Still planning my VA hike, need more help please

[trailchick]

Hey there new cool friends,


I am still planning my section hike, and with the assistance of the helpful seasoned backpackers, I have decided to go from Rockfish Gap VA to Harpers Ferry WV. It appears that it will be aproximately 162 mile trek. I have backpacked Chesters Gap to Harpers Ferry two years ago, so that part is somewhat familiar to me. unfortunatley - I lost my contact as to who picked me up at HF and took me to my start point.
I am open to suggestions on a few things:
1.) I need a lift to Rockfish Gap, from HF (Trying to keep as low budget as I can )
2.) Names of post offices to get mail drops
3.) close by food stores to refuel

I have one fear at the moment and that is comming in contact with bear. Are there many out on the VA trail on that portion? silly question I bet, but I just do not know much about them. Also, want to make sure I do not need any special permits, or special requirements to back pack in that area. ?
Honestly, I am in all of all of you that have endured this trek...especially those thru hikers. YOU truley are inspirational to me. One day, perhaps I will get to experience it. For now, I will embrace the time I do have.

open to any one who feels like writing to me and giving me guidance.
Thank you in advance
TC

[ScottP]

Shenandoah is bear central, and I think you need a minimal permit. If you're terrified of bears pick a different section--most of VA has bear hunting and additional bear-dog training seasons. Find one of those areas and you'll probably never see a bear.

Maybe I'm partial to the area I live in, but maybe south/central VA might be a better section for you. Lots of neat stuff to see.

Hiking from Damascus north to pearisburg would be a good section. There are wonderful people that operate low-priced shuttle services out of Damascus that you can probably locate on whiteblaze.

Park at the rendezvous motel in Pearisburg, VA. Give them $10 or $20 for looking after your car, and get the shuttle to drive you south to Damascus.

Hike north to Pearisburg. Send a resupply to The Barn restaurant where the trail crosses 81 (Rural Retreat, VA)

[shelb]

I hiked SNP from Rockfish to Front Royal last year in mid-July, and saw 6 bear on the trail. They behaved like Michigan deer....took off running as soon as they saw or heard me. The deer, on the other hand, acted tame and just walked away slowly.

To go through SNP, you need to fill out a backpacker permit (no cost). They had them at the point we entered. It just asks for an approximate itinerary. My guess is it is more for data and emergency purposes.

[kwalk]

I'm doing a similar trip next week (opposite direction and a few less miles). Not sure I can offer much help, except for that there is a post office in Linden, just after you'll be through SNP, that is less than a mile from the trail. Zip code is 22642. 13474 JOHN MARSHALL HWYLINDEN, VA 22642.

[fredmugs]

Consider hiking that same route in the opposite direction. You can send a mail drop to the Bears Den hostel and hit the waysides in SNP to minimize the amount of food you'll need to carry after you leave there. Plus you'll be good and hungry for the Chinese restaurant in Waynesboro when you finish.

As far as bears are concerned they are running for their lives when they see you. Somebody once said unless you have a branch full of berries sticking out of your back pocket you have nothing to worry about.

[widowmaker3v]

I live near harpers ferry and I hike/backpack in Shenandoah national park almost every week. The bears are not a real threat there. They run immediately upon human sight atleast from my experience. I would be more then happy to give you a ride to rockfish gap if you still need one. I volunteer at the outfitter of harpers ferry and do most all shuttles for them. It's no charge just a common courtesy for gas is appreciated. If you have any questions feel free to pm me. I am very knowledgable on the va,md,wv, and south pa sections of the AT.

[bigcranky]

I like that section, and concur with the idea of going sobo from Harper's Ferry. But either direction works. You can resupply at Bear's Den (mail drop), Front Royal (mail drop or grocery store), and at several places in the park (waysides with small grocery stores, maybe a mail drop at one of the lodges?) Plenty of food in Shenandoah....

Plenty of bears there, too, but not really a problem. They will either mosey away or stand there and look at you - take a nice picture and keep walking.

Might see you out there - I'm heading south from Swift Run gap at the end of the month, aiming to get a big chunk of central Virginia completed.

[trailchick]

Thank you everyone...you guys ROCK! I hope I get to meet some of ya on trail one day. I'v decided to start my trek from Rockfish Gap, and hike to HF . Mainly because HF is closer to PA as far as my drive home. I will call Bears Den and find out about drop offs and also Front royal, and waysides in SNP. I am wondering now how far off the AT is front royal mail drop and wayside in SNP? Im wondering if I will be able to figure it out once on trail. I have the guide book from the hike from CHesters Gap to HF, it was golden for me. I will need to get it out and see if this other info is in there. we didnt resupply or go off the AT when we hiked before, BUT, we were only out a week.
This sight is very cool....full of so much usefull info and I am so happy to have a thread to ask questions. YAY!
Im excited, can ya tell!

[HikerMom58]

Have a great hike!!

[Carl Calson]

Hike north to Pearisburg. Send a resupply to The Barn restaurant where the trail crosses 81 (Rural Retreat, VA)

DO NOT send your package to The Barn Restaurant. We aren't certain for sure, but in the process of our hiking partners' drop box being sent (by the USPS) to the place and them picking it up, someone broke into their box and stole prescriptions, a camera, and more than half their food. Some other person's mail was put into the box and the box was sealed back up. They normally wrap their boxes with brown paper and it was obvious the box and paper had been tampered with and been sloppily taped up. No one in the restaurant "saw" anyone messing with the boxes. We wrote in their register at the front counter that if anyone had any information or sees any of the missing things to contact us. We wrote nothing bad about the restaurant. The next morning we went back and they had cut out our entry. A little sketchy if you ask me. There is a motel right in town I'm sure they'll let you send your package to.

[Cookerhiker]

...find out about drop offs and ...and waysides in SNP...

I'm pretty sure SNP's waysides do not allow mail drops or even hand-delivered supply boxes. And since it's 100 miles from Front Royal to Waynesboro, you'll need a supply point somewhere.

I suggest you re-supply off from Swift Run Gap/Rt. 33. There's a new service provider a few miles down the west side, discussed on this thread: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...oah-Nat-l-Park In planning how many supplies to mail yourself, keep in mind that north of Swift Run, there are 3 locales where you can eat meals - Big Meadows, Skyland, and Elk Wallow.

Hope you have good weather on the hike.

[Damaged]

TC ~ It's not very detailed but here is a link to the map of SNP. http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisi...whole_park.pdf You can use it to get an idea of how close the trail is to Big Meadows, Skyland and Elkwallow. They will not except maildrops at these locations, but you can resupply at them. Bears Den is a good choice for maildrops. The Linden Post Office is also much closer to the trail then the Front Royal Post Office. The one at Linden is only about .5 miles off the trail to your West (Left) as you cross Rt 55 as you are heading North. Happy Hiking

[bigcranky]

In planning how many supplies to mail yourself, keep in mind that north of Swift Run, there are 3 locales where you can eat meals - Big Meadows, Skyland, and Elk Wallow.

Yes, and they are all wonderful. Most of them have a small shop where you can buy supplies, too. Not a big food resupply, but when we were there they had some backpacking meals, cookies, bars, ice cream, etc.

Also, Loft Mountain campground and wayside is south of Swift Run Gap, they have a camp store, showers, and food.

[trailchick]

Thank you for all the response: another silly question,what items are best to put in the re supply box that I forward to myself...of course the food items that I want. but is there something I am missing? should I send myself another outfit to change and send back the other? I just do not know and I am guessing I must arrive to the post office during certain working hours, or do they leave a box outside? silly I know, but again....newbie new here.
Thanks
TC

[bigcranky]

For a section hike when I want to send a resupply box, I put in the food that I think I need, plus:

toilet paper
water treatment tabs
purell
Gold Bond powder (make sure this is in an odorproof bag)
maps and guidebook pages

all of these are refills for stuff I expect to use up over the previous week.

[ScottP]

Good info. I've had good dealings in the past with The Barn. Too bad something has gone wrong.

The hotel in Rural Retreat was bought by new ownership in 2007. They're not super hiker friendly and they've kind of run the place down into a dirty/nasty motel...unless things have changed very recently.

Enjoy the shenandoah!

[johnnybgood]

The post office in Linden has been on the federal list of possible closures, so I'd want to check into that before sending any maildrops there.

[Damaged]

The post office in Linden has been on the federal list of possible closures, so I'd want to check into that before sending any maildrops there.

For now the Post Office in Linden is still open. Their number is 540-636-9936.

[trailchick]

is Linden post office in the middle of the hike from rockfish to HF. I am thinking maybe one resupply box sent to bears den would be enough.
thoughts?