Back on the road

Ted. Judy and I flew back to Atlanta on May 5 and, after a brief visit with friends and family, loaded up Raymond, our beloved pickup truck, for our next road trip. 

Our destination was Frederick, Maryland. We have friends and family in the area and this was a good opportunity to work towards our goal of taking day hikes on the Appalachian Trail in all 14 of the states through which the 2,200 mile (3,500 km) AT passes. Frederick is a beautiful 276-year old town and lies within a 30-mile radius of portions of the AT in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. 

We took several days to make the 700-mile journey north. Our first stop was Marion, Virginia, near Grayson Highlands State Park. A friend who had walked the entire AT had fond memories of the trail in this area. We were amazed by the beauty of the scenery along our route, through portions of South and North Carolina and Tennessee. The mountains in this part of Virginia were much different from those we were used to. The bald rolling hills looked more like Montana than Georgia. 

From the state park, we hiked south along the AT, immediately meeting a couple of northbound “through hikers.” Having started their journey in Springer Mountain, Georgia in February, they were on track to reach Mount Katahdin, Maine by July or August. On our hike, we also encountered two species of animals that we had never seen on a trail. 

Wild ponies

Wild longhorns

Apparently the Forest Service had imported these critters back in the 70's to maintain the vegetation. They seemed to be thriving and the balds remain magnificent. 

It was in Marion that we first felt the effects of the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline. Gas stations were beginning to close throughout the South due to severe shortages. We were able to top off our tank and drove north to Lynchburg, VA, a beautiful and historic little town on the James River. After a great lunch, we drove to Staunton, VA, where we spent the night (after finally finding gas). 

The next morning we entered the Shenandoah National Park and drove the 105-mile Skyline Drive to Front Royal, VA. The AT parallels the road through the park and when we stopped for a coffee we chatted with more “through hikers.” Again, the scenery was great, with frequent overlooks of the Shenandoah River Valley. 

Spring comes late in these hills

From Front Royal, it was a short final drive into Frederick where we will spend our next four weeks.