Today was my last day hiking in Shenandoah. I entered the park Friday morning - just as Memorial day weekend was getting started - and am leaving today, a day after the crowds have left the park and gone back to their jobs/regular lives.
I got a wake-up call on my first day. I heard through the grapevine that another hiker ("Sasha") had been taken to the hospital b/c he had been either bitten or stung by something and had collapsed and temporarily lost his vision. I had spent some time with him and his hiking partner ("Miss Maggie") over the last few days, and it was scary to hear about something like that happening to someone I kinda knew. Needless to say, I was watching my steps very closely for the rest of the day.
The next day got off to a bit of a strange start. About two hours into my hike, I come to an overlook with a truck and some pretty happy hikers behind it. Apparently, there was a former hiker who has putting together a documentary about thru-hikers, and he wanted to get interviews - and he knew the best way to get people to cooperate was through their stomaches. He had cookies, bagels, soda and lots of beer. A few other hikers and I got a little carried away with the beer, and when I eventually left, I had a little bit of trouble hiking straight.
I also saw lots of wildlife while I was in the park. I lost count of the number of black bears I saw - six or seven, I think. Tons of dear too. They were not the normal kind who run off as soon as they hear you. They lived their lives in a national park, so they are not as scared. Another hiker said he almost bumped into one while hiking. And I also saw my first rattlesnake too. I saw it today. Fortunately, I heard it before I saw it - but it still gave me a scare. He was curled-up and not interested in moving, so I had to leave the trail to safely walk around him.
It was kinda strange hiking in Shenandoah. There were tons of families and day hikers sharing the trails with us, instead of just the normal crowd of thru-hikers and section-hikers. And the trail was pretty easy too. Because the trails get more traffic, I think they are also maintained a little more too. It made it easier to cover more distance. Hopefully, the transition to non-NPS trails will not be too difficult!
I got a wake-up call on my first day. I heard through the grapevine that another hiker ("Sasha") had been taken to the hospital b/c he had been either bitten or stung by something and had collapsed and temporarily lost his vision. I had spent some time with him and his hiking partner ("Miss Maggie") over the last few days, and it was scary to hear about something like that happening to someone I kinda knew. Needless to say, I was watching my steps very closely for the rest of the day.
The next day got off to a bit of a strange start. About two hours into my hike, I come to an overlook with a truck and some pretty happy hikers behind it. Apparently, there was a former hiker who has putting together a documentary about thru-hikers, and he wanted to get interviews - and he knew the best way to get people to cooperate was through their stomaches. He had cookies, bagels, soda and lots of beer. A few other hikers and I got a little carried away with the beer, and when I eventually left, I had a little bit of trouble hiking straight.
I also saw lots of wildlife while I was in the park. I lost count of the number of black bears I saw - six or seven, I think. Tons of dear too. They were not the normal kind who run off as soon as they hear you. They lived their lives in a national park, so they are not as scared. Another hiker said he almost bumped into one while hiking. And I also saw my first rattlesnake too. I saw it today. Fortunately, I heard it before I saw it - but it still gave me a scare. He was curled-up and not interested in moving, so I had to leave the trail to safely walk around him.
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| From AT 2012 |
It was kinda strange hiking in Shenandoah. There were tons of families and day hikers sharing the trails with us, instead of just the normal crowd of thru-hikers and section-hikers. And the trail was pretty easy too. Because the trails get more traffic, I think they are also maintained a little more too. It made it easier to cover more distance. Hopefully, the transition to non-NPS trails will not be too difficult!
stay safe buddy
ReplyDeleteI would think bringing maracas along would be a fantastic way to freak out other hikers.
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