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[at-l] hike report

I spent hours talking with Skyline (Jim Austin) at TrailDays.  He gave me
his two-week hiking itinerary.  He intended on hiking north from
Pearisburg to Jellystone CG, then jumping into Pennsylvania, hiking from
Pine Grove Furnace SP to Duncannon...

On Tuesday, I decided to surprise Skyline on the trail, so I parked the
van at the VA635 trailhead (near Pine Swamp Branch Shelter), and hiked
south up the mountain along some wonderful switchbacks, passing the
beginning of the Allegheny Trail, and continuing until reaching a small
rock out-cropping.  The day was becoming hot and humid, and I was beat,
so I took a break.  The stop consisted of lunch, then reading a chapter
or two in a book, and then a nap.  Four hikers passed by at various times
during my stop, and indicated that Skyline was somewhere back along the
trail.  I continued hiking south...

I eventually saw Skyline in the distance, and began a verbal barrage (in
his honor), harrasing him for being "the slowest hiker that I had ever
seen".  He was not sure, at first, who I was, or why I was abusing him,
but he finally figured it out, and we had a good laugh.  He was very
happy that I had hiked in to see him.  I turned around and we hiked
north.  We yakked and laughed, and finally stopped at the same rock
out-cropping that I had stopped at previously...

Skyline was actually have a tough day in the heat and humidity.  He wears
a baseball cap to keep the sun off of his head, but this does not allow
for heat to properly escape the body, so, on a day like this was, it is
either sunburn, or heat stroke.  Generally he will keep a bandana wet to
cool his face and head, but this stretch of trail is lacking in water
sources, and he needed all of his water for drinking.  Lunch and a rest
did him a world of good...

We continued north, but his discomfort eventually turned to nausea,
headache, and chills.  Not good signs.  We did make it down the
switchbacks and to a stream before anything serious happened, so he was
able to really cool down and eliminate the symptoms.  We got to the
shelter, where he had originally intended on staying the night, but he
decided that some cool drinks, and a sit-down meal in Pearisburg would be
better.  We hiked to the van and headed into town.  After supper, we
headed back to the trailhead, and he pitched his tent.  It was just about
nightfall when we hit the sack, he to his tent, me to the van...

Wednesday morning was gloomy and the rains began to fall.  Skyline was
ecstatic.  I left him as he headed north with a spring in his step...

pittsburgh

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