025A (Part 1 of 5)

Published early because we're leaving tonight at midnight.

Here's the pre-show research I did...

From the PATC book, the number for reservations at Big Meadows Lodge is 800-999-4714 (however, this number is disconnected). So I called the number for federal and national park reservations (877-444-6777)--aka Recreation.gov--and the receptionist told me they only book campsites, and that I should call...

877-247-9261 or visit www.goshenandoah.com for lodge reservations for Big Meadows Lodge, Skyland Resort, and Lewis Mountain Cabins.

So I called and the receptionist recommended I make reservations rather than just arriving. As of today, they have availability on the 25th in all three types of facilities: Lodge ($105), Cabin ($136), and Preferred Room ($177). All have access to hot showers, and the Preferred rooms have A/C.

I will talk to dad about this during tonight's podcast, then probably book online tomorrow.

As for paying Dick to shuttle us from Luray to Rockfish Gap, I called Yellow Cab of Luray and the cost would be $120 total. It is $1 per mile, and the KC said it was about 120 miles. So although we are using Dick Hostelley, you could also just hire Yellow Cab. I will suggest we pay Dick slightly more, because he has been so helpful to us with info, and also will be on call if we need an extraction. Plus, Dick is a nice guy.

August 25th, the day we are staying at Big Meadows Lodge, is a 2014 NPS "Fee Free Day" in celebration of the National Park Services's 98th birthday.

Dad got blisters, and I got chafing. Here we throw off all modesty to discuss our personal trail ailments in the name of helping others avoid two very common dangers with backpacking. We will be leaving for Shenandoah National Park in 5 days, so this is our final logistics episode, then next week we will do one final map study.

Really coming down to the wire on the Appalachian Trail adventure. In this podcast, we make final decisions about several logistical questions, including where to stay, when to depart, how to get to Luray, VA, and more. I discuss my phone call with the desk clerk at Shenandoah National Park headquarters. We also create a packing list from memory, which turned out to be a blast. Memory is an iffy thing, but we now have a list that's pretty close to final. We decide to take a two night backpacking trip to Yellow River State Forest for a final shakedown cruise of our gear.

Hotel: Best Western, Luray, VA

Parking: Per SNP Headquarters, park at Panorama Lot. Pay parking fee $15 either when parking or when leaving, depending on if a ranger is there. There is no sticker.

Planning: Official SNP Planning Videos (definitely watch video 2)

Posted Backcountry Regulations:

Pets must be on a leash at all times

Permit required for overnight camping

Campfires prohibited

Trash must be packed out

Bicycles and vehicles prohibited

Hunting prohibited; all wildlife is protected

Screen Shots From Video 2:

Backcountry Camping Application: Print in advance or fill out at one of the registration kiosks (eg. Rockfish Gap). Here's the info page.

Bear Issues:

Store all food and scented items (like toothpaste and gum) for hanging. Bring 50 feet of rope and a bag to hold all items that might temp wildlife.

Bear Safety Information Page

I called SNP Headquarters 540-999-3500 (press 0 for live person), and here's what I learned about black bears and pepper spray...

Majority of backpackers DO NOT carry pepper spray. She said if you do carry pepper spray, SNP has a limitation on canister size and spray velocity, but when she looked she couldn't find exact specs (she said make it a small canister, if anything)

Clap hands and make noise

If within 100' of bear back away slowly

Black bears aren't typically aggressive

Most recent incident was a bear attacking a cooking pot and stove that was left out by a careless camper (bear viciously licked pot clean)

The first half of this episode, dad and I debate our differences of opinion. The second half is debate free.

The first 30 minutes is a discussion about Fiona Hill from Bob's novel Sea Turtles.

Visit the link below, then click the "A.T. Shuttle List" link for the PDF file dad and I discussed in this episode.

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/find-a-hike/parking-shuttles-transportation

This episode begins with an overview of my family vacation to Niagara Falls. Next we discuss the Big Agnes Q-Core air mattress I purchased from REI. Then we talk about what training we've done--dad has a weight vest with approximately 40 lbs of weight for solo training--and what we plan to do to get in shape as the trip approaches fast. We end by discussing the benefits of weekly planning sessions, the benefits of hiking with a good conversationalists (or your favorite podcast), and what our backpacking/camping plan will be for the upcoming weeks.

This is one of the most entertaining of the lot!

More hiking, overnight camping, and gear testing. One of my favorite types of episodes! We discuss what worked, what didn't, and what we thoroughly enjoyed. For example, we enjoyed several scenic rest stops (sitting on a railroad bridge over a large creek, lying in the grass on a beautiful breezy mid-morning day at two separate stops, drinking ice cold filtered water from a crystal clear creek, and more).