Waynesboro zero

Showers off and on, waiting out tornado watch and oncoming storms, pouring by 4. Debate wisdom of zero vs. long slack today, but now wondering how wet trail will be. Might just walk a while with Kibs.

Waynesboro VA, end of Shenandoah

7 1/2 days, just like 5 years ago, only much more rain. Familiar scenes.
Blogger still not posting photos, even after reinstalling.

Skyland resort

Sun and then mist, rain later, yogurt, chocolate chip cookie and hot tea, amidst the tourists. First northbounders, who report hearing that the norovirus is aleady striking the oncoming  herd in central VA. Oh well.

Front Royal

5 days, 54 miles, warm days, cool nights with slight showers. Meeting interesting people, many small coincidences:
Thru hiker #4, Wrong way, started Jan.2, wearing exact same shirt --his from hiker box, mine found in parking lot of Goodwill in Spokane, biking by.
Sarge, also 69, Vietnam instead of college, both of us with leg scars from having squamous cell cancers cut out. He struck an Ahab look, long white beard and a harpoon like walking stick.
Lone Bull, likewise 69, same Osprey pack but has congestive issues, still out hiking.
Tomorrow Shenandoah.
But tonight at same hostel Rodney and I stayed, 5 years ago the main house a wreck but today a deluxe BnB.

Bears Den hostel

2nd day on trail, breaking myself  in gradually. Repeating what Rodney and I did in 2014, without the snow we started in then.  Warming up, might be a thunderstorm tomorrow. Haven't met any northbounders yet, just too many scout troops out for the weekend.
Planning 5 days for the 55 miles to Front Royal.
Blogger won't let me post my photo at ATC HQ in Harper's Ferry for some reason. Have to try again when I have better WiFi connection.

3rd time's the charm

I'll be heading down to Harper's Ferry once again, aiming to hike south on the AT for about 3 weeks and hoping for an uncrowded trail at first. Once I run into the oncoming mass of northbound thru-hikers (and the "no-walk" norovirus that is the scourge of central VA about then) I will then skip out to Lynchburg VA and catch the train to Georgia. I will then start north around the beginning of May, maybe before the college graduates flock to Springer. This way I might be able to stay tucked in between the largest waves of hikers -- wishful thinking since the trail is always well trodden this time of year. I will hike up to where I got off the trail in VA, finishing the 1000 miles of the southern AT by the end of June. That will leave only the Mt. Washington to Katahdin section to do in September, completing my 3rd complete AT.

That's the plan, anyway. As I have learned, best laid plans rarely go the way you expect.

This time around I won't try for an active record of my travels, just the occasional postcard posting to mark the passage.