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Appalachian Trail – Front Royal, Virginia

Virginia
Front Royal

“There are no stupid questions. Just stupid people.”

- Mr. Garrison on South Park

Journal Entry 5.18.00
“At Tom Floyd Wayside shelter with Colorado, White Eagle, and D-Low. 23.5 miles today, hiking mostly with Coloradoo. Supposed to thunderstorm tonight and tomorrow. We’re out of SNP! Another milestone. Closer to Harper’s Ferry with every step…”

Gimpy’s feet
(the cut in the bottom of her foot did not heal for 600 miles)

Journal Entry 5.19.00
“I hiked 3 miles into Front Royal today then 5 miles out to the Denton Shelter. It’s been raining all afternoon but it’s warm so it’s not so bad. Even so I decided to give myself an easy day and not hike in the rain. So I got here at 12:30pm and have been relaxing all day. There is a spring-fed shower here so I took a cold shower in the rain but boy it felt great! I carried a soda and People Magazine from town so I’ve been enjoying my little luxuries. Munch and Manhattan stopped by and hung out for awhile before continuing on. Horses Trot and Ma are sharing the shelter with me. Ma is a section hiker who wrote a book called “Maine in the Woods”. She’s getting ready to go to India after she finishes her week of hiking. It’s been nice chatting with another woman…even though I love the guys out here I still miss girl talk!”

Journal Entry 5.20.00
“6:30pm at Rod Hollow Shelter. 19.5 miles today. It drizzled most of the day, but there were lots of trees and the trail was really green and grassy so it was actually an enjoyable hike. Just me and Horses Trot here, and oh yes, about 20 Boy Scouts. It seems that they are planning to sleep in the shelter too. Shelters weren’t made to accommodate Boy Scouts as far as I can tell. Oh well. I guess everyone has a Boy Scout story – this will be mine. Their stuff is spewed out EVERYWHERE all over the shelter. They just don’t understand that this is our HOME out here. Would you want 20 Boy Scouts wreaking havoc on your bedroom every night? For them it’s just 2 days out here doing whatever, being loud and crazy. Then they get to go home to a nice bed and a quiet room to catch up on their sleep. WE DON”T HAVE THAT LUXURY! These so-called wilderness-trained Boy Scouts are SO LOUD – I can always hear them from like at least a mile away. Hey, whatever, but stay out of the shelters and go be obnoxious by yourselves!!! I just shake my head as I watch the leaders yell at these kids. This entire group got lost today and wound up hiking an extra 5 miles. What a joke. It’s going to be a VERY long night (thank God for ear plugs). And here’s something different – It’s supposed to rain AGAIN tomorrow. Oh yeah, I saw another bear today, trying to get over a downed tree on the trail. How cool!”

Journal Entry 5.21.00
“At the Blackburn Trail Center, just me and Horses Trot again. A long 18 miles today – lots of ups and downs and rocks. I stopped at the Bear’s Den Hostel for lunch and enjoyed some soda and fresh fruit given to me by the caretaker Melanie. Check it out – this is my LAST NIGHT IN VIRGINIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

trail fact: Youngest thru-hiker. The youngest person to hike the entire A.T. was 6 years old when he finished his 8-month thru-hike with his parents in 1980.

Journal Index

Georgia – Overview And the poop on the Trail Divorce

0 (miles from Georgia) – Springer Mountain, Georgia Whose idea was this again??
87.7 – Georgia / North Carolina Aint no all-inclusive package vacation story…
161.7 – Fontana Dam, North Carolina No Rain, No Pain, No Maine
204.6 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park I My deodorant gets the heave-ho!
268.7 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park II The Food Appreciation Trail
336.5 – North Carolina / Tennessee & Trail Names How the Gimp got her name
390.7 – North Carolina / Tennessee The famous Roan Mountain hitch
452.9 – Crossing into Damascus, Virginia 3 states down, 11 to go!
516.7 – Grayson Highlands State Park Roughin it at Partnership Shelter
573.3 – Bland, Virginia My wonderful trail angels!
665.3 – Pearisburg, Virginia The switch from boots to sandals
767.4 – Catawba / Troutville, Virginia Heat wave in Virginia
839.4 – Montebello / Rockfish Gap, Virginia ‘Hiking with Gimpy Sr.
920.0 – Shenandoah National Park Rattlesnakes, Jack Daniels, and bears – oh my!
988.3 – Front Royal, Virginia Invasion of the Boy Scouts
1001.1 – Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia The mental half-way point
1061.4 – Maryland / Pennsyltucky Y’all done drank enough beer!
1123.8 – Duncannon, Pennsylvania The Half-Gallon Challenge
1208.9 – Port Clinton, Pennsylvania $1 Yuengling drafts and the rocks of PA
1283.9 – Pennsylvania / New Jersey Friends and family visit WonderGimp
1334.2 – High Point, New Jersey Rain, rain, rain, trail magic, and more rain
1440.7 – Bear Mountain, New York Hike Naked Day!
1486.1 – Kent, Connecticut Gimpy Sr. and Barkeater hike with W.Gimp
1543.8 – Great Barrington, MassachusettsWelcome to Mosquito Hell
1618.0 – Massachusetts / VermontPhoton and strobe lights for the 4th of July
1687.3 – Killington, Vermont The Inn at the Long Trail
1738.1 – New Hampshire Live Free or Die!
1794.4 – North Woodstock, New Hampshire Gettin’ above treeline
1814.4 – AMC-land, New Hampshire Entering the White Mountains!
1854.0 – Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire Mooning the tourists on Mt. Washington
1869.2 – Gorham, New Hampshire My first Moose sighting!
1920.7 – Andover, Maine The way Life should be…
1979.3 – Rangeley, Maine Closing in on the end
2015.6 – Kennebec River, Maine Eye of the Tiger!
2095.7 – Monson, Maine 100-mile Wilderness
2152.0 – Abol Bridge, Maine Katahdin is in sight!
2167.1 – Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin, Maine Goodbye Capilene – Hello Cotton!!

Other Pages:
Map – Yep, 14 states
Gear – What to Bring
FAQs – See for yourself
Glossary (learn the AT lingo)
Links to Additional Info
Trail Injuries Everything from blisters to swampfoot
Trail Privies Bring your own TP
Class of 2000 Katahdin Thru-Hiker Pictures