Often I have thought about taking the ultimate hiking adventure and walking the Appalachian Trail (“AT”) from Georgia to Maine though I have never gotten beyond the daydream stage. For the immediate future hiking the entire AT will remain, for me, a daydream. I have too many responsibilities now, too many bills and though I could say to heck with all of them I do not think I would be a very good father or husband if I did.
However, about two and a half years ago I began thinking that if I could not hike the entire AT right now I could, at least, hike the one hundred mile section of the trail through the Shenandoah National Park (“SNP”). That stretch is absolutely gorgeous and follows the ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains through the spine of the SNP. The portion of the AT that runs through the SNP is also one of the best maintained sections of the trail from what I have read. And so, in 2018, on my birthday and with my family I began a day of hiking from the northern edge of the SNP southbound along the AT. Thus began my 100 mile journey.
We made it two miles. Beginning our hike from the northern boundary of the SNP meant a two mile hike uphill to Skyline Drive, the only road that runs north south through the park. It is not a particularly strenuous two miles, more like a steady two mile incline to Skyline Drive. There is a parking lot there and we picnic’d nearby. The brevity of our hike, in terms of mileage, however mattered little compared to the family time, and memories created along the way. We added a new family member on our hike, a made up character named Durgsley whose name is now invoked whenever something goes wrong and there is no one to blame. Durgsley has been responsible for countless mishaps, missing socks, and strange noises ever since that day.
I went back to the SNP several times over the next year to hike and fish but not specifically to continue my trek on the AT. We finally returned exactly a year later to continue our hike and again covered about two miles. Though we were higher up this time the heat was brutal and I remember this hike being a hot one for all of us. Two more miles covered, 96 miles to go.
Two weeks ago we picked up where we left off in August and hiked another two miles more wary than ever before of other hikers during this time of heightened awareness to our proximity to other people. I had heard reports of the AT being overcrowded with hikers as people sought to distance themselves from others in the forest. I read articles that the AT was overrun with hikers in some areas such that social distancing was impossible. I decided to take our chances on a Friday morning knowing that the section of the AT we would be on was not a popular section of the trail and I am happy to report that on our drive into the SNP covering 18 miles we passed three cyclists and just one car. The trail head had two cars parked in the lot but there were no people to be seen and we enjoyed our hike while coming into contact with just four other groups (a lone hiker, a father and son, a young couple and a family of four). Keeping our distance from fellow hikers was not an issue and we successfully finished another small section of the AT through the SNP.
Things change though and just about the entire park has now been closed to the public as of today. Only a short section of Skyline Drive remains open, all of it in the southern edge of the park. Though we now have an abundance of time my family, Durgsley and I will not be returning to the SNP to finish our remaining 94 miles (or so) of hiking in the foreseeable future. I know, however, that the corona virus will pass and life will return to normal and when it does my family and I will continue our trek along the AT one step at a time.
the suburban naturalists 