Kevin's AT Thru Hike

Day 69, Tuesday, 5/24 – It rained all night, and was still raining when I woke up in the morning. I had to pack up my gear in the rain, which isn’t ideal, but I managed. Splitzy coordinated a ride from one of the RV campers the night before, so we walked over to their campsite and got a ride back to trail.

We were back on the AT and hiking by 7:40. It was forecasted to rain all day, so I wanted to hike fast. Dillan always wants to hike fast, so us two hiked ahead of the rest.

A trail name finally settled on Dillan. He now has the trail name “Half Time” because halfway through his adventure, he decided to go half speed. Seriously, he hikes that fast. I met him on day 42, which was day 20 for him. His original goal was to complete the trail in 100 days, which would have been an average of 22 miles per day. He could have done it, but he liked hanging out with all of us. So we’re essentially his half time entertainment. He still has a deadline, so is planning on hiking ahead of us in a few weeks or so.

Even with the rain, the hike was nice. Another cruisy day. Virginia has had some climbs, but is noticeably flatter than Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. We hiked 19 miles today to Rockfish Gap (mile 864). From there, Ike gave Half Time, Dogfish, and myself a ride into Waynesboro.

We got into the Quality Inn, soaking wet, and checked in at the front desk. I asked if they had laundry and the lady at the counter said yes! I then asked, “Do you have robes?” She asked me to repeat myself. I said, “Do you have robes? Ya know, so I’d have something to change into when I do my laundry?” Her response was priceless. She laughed and said, “Sir… this is the Quality Inn.” I was dying laughing. I didn’t realize it was that outrageous of an ask!

After showers and laundry, Genie, Splitzy, Half Time, Birthday Sandwich, and I all went out for dinner. I looked for a place to go, and found La Sabrosita on Yelp. I looked at the photos, and the tacos had radishes. Radishes are a good sign that the food is authentic, and is going to be phenomenal. I wasn’t wrong.

La Sabrosita is a Mexican grocery store with a restaurant on one side. The restaurant side had a few pool tables and a place to hang. We sat down, ordered food, and gorged. The food was everything I was hoping it would be. Everyone considered it a food highlight on the trip. I’m continuously surprised with how good I’m eating out here. I didn’t necessarily have an expectation, but I sure didn’t expect authentic Mexican food in a smallish town along the AT in Virginia.