Sunday, April 17th

Front Royal, VA (972.1 mi) to Rod Hollow Shelter (995.7 mi)

Hiking Miles: 23.6

Total Ascent: 4,576.4 ft

Total Descent: 4,617.5 ft

Total Grade: 387.0 ft/mi

Steps: 56,299

Happy Easter!

We entered the hotel lobby for a 4:45 am pick up from Nina. Whereas she originally told us that she would be there closer to 4:30 am and it was already 5:03 am, I called her. She informed me that she totally forgot. Apparently she had penciled us in for Monday morning, and not Sunday. She was very apologetic and immediately drove over to pick us up, and subsequently dropped us off at the trailhead by 5:45 am. She offered to only charge us $1 to make it right. I smiled and politely said “no”, and that we were grateful that she woke up early to drive us, especially on Easter Sunday.

Our original plan was to hike 15 miles to Whiskey Hollow Shelter today, however we packed on another 8 miles for a total of 23 to Rod Hollow Shelter. It was a wise decision whereas tomorrow it was supposed to rain, and possibly snow.

On our way, we did see many varieties of flowers, butterflies, and downed trees – one of which had a very deep root system that took us a minute to scoot around.

We claimed space on the top platform of the shelter, spreading our tents out flat under our ThermaRest air mattresses for protection against the rough shelter floor. We collected water at a nearby stream, called home, then sat at the covered picnic table and ate dinner (Ramen noodles with tuna) with a hiker named “Uphill” who completed the AT in 2017 with his dog. Uphill also hiked the PCT. He got his name when one day he frantically ran uphill to reach a privy as soon as he could (it was an EMERGENCY) and he literally pooped while running uphill. Surrounding hikers saw the whole ordeal and offered him the name “Uphill” (short for pooping uphill), and he accepted it!

There were 3 other NOBO (North Bound) hikers – two of them were a couple named “Lifeguard” (male) and “Spoon” (female) on-site and 2 SOBO hikers (including Uphill). One thing we noticed was that Uphill had a tremendous appetite. He had two large helpings of ramen, and he undoubtedly reached the point of so-called “hiker hunger” that we have yet to experience.

It was also during dinner that I learned from Uphill what a “Ramen Bomb” was. Just add some instant potatoes to your cooked ramen until you have a thick, soup consistency. It was filling and delicious, and I can see making this a staple as part of our ramen dinner nights. The hot meal was welcoming because the night was very cold. I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping in this weather, especially with snow/rain in forecast and plummeting temps. However, I give gratitude for my warm sleeping gear!