Appalachian Trail Journal Week 14: Shenandoah, Rain, Milestones & Setbacks

Considering an Appalachian Trail thru-hike, or curious about trail life? You’re in the right place! This post continues our journey with week-by-week insights into trail life.

Hi! I’m Cindy. In 2022, my husband, Barrett, and I completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail! 🥳

I journaled daily on the trail; these entries make up a monthly AT series for anyone interested in our thru-hike tale!

🔗 Want to start at the beginning with week one? 👉 click here.

🔗 Browse all the weekly trail journals 👉here.

If you plan to attempt an AT thru-hike, be ready for an incredible adventure! Before diving into week fourteen, here’s some background on how our own journey evolved.

After months of research, we originally planned to hike northbound (NOBO) from Georgia in April. However, by week thirteen, we assessed our pace and progress relative to the main NOBO group and decided to switch to a flip-flop thru-hike, altering our route to better suit our needs and preferences.

(Looking back, starting as Flip Floppers from the beginning, or as NOBOs but starting in March instead of April, would have matched our pace and style better from the start.)

Just know, when picking a route for the Appalachian Trail, you can always change it up anytime!
👉 Click here for tips on where and when to start an Appalachian Trail Thru Hike. 👈
👉 And click here for advice on thru-hiking backpacking gear. 👈

Alrighty! Welcome back to my Appalachian Trail journal series! Now, let’s dive into the specifics of week fourteen and pick up where we left off on the trail.

Week fourteen of our Appalachian Trail hike once again brought a mix of highs, lows, and a whole lot of perspective.

From big-mile days and birthday celebrations to our long-awaited entrance into Shenandoah National Park, and from relentless humidity and gear struggles to shifting plans, this week pushed us both physically and mentally, especially as the reality of our flip-flop decision started to fully sink in.

We found ourselves, once again, navigating the pressures of timelines while also trying to remember to let go and simply enjoy our own hike.

Day 92

July 5, 2022

We spent last night in Devils Backbone’s “AT Tent City,” which offers free camping for thru-hikers.

Here we are, the only tent in AT tent city:

I remember around this point is when I really started to feel we were truly falling behind the NOBO crowd. It shocked me that no one else took advantage of this stop for the holiday, but the destination was also quite a bit off trail.

In the morning, we got a ride back to the trail from a kind helper who held onto most of our stuff for the day and returned it to us in the evening, so we could fit in another big slackpacking day after a fun Fourth of July. We were going for 19 miles this time.

I was super proud of us for getting back at it so fast! 💪💪

Tonight, our goal is to head into town for our last zero day before West Virginia. 🎉

Today’s hike was full of rocks, squirrels, chippys, and I spotted a slowly soaring owl.

We enjoyed Humpback Rocks along the route:

We also saw a baby copperhead.

Midday, we managed to book the last hotel room at the Quality Inn in Waynesboro, VA.

Also, near the end of the hiking day, Barrett realized he had lost his buff and was devastated. We knew he had it at the last water stop, so he decided to run backward for a bit and try to find it.

I waited at a small family cemetery while he ran back and ultimately found his beloved buff along the trail.

We also passed the ruins of an old home:

Munched on many berries:

And saw a couple of bunnies that ran away from me up the trail.

We ended our day at our planned stopping point of Rockfish Gap, where the Blue Ridge Parkway turns into Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.

From there, we got picked up, reunited with our things, and brought to the Quality Inn in Waynesboro, VA.

✔️ Length: 19.1 AT trail miles

Day 93

July 6, 2022

All the photos on my phone from this zero day are either screengrabs of motivational quotes reminding myself it’s okay to rest, or pictures from my mom of our gear we had sent to her throughout our hike, or left with her before we took off.

The pictures were obviously prep for our flip. I was sending the pictures back, with the cold-weather gear items I wanted her to bring with her to Maine circled.

Also, on 6/27, I had reached out to Sea to Summit with this email:

Hi there, my husband and I are thru-hiking the AT with a bunch of your products that we love! We are having an issue, however, with one of the Ether Light XT mats (RW). It seems to keep coming apart on the top circular parts. We’ve tried patching it twice, but my poor husband keeps waking up on the ground from another one splitting. Is there any way we can swap it out for a non-faulty one? Thank you! Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been applying numerous patches, but the mat just hasn’t been remaining fully inflated throughout the night anymore.

Since sending that email, they had replied and offered to send us a new one, so we decided to take them up on it so he can have a fully functional sleep mat once again. Today also provided me the opportunity to coordinate with them on that.

We were nervous that if we didn’t replace it, we would be in the middle of nowhere when it inevitably, completely died.

This was the beginning of what turned out to be a 38-email chain with Sea to Summit customer support, taking place gradually, mat incident after mat incident, between June 28th and September 20th.

Don’t get me wrong, their customer support was extremely kind and helpful. But, over the next few months, both of our Sea to Summit mats gave us problems along the trail, which ended with us eventually bailing on them and switching to our Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite NXT Pads, which, after giving both NEMO and Sea to Summit options more than a hearty chance during our hike, I can’t recommend enough!

As for the rest of the day, here’s what a Zero Day Task List looks like:

• Call AT&T
• Email Sea to Summit support
• Write
• Download GoPro footage
• Apply GoPro screen protectors
• Download Shows & Books
• Move $ to a Different Bank 
• Repair Tent
• Charge Stuff
• Laundry
• Post Office
• Resupply
• Cash Back/Bank
• Coffee
• Shower

(Coffee and shower were definitely first! 😹)

And then here’s a sample of what a Zero Day Shopping List looks like:

• Luna bars (lemon, anything chocolate)
• Roku (we decided to hike with one, so we could stream on zero days moving forward).
• Box of Folgers coffee singles
• Toothpaste
• Hand Sanitizer
• Body wipes
• Face makeup with sunscreen
• Tampons
• Bandaids
• 1 dinner
• Face wipes
• 2-4 tuna packs (the thin 90ish calorie slim packs)
• Box of Welch’s berries and cherries fruit snacks
• Pedilyte
• Cherry liquid IV
• Cherry energy squeeze
• Bags of turkey pepperoni

Lastly, I remembered it pouring later in the day after we got back from Walmart. I remember watching it from our hotel room, extremely happy to be indoors.

✔️ Length: 0 AT trail miles

Day 94

July 7, 2022

Today we left the hotel, got a ride back to Rockfish Gap, and entered Shenandoah National Park! We were greeted with these camping rules:

So far, the grade has been lovely, and the terrain is the best we’ve encountered in Virginia. We’re excited for the rest, and we hope it stays this way! 🤞

We encountered a few mountaintop meadows with berry-munching deer and bunnies abounding.

At the end of the day, we enjoyed dinner and watched the sunset from the Sawmill Run Overlook.

There seems to be almost no one in the park. It felt like a dead zone today, which we were not expecting.

We saw maybe 15 cars and people in total. However, three of those people still managed to stop and ask us about the trail. They also all told us about upcoming sections we will hate. 😹 This seems to be something people who are not hiking the trail love to do…

I’m expecting much more of this to occur as we get deeper into the park since we’re basically part of the tourist attraction here.

It also rained lightly twice, but nothing too bad. My shoes stayed dry; Barrett’s got a little damp, but they should be dry by tomorrow morning.

We hiked from 10:30 to 7:00ish. We went over 3-4 mountaintops and encountered nothing too strenuous.

✔️ Length: 10.5 AT trail miles

Day 95

July 8, 2022

Onward! It’s Barrett’s birthday, and boy, has it been an eventful one!! 🥳🥳

It’s been a while since we’ve been in the “ping-pong ball” of mist and fog, but yesterday it returned. However, this “ping-pong ball” was different from the mist and fog we experienced in the early weeks of trail.

This mist was more like being in a ping-pong ball with a little hole in the bottom, sitting out in the Florida rain, filling with water, and then baking in the sun for a few days.

The air was thick with humidity. Throughout the day, there was nothing we could do to stop sweating; it just kept coming.

At mile 879.9, I got stung by a yellowjacket through my sock while walking. Quite the shock!

We tested our bite/sting venom extractor, and I think it actually helped! 🤷‍♀️ Who knows?! But between that and an antiseptic relief cloth, I seemed as good as new. Holy cow, did it hurt when it happened, though, and it came out of nowhere!

We started at 9:30, and by 2:40, we had done 10 miles!

We stopped at Blackrock Hut for some food, water, foot rest, and stretchies.

After that, we came across Blackrock Summit, a rocky section, which was very cool, with tons of rocks piled up and views all around.

We knew rain was coming around 6:30 and started looking for stealth spots a couple of miles early, but never found any that were flat with good cover.

Eventually, we ended up at one of the Shenandoah National Park campgrounds (Loft Mountain Campground) and decided to cough up $30 for a site for the night.

We slept well because the park ranger had told us this campground was a safer place to be during flood warnings, which we were in. She said that other parts of the park flood very quickly.

National Park campground camping has been very different than backcountry camping. At 10 PM, people were still chatting. Our earplugs worked like a dream, though!

I also found my first tick last night. I swear, Barrett finds one weekly, but I hadn’t seen one on me until last night.

We ended up hiking 16.5 miles in total, even with a big water carry, because the trail has been so tame here.

✔️ Length: 16.5 AT trail miles

Day 96

July 9, 2022

This morning, we made a plan for the rest of the way to Harpers Ferry, WV. (The unofficial halfway point of the AT.)

I don’t know where Barrett stored his clothes last night (probably in the bear box?), but the smell coming off them this morning is absolutely horrendous. 😹 Hands down the worst it’s ever been. I am gagging.

Here’s a look at our lovely Shenandoah National Park campsite:

And the site’s bear box:

We took off from Loft Mountain Campground at 10:10 am.

Along the trail, we have found that elaborate planning often lacks in the wet moments. We could definitely have backcountry camped and still used the campground amenities last night, but honestly, spending the $30 to be close to them was pretty damn nice.

Ultimately, when it’s pouring, morale gets low quickly, and you start to feel less and less human. Having a bathroom with water, toilets, soap, trash cans, etc., close by and a bear box for food that keeps it protected and dry overnight, just that little extra, really helps us leave a bit more motivated in the morning.

I also noted that Barrett was able to take a shower, and he remembers doing so. I do not remember this and don’t know why I wouldn’t have showered. 🤷‍♀️ I must have been so tired (and possibly knew we were just going to continue to get drenched) that I opted out. 🫠

As a self-proclaimed cheapo who is always looking to save a buck, was it silly to pay $30 when we probably could have hidden in the woods and used everything for free? Maybe. But there are a lot worse things to give our money to, so I’ve come to peace with it.

Today, we plan to visit one of the famous Shenandoah waysides, which we hear are plentiful with cooked meals!

It’s going to be another rainy one… But it looks like the bad rain will hold off until tonight. 🤞

Around 11:00, we got a warm meal and a blackberry milkshake at the Loft Mountain Wayside! 🤤

A lot of the trail in the park has felt like a garden maze with tall, closed-in brush. The soft, cushy ground has soaked our feet but has also been gentle to the touch and on our feet while hiking.

We have seen a lot of Black Cohosh:

And hit the 900-mile mark! 🥳

Ultimately, we hiked in a gentle rainstorm all day.

At one point, my feet were so wet and heavy that they felt like they were inside little mini water beds.

At the end of the day, the rain picked up for a bit, and we finally gave in, found the spot, and set up for the evening.

✔️ Length: 10.6 AT trail miles

Day 97

July 10, 2022

The rain has stopped, and for that I’m super grateful, but this has to be the grossest I’ve ever been in my life.

Between the level of sweat we have accumulated since we first entered the park and the fact that everything is wet, the smell is at an all-time high.

Again… why did I not shower the other night? 🤷‍♀️ Since the showers in the park are coin-operated, my best guess is we only had enough cash for one of us to shower, and we chose Barrett. 😂

Some trail magic spotted along the trail:

About halfway through the day, the trail became less tight and weedy, and more impressive and vast, with lots of tall, towering trees. The forest floor was viewable for quite a while on both sides of the trail.

The trail terrain was pretty great again for the most part, but there just haven’t been many views yet, except for this one: 😻

One guy early on in the day told us we were doing great and congratulated us for passing the 900-mile mark. It was super motivating to hear right off the get-go. Yay for nice people! 👏

Then, later on, a couple was really curious about our hike and our gear. And then another younger couple, I quote, were “ genuinely blown away by us.” These two used the word “starstruck” and asked for a selfie. 😹 (I hate that I didn’t write down your names, but “HI!” if you see this!)

We enjoyed stopping and chatting with everyone we encountered today. Overall, it was a pretty positive day of encounters with people.

We also saw a copperhead chilling at a road crossing:

Here are some flowers we spotted along the way today:

We hiked 16.9 miles, from 9:30-7:30, and then wrapped up the day by having dinner with Casper, the friendly black snake at the shelter. (He had just eaten as well.)

It looks like around this point is when I started explaining the flip in my shorter daily trail journals, which I was sharing during our hike with about 40 friends and family.

I wrote, there are tons of reasons why we’re flipping, but the main two are:

1️⃣ Regaining power over our hike. Katadhin and its deadline were holding a bit too much power over us and our overall happiness.
2️⃣ Better Weather.

✔️ Length: 16.9 AT trail miles

Day 98

July 11, 2022

We slept wonderfully in our tent near Bearfence Shelter last night.

It was much different than the millipede hellscape we woke up in the morning prior. 😹

Visually, this was a beautiful day. It was also a pretty enjoyable day overall. 

We did a big climb out of the shelter, and took an extra loop to see a view:

As per usual in Virginia, we saw a bunch of deer today.

In the morning, we hit the trail hard, then got to the Big Meadows Wayside area by midday, and basically never left.

–

The last couple of days have been a mental mindfuck. We came into Shenandoah National Park with a plan to get to Harper’s Ferry by a certain date. And well, the AT likes to eat plans for breakfast.

The rain did us in.

At first, this fact hit me really hard because that small stretch through the national park was a section we had tried really hard to have a “plan” in place for, so we could get to family in time and then make our flip to Maine.

I was heartbroken that it wouldn’t work out.

In general, on this hike, it’s really hard to both “enjoy the hike (and in this instance the park)” and “hike the AT” at the same time. They just don’t really go together.

Once I got over the heartbreak that we weren’t going to make it through the park as we had originally planned, I transitioned into a “just enjoy the hike” phase for the next two days, and I’m actually really looking forward to what’s ahead now.

–

We got a very affordable meal at the Big Meadows Wayside and resupplied. I was mostly blown away by the pricing for the cider and beer! 😮

The wayside was packed. Being there felt like being back in civilization.

Next, we got to the Big Meadows Campground and Lodge area with showers and laundry! I washed my pack for $1.25! We also washed everything else.

While there, we talked with Tammy and Fanny, a mother and daughter who were car camping together in the national parks. They were really lovely, and I very much enjoyed the conversation.

Then, we had dinner at the New Market Taproom at the Big Meadows Lodge.

I paid $7 for the same drink I just paid less than $2 for at the wayside.

The pizza was amazing though!!

We camped in a stealth spot we deemed far enough away from all the amenities to be following the rules, so we could still use the resources one more time in the morning.

✔️ Length: 8.2 AT trail miles

Conclusion: Week Fourteen of our Appalachian Trail Hike

Week fourteen of our Appalachian Trail hike had a little bit of everything: rain, sweat, setbacks, milestones, and moments that reminded us why we started. We were challenged in ways we didn’t expect, but those challenges ultimately helped us reset.

As we continued forward, each day wetter and wiser than before, we were trying to let go of rigid plans (as much as is possible on trail) and instead just embrace the experience before us, which gave us a renewed sense of excitement for the journey ahead, one step (and one soggy sock) at a time!

Onward to Week Fifteen!