Appalachian Trail (day 40) - Waynesboro to Browns Gap / mile 889

"If a black bear attacks, always fight back" National Park Service

The threat of rain was looming above for the entire day, I was checking weather forecast frequently and it would always get different (slightly better) results It looks like in the end I managed to hike out of this wet spell.

Breakfast at the Quality Inn was served from 6:30 AM. I've packed everything before going to bed last night, so it was all ready for a hitchhike back to trail. There was plenty of hikers at the Inn, including one section hiker who announced that he will be shuttling people back when they are ready.

Breakfast as far as things included in price are, was quite good. Yogurts, fresh fruit, coffee, toasts or waffles, biscuits and gravy and scrambled egg which might have been made from powder. After eating a considerable amount I've went over to Dale, the gentleman offering the rides and said that I can be ready in 5 minutes. By the time I've got my things he was already waiting in his car.

Dale, trailname Mapless moved to Franklin few years ago to be closer to Appalachian Mountains, he was section hiking the AT ever since. He finished the section between Pearisburg and Daleville few days ago and unfortunately like many others got infected with norovirus. He dropped me off at the Rockfish Gap the starting point of Shenandoah National Park, I would be hiking through this park for next couple of days.

The Shenandoah Valley, located between Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, played a crucial role in the Civil War and was associated with "Granary of the Confederacy". The region holds significant cultural and historical value, with early Native American settlements and European explorers. The Park was established in 1935. Shenandoah National Park was the second area after Smokey Mountains which required a permit, it costed 15$ and it could be purchased online.

I've started hiking at 7:30 AM, trail although still very wet was well maintained and the altitude variance wasn't big so I managed to cover a good distance. Trail was overlapping with Blue Ridge Highway quite frequently which was taking away from "being in the wild" experience as you could hear cars and motorcycles driving up and down quite often.

Recent floodings has awakened it's mischievous residents as well, typically not seen until later in the season. Yesterday someone has been bitten by copperhead snake by the nearby shelter and people were warning me about a rattlesnake they just seen. I guess it would be sensible to be more vigilant for the next couple of days until every forest creature reclaimed its home.

There was a couple of rules where to camp in Shenandoah but they were not very strict, I've found a decent campsite at about 6 PM and decided to stay. For some reason, I didn't get much sleep at the Quality Inn last night, even though the bed was very comfortable. Hopefully tonight I could catch up on that.