Paris, VA (USA)

[got up at 0530 so I could get a really early start on the Appalachian Trail today - it was misty and rather cool, but I continued west on I-66 until I reached US-17 - I drove up to US-50 (past Sky Meadows State Park) and finally located the trail near Ashby Gap - after adjusting some weight in the woods (!), I started south from there and found some pretty fields to walk in (place lived up to its name!) - met two couples (NOBO) and talked for a while to "PJs" (trail name) about his experiences on two 500 mile section hikes since 2013 - after that, though, I didn't see anyone for the rest of the day on the A.T. - the weather was great and I saw amazing scenery - I made it all the way to Manassas Gap Shelter (over 10 miles!) - felt great and rarely stopped - I had to make a choice at that point, though, since it was the most remote point I could be: backtrack or try to find a way to hitchhike back to my car - I chose the latter option and used a horse trail to the east to take my chances along US-17 - the trail was so little used that I spent about an hour walking through spiderwebs and through very tall grass (wondered if I would get any ticks...) before I found a road - when I did, it turned out to be a winery farm road - I was unable to get anyone to pick me up until I had walked almost six miles (and it was only about a one mile lift) - I started to feel pain in my feet and thighs, I ran out of water, I broke my sunglasses and was generally drenched with sweat - I finally arrived at US-17 and thought my luck would get better - surely, I thought, I won't have to walk the entire way back! - unfortunately, that is exactly what happened - and, due to my slog through the woods to the east, I probably ended up backtracking more miles than I had hiked in the morning (roughly 12) - worst part, I spent a lot of time along the road getting gravel kicked up on me as the cars sped by - I was exhausted, thirsty and very sore when I got in my car - I drove back via US-50, US-17 and I-66 - when I saw my first chance to get a drink, I bought a giant soda from McDonalds and drained it in about 15 minutes - I was thoroughly exhausted after around 22 miles and would have gone right to bed (1700) - however, Kelly and Jason invited me down to their house in Woodbridge for kabobs - I showered at my house and then drove down via US-1 (it only took about 30 minutes) - I had a nice evening with my friends and their kids - while I was very sore, it was all worth it - I didn't leave until around 2200 - one mistake, though, was that I used I-95 all the way home and got stuck in a big traffic jam - eventually made it home and crashed - 10.03 miles on A.T. / 87.04 miles total]