With ever-increasing reliance on smart phones, we all need to eek out more battery life from time to time. Small tweaks usually suffice until charging is available, but on a recent extended backpacking trip, I needed to drastically minimize drain to ensure 8 full days on one charge. By invoking the so-called “nuclear option” (described…
Overview In August 2016, a friend and I backpacked the ~104-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that runs through the lovely Shenandoah National Park. To be more precise, Lynn and I began as mere acquaintances, but a friendship slowly emerged through months of online planning, and then blossomed over 7 1/2 days of 24-hour togetherness.…
This article picks up where “Preparing to Section-Hike the A.T. through Shenandoah National Park” left off. There, I covered long-range planning tasks including training, testing gear, determining water and resupply points, and completing a backcountry permit. This post moves on to those final-stage tasks that I always think should be quick, but rarely are: shopping…
The Appalachian Trail, aka the AT. Every time I hear that name I have to pause. The AT is known as the granddaddy of long-distance hikes, stretching almost 2,200 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Maine’s Mount Katahdin. That’s reeeeally long. To put it in perspective, Lynn and I hiked the 100-mile segment that…
This post summarizes the eighth (last!) of eight days I spent backpacking through Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail. Click here for more articles from the trip. Day 8: Calf Mountain Shelter to Rockfish Gap Start: Calf Mountain Shelter, 8am End: Rockfish Gap, 12:35pm Total hiking (including to/from campsite): ~8 miles to the parking…
This post summarizes the seventh of eight days I spent backpacking through Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail. Click here for more articles from the trip. Day 7: Blackrock Hut to Calf Mountain Shelter Start: Blackrock Hut, 8:35am End: Calf Mountain Shelter, 5:40pm Total hiking (including to/from campsite): ~13.5 miles Water: Just one small…
This post summarizes the sixth of eight days I spent backpacking through Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail. Click here for more articles from the trip. Day 6: Pinefield Hut to Blackrock Hut Start: Pinefield Hut, 8:30am End: Blackrock Hut, 5:15pm Total hiking (including to/from campsite): ~13.5 miles, perhaps less since we cut across…
This post summarizes the fifth of eight days I spent backpacking through Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail. Click here for more articles from the trip. Day 5: South River Maintenance Hut to Pinefield Hut Start: South River Maintenance Hut, 8:15am End: Pinefield Hut, 5:25pm Total hiking (including to/from campsite): ~14.7 miles; ~15.1 with…
This post summarizes the fourth of eight days I spent backpacking through Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail. Click here for more articles from the trip. Day 4: Big Meadows to South River Maintenance Hut Start: Big Meadows Campground, 7:55am End: South River Maintenance Hut, 5pm Total hiking (including to/from campsite): ~15.3 miles to…
This post summarizes the third of eight days I spent backpacking through Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail. Click here for more articles from the trip. Day 3: Byrd’s Nest #3 to Big Meadows Start: Byrd’s Nest #3 Hut, 7:25am End: Big Meadows Campground, 3pm Total hiking (including to/from campsite): ~14.3 miles; ~14.5 miles…