That rainy stretch on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia nearly broke me

I was hiking the AT through Shenandoah in early June and hit three straight days of rain. The trail turned into a muddy mess and I slipped on a wet rock near Hawksbill Mountain, twisted my ankle pretty bad. I had to stop and wrap it with an ace bandage from my first aid kit, then take ibuprofen for the swelling. Took me two extra days to finish that section because I had to slow way down. Looking back, I should have just camped at the shelter and waited it out instead of pushing through. Has anyone else had to change their whole route because of weather or injuries?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_shah4d ago

Did you mean you were on the Triple Crown or something? Hawksbill Mountain is actually in Shenandoah, not a part of the AT at all.

allen.amy4d ago

Got totally lost on my first section hike near Grayson Highlands. Thought I was on the AT but ended up on some horse trail that ran parallel for miles. Didn't realize until I checked my phone and saw I was nowhere near the white blazes. Had to backtrack almost three miles. Now I always double check my map at every junction, especially when the trail looks too wide or easy. Saved me from doing it again on the Roller Coaster section last year.