July 2: Shenandoah National Park Permit Registration Station   Miles Today : 30.7 Total Miles : 30.7

I got a really early start this morning, sometime around six, since sleeping in the car was not the most pleasant thing that I have ever done. With a stiff neck and a cramp in my calf, I locked the car, tossed my pack on my back and headed out over the Tye River. Almost immediately I could feel my body trying to recover from a weekend of torture. I could feel my liver cleaning out my system as I struggled to get into high gear.

The weather, however, was really fantastic all day. Morning overcast made the temperatures on the chilly side and I actually had to keep moving to stay warm. This was a far cry from what I expected to feel in Virginia in July. By the time I got to the summit of the Three Ridges, the clouds had dispersed and I was offered a great, haze-free view of the blue ridge.

Later in the day, I arrived at Cedar Cliffs, an exposed area with views looking back on the Three Ridges. It was a great spot on a great day, and I promptly took a nap in the now warm sun. I was in absolute disbelief at the great weather I was experiencing, even the breeze was perfect. Then, just a few miles after this outlook, I came across another ledgy area and I found myself standing within 10 feet of a huge turkey vulture. For some reason, he didn't take flight immediately, so I got a chance to study him and take a few photos.

I also got a bit of trail magic this afternoon. About 20 miles into the hike, a day hiker offered me a few chocolate covered expresso beans, just what I needed at that moment. We talked for a few minutes about the trail and her plans to thru-hike in the future, then moved along.

At about 3:30, I arrived at the John Wolfe Shelter, my original destination for the evening. Here, I washed up a bit and soaked my sore feet in the cold river. When I felt a little better, I cooked dinner and drank plenty of water. Everyone at the shelter was nice enough, but they were all talking about quitting and leaving the trail, it was pretty depressing to say the least. I tried to offer some encouragement and suggestions, but I think that most of them had made up their minds. There was also a southbounder that found great joy in reading the shelter journal to everyone present, even though we had all read most of the entries earlier.

Anyway, at 5:30 I was feeling quite refreshed and I made the decision to move on to wherever my feet would take me. This would be a bad idea. After a mile or two, it was pretty evident that my legs were pretty weak from the 25 miles that they had already hiked. At first, it was just fatigue, then with about two miles to go they started to get wobbly. By the time that I got here, my legs were reaching the point of complete failure. Also, there is really no camping here, rather it is just a widened out section of trail near the registration booth, so I am sleeping right in the middle of the trail, in my sleeping bag, under the stars. I really could not move on any further, so I'll take what I can get, but the sky is clear, the ground is flat and the stars are out. I really need a good nights sleep.

-Chomp

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