Bland, VA (USA)

Got on the road by 0615 this morning and made good time to the hiking zone (via I-66, I-81 and VA-100). On the way, I almost ran out of gas but managed to get a fillup at Exxon in Front Royal (0730) before disaster struck. Started SOBO at 1100 from the AT Trailhead at Sugar Run Gap. The weather was as nice as it has been on the trail in 2018, starting in the 40s and maxing out near 60, with views for miles. The section took a frustrating path along an ox-bow shaped ridge-line, at times heading west, south, north and even east before finally resuming the expected direction. In the first 15 minutes, I met up with a Boy Scout Troop (in three parts) - they all seemed happy to be hiking and camping. After that, I continuously encountered Thru hikers - too many to count! Most just said “hi” but one pulled a “superior” act on me, implying that he was a “real hiker” who had started at Springer Mountain whereas I was “only” out for the day. I noticed that his day pack was smaller than mine and, when he mentioned he had skipped the Smokies (“it was too cold”), I lost all feelings of inferiority. Was glad to leave him... Everyone else was nice, as usual. One lady hiker made a huge deal about how much she liked my hat. A guy hiker gave me a helpful preview of the big descent (and subsequent climb) that I had to complete near my turnaround point (Wapiti Shelter). The trail had been almost completely washed out from recent rains - there was lots of mud and, in a few places, the creeks that crossed the trail overflowed into the pathway (was glad to learn that my boots are still waterproof). Despite the rough terrain, I made really good time to the turnaround and immediately started back towards my car. About a half a mile into the climb, I caught up to the last Thru hiker that I’d passed on the outbound leg (“Armor”) and asked if I could stick with him. He agreed and we hiked together for the next 7 miles. He told me that he was a Scrum Master from Holland and had started out from Georgia on March 15th - he added that he’d hiked about 20 miles every day with no “zero” days. Armor’s presence encouraged me as we continued up the hill - had I been alone, I would not have made it without stopping several times. I found out that he had already hiked 11 miles before he saw me, so that kept the pace slower until the ridge-line. After that, though, he walked faster and I had to push hard to keep up. We stopped to enjoy the views and the silence (and a snack) before we were done. We had some pop culture and history discussions. When we started talking about other AT points north of our position, Armor shared his life philosophy: “I don’t need to know what’s coming, I’ll just do it when I get there”. I was also interested in hearing how he had undertaken the Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela from three directions: “French Way, Spanish Way and Portuguese Way”. He also talked about his hobby at home (rock climbing). It was nice to have a buddy for the hike! Two other Thru hikers (one German and one Australian) caught us in the last mile - I was the only American in sight. I said goodbye to Armor when we reached my car (at 1715, after 14.5 miles). Checked into the Big Walker Motel at 1735. More hiking tomorrow! AT Today = 7.20 miles / Grand Total AT = 1116.27 miles