Manassas, VA (USA)

It was Vets Day & fee-free, so I headed to SNP again to chip away at the roughly 50 miles I had left on AT in the park. Hit the road at 0700, parked my car at around 0900 (near Skyland Resort) and biked south on Skyline Drive. I was in the vicinity of the highest point in the park, so the ride was tough. In fact, I had several "bail out" stops selected so I could ditch Ol' Reliable and use my feet instead. But I didn't need any of them! Instead, I started hiking from Milam Gap (beyond my goal) by 1015... I didn't see any people for a long time as I headed NOBO - but there were plenty of (completely unafraid) deer. I passed a pretty cemetery, the Big Meadows Lodge and got some amazing views of the Shenandoah Valley below. All the leaves were off the trees, so I could see for miles (pictures don't do the scenery justice)! I could even see where I needed to go (across valleys and ridges) all day long but, strangely, I never crossed Skyline Drive. Just like over the weekend, I was bundled up warm when I started but was in short sleeves about an hour into the hike. This led to a rather funny encounter with two tourists at an overlook above me - I guess I photobombed their selfie (aimed down into the valley). I don't think they expected to see anyone at all and certainly not a person without the winter gear they were wearing. They pointed and laughed in my direction. So I waved happily at them until they ran back to their car... Soon after, I started to encounter more day hikers. I had a nice chat with a couple staying in a campground I passed - they warned me to watch out not to fall down the steep embankments... Mostly, though, I was alone as I trudged through mud and a limitless swath of fallen leaves. I also had to contend with some strong wind in a few places. But I made good time back to my car. By then, I only had a few miles left on Stony Man & Little Stony Man (to meet up with the last section I did in the area). Unfortunately, I only had about two hours before the NPS planned to close Skyline Drive (supposedly at 1700). The choice was between hiking over the mountains in both directions or using the road on the way back (it would be an extra 2 miles). I elected the first strategy and powered through... I haven't felt so good on hills since when I could still run the Bass River Golf Course XC course! Though I really didn't have time to enjoy it, I found probably the most beautiful vista I've seen in Virginia yet at the top. Ultimately, I made it back to my car, drove south again, retrieved my bike and exited at Swift Run - with 30 minutes to spare. I headed back towards DC and stopped to eat dinner at Golden Corral (free) in Manassas (arrived at 1800, got to my seat by 1845). It was community seating for Vets and I met some great people, including one couple who just celebrated their 55th anniversary. I was stuffed and physically exhausted by the time I got home. All told, I ended up biking 12 miles and hiking almost 14 miles. Part of the mountain climbing was backtrack and I had to subtract about a mile I hiked in the same area back in 1992, when I first imagined that finishing AT was possible... No matter how long the delay from concept to execution, I'm doing it now! AT Today = 11.10 miles / Grand Total AT = 574.50 miles