A dark and stormy evening

Tedious drive down my favorite Interstate, dancing with 18 wheelers. Very few hokie birds on the road, at least.  On arrival, I found the AWOL's guide-suggested campsite in Troutville uninspiring, and -- faced with the beginnings of a Shenandoah style horizontal rain, I chose to get a motel room. Better to start the hike dry.

These next few days will have a few stiff climbs, which led me to skip this part on my way south last year. Summiting during the third day at Apple Orchard Mountain, 3300 feet above my starting point at the James River Bridge, the trail also has a couple of PUDs (pointless ups and downs) in between. I took time this evening to double check and strip out any excess weight in my pack.

While doing so, I discovered that I had left my foil tuna packs in Round Hill. That will hurt.