Monday, May 10, 2021

Day 72, Monday May 10, 2021

   

Genesis (the Message)

Rockfish Gap to Blackrock Hut campsite - 20.7 miles hiked today - 885.0 total AT miles hiked to date.

Returned to the trail today after a 3 day hiatus to fly home for Mother’s Day weekend.  Spent time with some of my family, including my wife, mom, and daughter (all moms) on Mother’s Day, as well as 2 of my 3 granddaughters, my dad, and my son in law. Also had some great home cooked meals that I’d been missing on the trail.  Very rejuvenating, so I was recharged and ready to go this morning.  A special thanks to John for picking me up at the airport Friday to allow for the surprise when I got to my house.

For my daily Bible reading, I’ve elected to read the Message version this time. While this version is more of a paraphrase, and I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a true translation, I thought it would give me a different perspective.  Having previously read through the NIV and just finishing the NLT, I’m sure God will use this version to reveal to me more of His will.  Went through all of Genesis today, as the narrative approach of the Message makes for compelling story telling. Looking forward to what the next several weeks bring. 

After flying back to Richmond last night and then driving back to Waynesboro from there, I got to Stanimals hostel in the wee hours.  Not much sleep, so I’ll be retiring early tonight.  Met back up with Rick at the hostel and we got a ride out to Rockfish gap to resume our trek.  This was also the southern entrance to the Shenandoah National Park, which we’ll be hiking through for at least the next week. We had to stop at a kiosk at the park entrance and fill out a tag to hang from our packs, showing that we were registered for the hike.  While registering, we were joined by Three Jack and Pinot, who had been hiking with Rick for the past week while I hiked ahead to allow me to take the weekend off.

The four of us spent the day hiking a relatively benign 20+ mile section, that was a gentle roller coaster of ups and downs, with no significant or steep climbs.  Regardless, we did cover over 4000 feet of climbs, matched by 4000 feet of downhills to offset them.  Weather cooperated, with the overcast day evolving into a sunny one by lunchtime.  Temperatures were mild, staying in the 60s, so heat wasn’t an issue today.  We crested Bears Den mountain, Little Calf Mountain, Calf mountain, Turk mountain, and Wildcat ridge before arriving at our destination for the night - Blackrock Hut.

We did spend the day crisscrossing Skyline Drive at least half a dozen times.  The Blue Ridge Parkway turns into Skyline Drive at the park boundary. The trail shadows the drive for most of the park, including several waysides at road crossings that should include the opportunity for a hot meal.  Not much in the way of views today, but that should change tomorrow.  All in all a good day to be back on the trail.

One last thing. We are now officially in “bear country”, with several sightings in the immediate area recently.  Camping is relegated to the huts (huts are what shelters are called within the park), and designated camp areas. Stealth camping is highly discouraged, and all huts have bear boxes to store all food in overnight.  Chances are good that we will see a bear in the next week or two.

Until next time…



















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