Trail Days was fun but not all I thought it would be. A lot of the speakers finished off their time by trying to sell something they had made or a book they wrote And the gear companies were really pushy for the sell. I tried to convey that I was just there to learn and figure out what I should buy, but most of them realized I knew as much as they did about hiking gear and stopped the hard sell rather quickly. All in all, I’m glad I stopped to see the spectacle and check out the latest backpacking gear.
At the end of the second day in Damascus, the skies opened with pouring rain and wind, chasing everyone to their tents and vehicles. The next morning held the promise of an all day soaker, so I packed up and headed north to Shenandoah National Park.
In the two days it took to reach Shenandoah (I take scenic back roads through the Blue Ridge Mountains), the weather was clearing and the view along Skyline Drive was beautiful. Drifting clouds and bright sunlight, exposed vast expanses of the valley below. From numerous pullouts along the ridge line you could see for a hundred miles.
I spent the night at Big Meadows Campground. Rain came again in the night. It seems like it rains almost every night and sometimes every day; At least it feels like it. What they wouldn’t give for some of this rain out west.
Karen and I will be hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail from Harpers Ferry, WV, through Maryland, and ending in Pen Mar Park, near the Pennsylvania border. It’s a section filled with history: We will pass through historic Civil War Battlefields. We will get to see the first Washington Monument. We follow the path of Louis and Clark, early railroads, remains of abandoned canals, and stand on the same rock that Thomas Jefferson spoke from. We are looking forward to spending a few days on the trail, now…if this rain would just go away for a few days.
Sounds like you are having a great time. Of course, you realize it has to rain. It wouldn’t be a hike for you and Karen unless it did.
We had rain today; at least, it passed for rain in this country. It got the sidewalk wet a couple of times (of course, it dried off between spells.) We may have thunderstorms tomorrow, and will be happy if we do. It has been over 100º with 2% humidity (a record low), but today, it was in the low 70s. with high humidity. Now we old folks know why we have been hurting so much–a rapid change in the weather will do it every time. When and where do you expect to meet up with Karen?
I would think it is pretty cozy in your snug little van listening to the rain, but it would get old pretty quickly, too. A man needs to stretch his legs. Have a great hike with Karen this week. I’ll be in Boise, but thinking of you. (My stitches are out and my foot is on the mend. Still hoping to be able to hike before the end of the year.)
What is the schedule for your hike with Karen?