the “I Suck at Hiking” channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn_lFpUEwTR9iH_FrggJm1w
We got to our destination so early that we had time to soak our feet in the spring, gather firewood, loaf, and chat with an intrepid woman who was through-hiking the 2,200-mile AT with her seven and ten-year-old sons. Ollie and Artemis romped with Ellie, a shepherd from Bavaria who had brought her human companion across the pond to hike the AT.
Day 3 covered 13.25 miles from Pinefield to Blackrock Hut, passing gorgeous overlook views, vibrant wildflowers, and miles of AT which was not yet fully leafed-in to create the infamous “green tunnel.” Some of us stopped to have lunch at the Loft Mountain campground. Although many of the facilities were closed due to wind damage, we were still able to find potable water, bear-proof trash receptacles, and one working flush toilet. Aah, the luxury.
Day 4 was the second-longest, at 13.4 miles to get to Calf Mountain, but it seemed easier, since our packs were getting lighter as we ate our food and we got into a rhythm. It featured the spectacular rockslide area at Blackrock. Some of us stayed to admire Blackrock at length, while others moved through relatively quickly, since the rocks got hot in the mid-day sun. As usual in Appalachia, we moved all day up to high ridges and meadows and down to narrow hollows and wide pastures.
The final day featured a quick and easy 7.7 miles from Calf Mountain to Rockfish Gap, where the Skyline Drive meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the parking lot, we were greeted by perhaps the most famous AT “trail angel” of them all — the inimitable Fresh Grounds. Traveling from AT road crossing to crossing in the Leapfrog Cafe camper van, Fresh Grounds has been handing out fresh fruit and other “trail magic” to hikers for years. He even had healthy treats for the dogs. What a nice taste of the AT community spirit! Check him out here: https://www.instagram.com/freshgroundleapfrogcafe/related_profiles/?hl=en
What a great week!
DC UL Backpacking 
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