Virginia contains about 550 miles of the AT, almost a quarter of the entire route. So it’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen a state line sign. Speaking of hot, not only is summer approaching, but the humidity is really hitting the fan. I don’t think I’ve ever been so sweaty in my life. And moving on…

Day 81 – Long hard climb this morning, made even harder by the humidity. There was a section of trail littered with fallen trees, most of them uprooted. We think it was a tornado or some kind of gigantic activity.

Orange Man’s friend Kringle picked us up at the end of the day and helped us restock supplies, after which we stayed at his place. A shower never felt so good!

Day 82 – Slack-packed 18 miles, which is a good thing because almost all the water sources are dry and we had to carry a lot. We passed the Keffer Oak, which is about 300 years old and has branches that are wider than me.

There were about a mile of sloping rock ledges to sneak over, with great views of the valley below.

We passed a few more burnt areas. It looks like the fire got a bit out of control and went off the trail in a few places.

Towards the end of the walk we passed a monument to Audie Murphy, a World War II veteran who died in a plane crash at that site in the 1970s.

Kringle picked us up and we spent another night with him before heading out again.

Day 83 – Another day with little water. The climb to Dragon’s Tooth was long and hard and I definitely didn’t bring enough water. We reached 700 miles on the way up.

Dragon’s Tooth was cool, but the downhill was the best part! (Insert some sarcasm.)

This descent had some pretty tough rock scrambling, made even harder by the 30 pounds on my back that threw my center of gravity off. Somehow I had to walk past this:

I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures because I was mostly focused on not falling and breaking my face. “Scared” isn’t the right word to use, but I was more aware of every step I took and which way my weight was pulling me than I had been on any previous part of the trail.

Halfway through the day we walked .5 miles down the road to a gas station where we had lunch and bought about 3 gallons of water. I am learning what my body needs for water, especially when it is humid, and I was definitely dehydrated when we got to that gas station. I still had no problems, but it was a good wake-up call. I need to sacrifice the weight and carry more water.

Day 84 – This morning was pretty epic – we arrived at McAfee Knob! It’s one of the most famous spots on the AT and the location of iconic photos like this one:

There have been many reports of bears in the area, but unfortunately we didn’t see any. It was very hot again today and I had a lot of water with me. By the time we got to Tinker Cliffs, the last third of the Virginia Triple Crown, I didn’t really care.

The descent into Daleville was long, rocky, and hot. Orange Man is having some back pain and my feet are aching. I got new shoes in Daleville, that should help. I tried some blackberries a few hours before we went into town and later that evening I got hives on my legs. Nice way to find out I have allergies! But a dose of Benadryl helped.

Day 85 – Picked up new shoes at the post office, and left the hotel in Daleville around noon, with the heat already pretty intense. Officially 1/3 of the way to Katahdin!

The climb up was really tough and I could feel the heat getting to me. We reached a shelter after 5 miles and decided to call it a day. Tomorrow we will hike early and late, with a long rest during the hot hours. We met a hiker who walks over 30 miles a day. No idea how… maybe he is secretly an Animagus and turns into a cheetah to make those miles?

Day 86 – My first 20 mile day! We started hiking at 6am and reached our first of many crossings of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We stopped at a shelter around 2:30 and slept (or tried to sleep) until about 5. Then we hit the road until about 8. It was completely dark when we went to bed and I saw a pair of eyes watching us from the woods. I thought it was a bear catching our food so of course I did the whole clapping/yelling/showing off show only to have a doe come out of the trees and give me a withering look.

Day 87 – Finally found some decent water sources today!

Gone through/under the guillotine.

When we arrived at the shelter, I tried to watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals with my one bar of reception (which was only available next to the bear box), but to no avail. Two section hikers stayed there with us, choosing to sleep in the shelter with their food, despite the bear box being available. The resident mice must have been grateful for that.

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