Podcast: Appalachian Trail Section Hike part 2

Kendall and I sat down last night to record the second and final conversation about our section hike of the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park (part 1 here). After the hike, the whole family took a week off (in Charleston, SC – highly recommended!) and it’s been straight back to work for me since we’ve been back, so I wanted to get it done before much more time passed and we started to forget some of the details.
In this episode we cover the second half of our hike from Big Meadows campground to Calf Mountain Shelter. The second half of the hike was different from the first, with some high highs and low lows. The best part was finally getting in sync with the original schedule and being able to bound from shelter to shelter each day.
The shelters are where you get to actually meet other hikers, so if you are going to be alone or course avoid them at all costs, but if you are going to meet people and hear their stories, make it a point to spend at least half your nights at shelters. You don’t have to stay in the shelter itself – we tented a few of the nights we were at them – but just being there to share in a meal and swap stories as the sun goes down is an experience that makes the whole days hike worth it. There are some fascinating people in the world and I know a few more of them from my time on the trail.
If you come across this and have suggestions for sections we should look at to hike next, I would appreciate any suggestions in the comments. Looking to get a different experience from the SNP so I can get a more accurate view of what it would take to do a through hike. No definite plans as of yet, but just an idea forming which was all it took to get us out there the first time.