Today I encountered The Priest. Not a man but a mountain. An uninterrupted 3000 foot descent on rock strewn trail. Of course The Priest came seven miles into the day and all that awaited at the bottom was a mirror image climb straight back up the next mountain. By the end of the day I’d done 20.6 miles, the longest day with a pack yet; climbed 5500 feet, the most until Vermont; and done 6600 feet downhill, more than any other day on the trail. My backpack broke coming down the Priest, the adjustable torso height things tore through the hard plastic back support. Luckily the smaller size settings are intact and it’s functional until I can replace it. I slipped and fell on some rocks two separate times today after only one fall in the first 800 miles. It was basically the most difficult and worst day yet, but I feel great at the end of it. Totally ready for a smooth day into town tomorrow and then it’s off to Shenandoah National Park!
There were some good views today too. Even before The Priest, up on the ridge, there was Spy Rock on a little side trail. It took a bit of boulder scrambling to get up to the view but it was worth the trip. The climb back up the other side was in Three Ridges Wilderness and had several decent overlooks higher up the climb. The rain finally stopped today making for a pleasant morning and slightly warm afternoon. The first half of Three Ridges was fairly exposed to the sun before later reentering the dense forest. For a while it looked like a thunderstorm would roll through in the afternoon; the top of the tallest of the ridges was shrouded within a cloud and I could hear thunder in the distance. Even though it was a long ways away the thunder quickened my pace and gave me some extra adrenaline to make it to the top and then finish the last three miles into camp. Met a couple of people out hiking for the weekend here at the shelter but they moved on after eating so its another night with just Wilderness and Strider. Alarm set for 6:45 tomorrow, another 21 mile day and we have to get there in time to enjoy town and the hotel!