Ward called from Damascus, VA last night, where he was enjoying a pizza and celebrating the completion of the second section of the AT. He reached Damascus a couple of days earlier than I expected, as they covered extra miles the last few days (mileage of 23.4, 23.3, and 26.1 the last three days). There was lots of rain yesterday, and snow is forecast for today/tonight.
He previously indicated he and (presumably) Matt would take a zero in Damascus, but his plan has now changed. I suspect this is because he took an unplanned zero last Sunday while waiting out a storm. He'll hike today, then take a partial slackpack on Friday. Today and tomorrow he will be in the Mt. Rogers area, where we hiked in preparation for his Philmont, NM trip when he was age 14 (scouts). He'll spend Friday and Saturday nights in nearby Abingdon, VA and take a zero on Saturday.
A few stats:
Days on Trail/Hiking: 36 Total - 5 Zeros = 31 Hiking Days
Total Mileage - 464.4
Average Mileage per Day - 12.9 Including Zeros, 15.0 Excluding Zeros
Elevations - High = 6,625 ft, Low = 1,326.
Difficulty - NC = 3-6, TN = 5-6 (Scale: 1 = Flat, 5 = Strenuous Ups/Downs, and 10 = Hands Needed/Precarious Footing)
The AT covers 533.3 miles in Virginia, covering the most miles here of the 14 states through which it winds. Virginia is broken into four sections, with the upcoming section extending 163.3 miles through Southwest Virginia and ending at the New River near Pearisburg, VA. Virginia includes some of the most scenic parts of the AT, but hikers often get the "Virginia blues" because the trail is so long in this state (hikers need the mental boost of completing sections and moving from one state to another). The Virginia trail sections range from 2 - 6 in difficulty.
WOW! Ward has some legs on him. For those of you unaware, 23-26 miles a day with a pack on your back "is not the norm". This guy is strong! Ward now is moving into the "ridge and valley" portion of Virgina. This area of hiking consist of filling up with water in the valleys, climbing steeply on to a dry ridge, and cruising long ridgelines throughout the day. Normally hikers don't hit 20+ mile days until this area....Ward has been hitting 20+ already and I assume will have no problem with the Virginia terrain. Almost 500 miles in this state, although he will kiss the WV state line somewhere up above Pearisburg Va. The good news is spring will come to him soon, let's all hope he can dodge those late winter blasts! Enjoy your walk Ward, you will be rewarded for starting early.
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