Day 1: Rockfish Gap to Calf Mountain Shelter

It is now noon and I’ve just dropped off my car at Bear fence Mountain parking lot. Jim and Danny are driving me to my start point at Rockfish Gap.
So, my total pack weight at this point is a considerable 32 pounds! Yikes. I was aiming for no more than 25 pounds. Already I have she’d about 2 pounds in snacks and ditching my rain pants. I also probably have unnecessary first aid and hygiene stuff. But part of this is the learning process.  You see what works and what doesn’t.
We have 30 miles left in the car now – about 45 minutes at present speed. Skyline Drive has a 35mph speed limit so it’s taking longer than usual. Plus there is a slow car in front of us.
So, I  experiencing a whole range of emotions from excitement right on up to nervousness. Have I thought of everything? Did I forget some vital piece of info? Already I have learned I forgot two items. 1. My inflatable pillow. 2. My camp towel. I have substituted clothes for the pillow and bandanas for the towel.
I have an 8 mile day and won’t start until about 1245pm. Even at an optimistic 2mph average, that puts me to the shelter at 430pm. Dark falls at 800pm so that’s about 3.5 hours of contingency.
For now I am out. More this evening at camp!
Here is Jim and Danny and myself – all ready to begin the hike.

This section of trail is 8 miles long and has a total elevation change of 1000ft. That doesn’t account for the times where the trail descends and then re – ascends.
The first four miles were great.  Climbs and downhills. I was doing just fine. We even had a few thunderstorms but nothing major.
Here’s a few photos from then

First break

Down in the valley

After reaching the radio towers, I felt completely spent. Every step felt like my legs were burning. I hit a really low spot and was actually considering a bail out. I started thinking of all the things one shouldn’t when faced with a hardship like this. Home. A/C. Movies. Dinner.

Beagle Gap

By the time I reached Beagle Gap where the Skyline Drive crosses the trail, in the photo above, seeing the road was too much. Even though the shelter was only 2.5 miles away, I was done and willing to pay someone to ferry me back to the cabin. Failing that, I even had another out at 7pm. By prior arrangements Danny and I would turn our phones on for a text update at 7pm and 10 am each day.
One person passed in the correct direction. Instead of flagging them with a thumb, I used two twenties to show I meant business. The SUV stopped, only to have the driver say, “I’m sorry but I can’t give you a ride.”
So it looked like the Danny fallback option would rule. I only had to wait two hours. I tried to call him at 5pm anyway in case some bizarre situation would have his phone turned on. No luck. Take two, no luck.
Just around that time, I spotted a hiker headed my way – from the same way I had arrived. If I could just tough out those last 2.5 miles, at least there would be company in the shelter. So that’s what I did.
It was an absolutely grueling 2.5 miles. Actually only about 1 was as the other 1.5 were flat and gentle descents. I have never been so glad to arrive at a destination than this. I didn’t get here until 630pm so had to work fast to setup tent,  get water and cook dinner.

Only photo from camp!

All I wanted to do was sleep. But those things had to come first.
Including myself, there are 4 guys total here. 3 are tenting and one in the shelter. We all hung out in the shelter while having dinner and chatted about our various trips. 2 of them are on thru hikes and the other is on a two month section hike.
So here I am in my tent. One last thing to do. Inflate sleeping pad and setup sleeping bag. And then off to sleep.
So what happens tomorrow, I don’t know. I am taking it as it comes. What I do know is that tomorrow is a 13 mile day. That is five more than what I did today.
I am taking it 1 step at a time.