Day 94
Start: US 522, Front Royal
End: Signal Knob
Miles Hiked: 16.4
Miles on AT: 988.7
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Back on trail and it’s another scorcher! Janitor didn’t join me on trail today, so we just had breakfast and said our goodbyes at the hotel.
As I got back on trail, I noticed I was hiking alongside some kind of mysterious government facility. There were a bunch of numbered gates and no trespassing signs with ominous undertones. Some light googling, however, told me that this was the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Cool! I had no idea it even existed.
Today’s hike was a hot one. I made sure to bring a lot of water so I could stay ahead on my hydration. I passed a few day hikers who were taking a break on the side of the trail because it was so hot, but other than that, there weren’t too many people on the trail today. Luckily the tree cover for this section was consistent and kept me as cool as it could.
The trail evened out after the initial 1000 ft ascent and soon I found myself in a clearing with blackberries everywhere. Yum! I had to stop and pick them, they were so delicious. The stretch full of berries lasted for at least 0.5 miles, so my progress was slow as I couldn’t resist eating the ripe and juicy fruit.
Soon enough, I went back into the trees and, before crossing under I-66, found some trail magic. Water! I was just about out of water and would’ve collected from the stream, but now I didn’t have to. Thanks, trail angel!
The rest of my hike passed as usual. I saw a good number of day hikers during the second half of my day and took a late lunch break outside of a shelter to fuel me for the last 4 or so miles of the day. It was still hot outside, but it felt like things were cooling down a bit now that it was later in the day.
I stopped to grab water about 0.2 miles before my target campsite and was confronted by a mass of lantern flies. At the time, I had no idea what these crazy looking bugs were, but they were everywhere! Dead ones were scattered on the ground while a tree was crawling with the red versions of the bugs. It was crazy!
I shortly arrived at my campsite, not really expecting too much. But, when I came up the hill to the clearing with tent sites, I felt like I was in a fairy tale! The field was filled to the brim with wildflowers of every color – pale purple, vibrant yellow, delicate white, you name it! It was breathtaking. What a place! And, it was wide open to the sky, my favorite.
I met another thru hiker there named Mosey. We had actually started only one day apart and here we were meeting for the first time. We had dinner together and chatted for a good while about our experiences so far. What a great way to spend the evening in m such a beautiful place.
We said our goodbyes just before sunset. I was so infatuated with this place that I took so many sunset photos. It was just so beautiful! There were quick yellow birds flitting from one place to the next, weaving in between the wildflowers. The sunset show was spectacular!
As night fell and the sunset faded into a darker blue, it was time for me to crawl into my tent. Today was such a pleasant surprise. I love when that happens, don’t you?
And that’s day 94.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.