(3/20)

     We woke up at 7 am this morning to pack everything up and get back to hiking. There was a great sunrise and view from the house we were staying in.

     Taking breaks is good for us but it brings the mental challenge of re-immersing ourselves in the outdoors. We ate a big breakfast of chicken, pancakes, and fruit then got back to the trail. As we were about to start hiking we ran into Chili Head and Bear Paw who had stayed at The Station, a popular hostel just down 19e. 

     Hiking was slow with our heavy resupply but eventually we found our stride again. We were greeted with rain and a nice view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

     Next we hiked past the Elk River. About a year ago Tyler, his dad, and I stayed at the same place where we just zeroed and fished the Elk River. We had hiked part of the AT as we fished the river. It was pretty cool to hike a section we had actually hiked before. This is the first time we hit a section we have hiked before. And the next time will be in New Hampshire.

     The next major milestone is crossing into Virginia. After today’s hike we have about 60 miles before crossing into the longest AT state. We will be in Virginia for about 550 miles, longer than we have covered so far on the whole hike. However, the terrain should be somewhat more even, the weather should warm up, and we are much faster now than when we started. Nonetheless, VA will be a challenge.

     We hiked a total of 15 miles today before setting up camp just up hill from a stream at a stealth site. Fortunately the rain held off as we were eating, but just as we were finishing our food it started absolutely pouring. We rushed into our tents and managed to stay mostly dry. We should get a lot of rain tonight and in the morning. However, tomorrow afternoon we might get some blue sky, which would be so nice.

Goodnight.

Walker