3 Days on the AT - Virginia in February

[Slugg]

Couple months late but what the heck, may as well post a little recap from my 3 day AT section hike this past February in Virginia. This was my most recent AT section hike, from mile 625 VA Hwy 663 Sugar Run Gap near Woods Hole Hostel to mile 678 VA Hwy 630 Sinking Creek, covering 53 miles over 3 days.

My trip began in light flurries and I hiked in snow-covered ground for ~80% of the time. I also had my coldest night ever on trail. Not sure how cold it got but it was the first time my contact solution froze, maybe 10 degrees. I was cold at night but not shivering and slept plenty. All in all the cold wasn’t an issue other than my hard-boiled eggs freezing lol.

Of note: this trip was the first time I have ever gone a full day on the AT without seeing another person and I only saw one other backpacker the entire trip, a southbound IATer.

All in all it was a great trip and look forward to more winter section hikes. This may not be a section folks normally write home about filled with dramatic views but I appreciated the constant through-the-trees views and the snow-sparkle everywhere.

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[chknfngrs]

Cool! Did you find solitude to be harder to stomach with such low temps?!

[Gambit McCrae]

Nice! That is an under rated section in my opinion. However, I believe winter backpacking as a whole is under rated.

[LittleRock]

Of note: this trip was the first time I have ever gone a full day on the AT without seeing another person and I only saw one other backpacker the entire trip, a southbound IATer.

Was this person a middle-aged woman hiking with her dog, by chance?

[Slugg]

Cool! Did you find solitude to be harder to stomach with such low temps?!

Not especially..I look forward to and relish the solitude. It was colder than expected but I have dealt with similar tempts plenty. Maybe on longer solo winter trips it would get to me.

Nice! That is an under rated section in my opinion. However, I believe winter backpacking as a whole is under rated.

My next section will be some of the more hyped parts of the trail..Will hit McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs. Agreed on winter backpacking. I love the constant views you don’t get the majority of the year, the lack of people, and the lack of bugs. I plan to continue AT winter section hiking for as long as it’s reasonable.

Was this person a middle-aged woman hiking with her dog, by chance?

Yes, I ran into Bright Eyes and her dog. We had a nice chat. It made me sad to learn the dog has since gone missing. :(

[LittleRock]

Yes, I ran into Bright Eyes and her dog. We had a nice chat. It made me sad to learn the dog has since gone missing. :(

I ran into her last fall up in NH. Impressive that she made it through the whole winter on the trail! Sorry to hear about her dog.