And not hike, but rather sail through Shenandoah Park.
Fog not as thick as last night, but lingering, the trail running with all the water that has fallen over the past several days. My left big toe, which I banged on the rocks yesterday, is really hurting me, especially when I have to flex it while walking, brace on a downhill or adjust it for any sudden movement. As you can see in the photo, conditions were less than ideal, literally trudging through a stream bed.
Despite the unfavorable forecast, it turned into one fine day, although for a good while it looked as if it could rain anytime as well. I finally got my first views in Shenandoah National Park from the rocks of Stony Man Mountain. High, cottony clouds floating in an azure sky above rural farmlands carved out of the surrounding woodland.
The rocky descent from Byrds Nest Shelter to Thorton Gap was torture for the toe. Argh! At Pass Mountain Hut I was done for the day. Concern about my toe is growing and I can only hope it doesn't worsen. I was able to handle the pain today, but...
On a more positive note, I was able to do a bit of drying out, hanging things up around the shelter, draping them on top of bushes or placing items on low branches. My hut mates tonight are Tiger Lily and Fuzzy Navel, two women thru-hikers on what has been described as a male-dominated trail. The only other hiker is Lemur, a young guy that was at Bearfence Mountain Hut last night. Something of a rarity, since the only other hiker I've spent more time with is Snorkel. We spent some time talking about our trail times. Obviously he's able to do the big miles as he'd done a 50-mile challenge out of Damascus. That would just about do me in. Thirty-mile days suit me, but anything beyond that and the old body starts to complain. This is Lemur's first long trail, but after speaking with him about the Pacific Crest, I got the feeling that it wouldn't be his last.
Trail or Stream Bed?
View from Stony Man Mountain
Rural Virginia
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