Appalachian Trail: Day 53
Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. All the gear mentioned in this post was purchased by me at retail prices. I have no affiliations with any of the companies or brands mentioned.
Today was a bit of a late start. A group of us hikers went into town for breakfast and then a quick trip to the outfitters. The forecast called for rain and packs get heavier when soaking up the rain, so a rain cover was purchased.
After breakfast and waiting around for a while for one of the hostel crew to wake up so I could check out, I started my hike which included a road walk out of town along part of the Virginia Creeper Trail.
From there, the trail turned into the woods. Due to damage from Hurricane Helene, a section of the AT was closed, so after a couple miles in, I had to turn off onto a blue blazed trail to get to the Iron Mountain Trail. This trail was actually part of the AT up until 1972, so it was a bit of retro blazing. The length of the detour is about 20 miles, so it will take me about 2 days to do it all.
Currently, the trail is a mixed use trail with mountain bikes, motor bikes, and horses also allowed on the trail while most of the AT itself only allows for hikers. With the rain, this led to some slippery sections where the tires from the various bikes had turned the trail into smooth dirt/mud.
Fortunately, some of the old shelters are still maintained in the Iron Mountain Trail and I was able to stay in the Straight Branch Shelter for the night.