07/03 - 07/09: Shenandoah’s Abridged
We limped into Shenandoah with the best of intentions: increase mileage, make up time, and “cruise” through to Maine. Reality, of course, had something else in mind.
After doing the math, we realized we’d need to average 15–18 miles a day, every day, until Katahdin closes for the season. That includes days we feel like garbage, days we’re soaked to the bone, days we lose our minds, and days we don’t want to hike. Translation: 20+ mile days will be inevitable.
So naturally, we kicked off this urgent time crunch with a casual 8-miler. Strong start.
The next day we rallied for a 22-mile haul, spurred on by the promise of food that wasn’t freeze-dried. Celebrating the 4th of July with smash burgers and blackberry milkshakes from a wayside. After attending a park seminar titled “A Salute to Salamanders”, we set up at a public campground where we paid money to be kept awake by screaming children. Civilization at its finest.
July 5 was meh. Uneventful with lack luster views. Just 14 miles of PUDs (pointless ups and downs), a failed campfire attempt, and a shelter infested with bugs and mice. A wholesome wilderness experience.
By July 6 we were back on our mileage nonsense, another 22-mile day. We resupplied at one of the outrageously overpriced waysides, then heard a missing hiker alert. An elderly man had been separated from his wife on there hike and has been missing for a day. We passed a search and rescue team, who we originally mistook for rude day hikers. Further down trail we saw a bear, ate another overpriced meal, and felt vaguely feral next to the glamping RV crowd and their collapsible wine glasses.
July 7 and 8? They happened. I barely wrote anything down. Probably more hiking, more PUDs, more bug bites. The park was starting to blur into a never-ending green tunnel with the occasional overpriced sandwich. Views were underwhelming, shelters were spread out, and it all started to feel like a rerun of the last 500 miles. Just with more tourists and fewer water sources.
July 9 marked our farewell to Shenandoah. We hiked 14 miles into Front Royal, where our feet made a formal request for a break. We took a zero, checked into a hotel, and reacquainted ourselves with soap. First shower in a week. First real sleep in longer. Later that night I saw a police report online showing that the missing hikers body had been found on a side trail near “Lewis Falls” in the park… there wasn’t any more detail about what happened or how he died, but a sad reminder that conditions out here can be dangerous. Especially if you are unprepared. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.
With that, we crossed our first 100-mile week, and we’re feeling proud. Even when the trail feels repetitive or brutal, we’re still pushing, crawling toward Katahdin.