Author Archives: Ryley

There was a nice bright overhead light near us last night, along with a smoky fire next campsite over. Neither of us slept well. We didn’t rush out camp, opting for the cheaper of two available breakfast options, followed by … Continue reading →

The trail in Shenandoah NP is very nicely maintained. Even though I haven’t loved all the climbs, it’s been smooth sailing all the way. Today, rain threatened all day but never materialized. For me, another day of relief from the … Continue reading →

I did end up cramping a fair bit last night, but not full on “aliens trying to escape from my legs” cramps. I still wasn’t feeling very well this morning but the weather was very cloudy and cooler. Still hot … Continue reading →

We had a pretty good climb out of camp this morning. As promised,  “whatever you hear, Virginia is NOT flat!” (we got this from several northbound hikers, but not one of them had ever told us Virginia WAS flat). It’s … Continue reading →

We were up early, eager to get started before it got too hot out. The hike today was through a section called the Rollercoaster. As expected, it was a long series of short climbs and descents. Not much to see, … Continue reading →

Third morning in a row of big waffle breakfast, coffee, bacon, and fresh fruit. Somehow we managed to go through 2 bottles of maple syrup?! Today wrapped up a great visit and rest with Jimmy and Judy (THANK YOU!!!!). We … Continue reading →

We ate and drank and chatted and it was lovely. Judy and Jimmy were great hosts and really bent over backwards to ensure we were well fed and rested. Well fed included some delicious home cooked meals – BBQ steak, … Continue reading →

A fast and interesting hike along the Shenandoah River this morning. We followed a tow path beside a canal that has been converted to a multi-use trail. It’s both the Appalachian Trail and a bike path that is 120 miles … Continue reading →

The night wasn’t quite as restful as I hoped. One of our shelter-mates needed her headlamp multiple times to find things in the night. Another one got up at 2am to have a snack, which involved opening every crinkly bag … Continue reading →

A sweaty but cold night for me, so we were both up early, and hiking by 7-something. Pretty quickly we hit a highway that we hoped to hitch into Waynesboro on, but after a few minutes we gave up, as … Continue reading →