Appalachian Dreaming

Scenes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia


After a good run last evening on the Buffalo Trace Trail with the herd, followed by a healthy dose of hops and barley and a mean game of wiffeball with Buffalo Nancy's inexhaustible sons, I basked under the light of the moon with several of the herd. So, Tom, what about the Appalachian Trail? Glad you asked. Told them I’m backpacking the entire Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, a little over a hundred miles, in a week this August. That’s the goal, anyway. In my quest for lightweight equipment, I bought a backpack that weighs just two pounds and I've ordered lightweight boots that are supposed to cushion the transfer of a 30-pound load on my back.

For this trip I have also rejoined the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, where I can get great maps of the trail at a discount, and I’ve read at length forum postings at WhiteBlaze.net, a network of Appalachian Trail enthusiasts, and the "Get Out Fast" section of Backpacker magazine’s website. A wealth of great information about backpacking equipment and the trail is at these sites. These forums often start with a question from a novice hiker, and a chorus of experienced hikers then give their thoughts on the subject, all online. The section "Hike the Trail" at the Backpacker site gives descriptions of the entire Appalachian Trail state by state.

Backpacking buddy Cassandra is already booking our next trip on the trail - Maine, considered the best part of the Appalachian Trail by hikers who have trekked the entire trail from Georgia to Maine.