If I stop for a resupply in Waynesboro, It's just over 107 miles to Front Royal and from what I read lots of waysides in the park plus some resupply options. How many days food would I need to start with looking at doing that section in 5 days?
If I stop for a resupply in Waynesboro, It's just over 107 miles to Front Royal and from what I read lots of waysides in the park plus some resupply options. How many days food would I need to start with looking at doing that section in 5 days?
"He was a wise man who invented beer." Plato
That's really up to you.
Will you be passing wayside's when they're open? At mealtime? And do you want to venture off to them because they're not exactly right on the trail always. Hitting a wayside can cost you 3-5 miles out of your day, depending on time spent. It can add a. Day to your schedule easy, or more, negating benefits partly if spend too much time at them. But.....its good to get that cheeseburger, shake, and fries.
I ate two or 3 lunches and one breakfast at waysides if I recall. Did no resupply. Started with about 5.5 days food , Came out with some left. At least a day or two. I didnt eat anything before or after hitting waysides, i dont want to spoil it. Usually not much after either , ha.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 02-22-2018 at 07:30.
Concurring with Muddy Waters based on having worked there. Take a real good look at a map and a guide to get an idea where and when those places are and the hours.
BR360
"no one is a thru-hiker, until they have done the whole AT."
I remember hiking five or six miles early one morning to Skyland, getting a cold deli case sandwich and a hot coffee and sitting outside at overlook and drinking that coffee and it was fantastic. That sandwich was fantastic... At that place and time.
I imagine my wayside stops added a day to shenandoah for me. But worth it. There was a couple of times when detours to a water source at a picnic area led to spending an hour lying in the sun after eating as well.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 02-22-2018 at 07:49.
Okay looks like take another day and enjoy it.
"He was a wise man who invented beer." Plato
Yeah, I think I did 6 days for that stretch, easy hiking, but lots to do. I also seem to remember only taking 3 days of food out of Waynesboro. Not only are there waysides, but there are also a couple of stores that you pass by. I get the Campgrounds confused, Lewis vs. Loft Mountain, but both have stores. I camped in one of them and stayed in a little cabin in the other for free; nicest guy in the world runs the store at whatever the name of the first one is going north, I bought some stuff (couple of beers, a soda and huge bag of chips!) and chatted with the guy, it was late in the day, I asked if I camped there if there was a handy "hiker camp" area that didn't charge the normal fee ($20?). He said I could stay in the "overflow" cabin for free, no worries, the whole place was almost empty of visitors, it was mid- April 2016 on a weekday.
So really, the combination of waysides AND stores makes it easy to carry a whole lot less for for this stretch. The supplies at the stores are decent, freeze dried food, lots of bars/snacks/jerky, etc. Even some pre-made sandwiches IIRC. HIgh, but not ridiculous prices.
I timed it perfectly hiking through Skyland the first time through, in the fall (2013). I got there just in time for catching the end of the morning breakfast buffet. After that, I relaxed, caught up on a few things and noticed that the Lunch buffet was starting soon, PLUS the Bronco (my home town American football team) game was coming on the TV in the restaurant bar.... So, nothing like yet another calorie-catch-up meal! After another couple hours I hit the trail and still made a decent hiking day out of it.
It is really cushy hiking through SNP.... doing it a third time here in April, this time with my wife.
Non of the waysides are on trail. Plan a night at loft mountain CG, you can eat there and do some resupply. I would say bring 4 days food and you will be good.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
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CDT: 85.4
I didn't feel like the waysides were too out of the way, and stopped in at most of them. I carried 4 or 5 freezer bag dinners into the park so I wouldn't have to worry about my big meal of the day, but started with only a day or two worth of other food and then picked up lunches and snacks from the camp stores just about every day. There's no reason to carry 5 days worth of candy bars, cheese, pop tarts, or things like that because you can get that kind of stuff easily, assuming you're there when the waysides are open.
-tagg
What are the prices like at the waysides and stores? The buffets?
You might have to take out a mortgage, it's not cheap. You do pay a premium for convenience. "15 bucks for a burger and fries, you got to be kidding me! Oh hell, give me two!" Surprisingly, the beer is cheap though and at least the meal is a decent sized portion.
I paid $2.00 for one power bar at Skyland, then put it on a picnic table and turned around. Next thing I knew, a crow swept down, picked it up off the table and flew off with it!
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Thank you Slogoen.
Any body know the buffet prices.
The camp store at Loft mountain is just maybe 200 ft off the trail. There is also a blus blaze trail from the AT past the Loft camp store to the wayside which maybe .2 mile. Lots of food available and beer. The store at Lewis Mountain Campground is also very close to the trail (trail west as you are heading north) if you know where to turn off. Big Meadows wayside store/restaurant can be a mile walk if you miss the short cut and walk all the way to the campground- however you walk right by the lodge which has a bar/restaurant- also there is a small store where the showers are inside the campground. The trail also goes right by the wayside at Elkwallow.
You can also hitch into Luray. There’s a WalMart and McDonalds within walking distance of the Caverns, a nice diversion.
I don't remember any Buffets the in park. The Skyland restaurant is like any family restaurant with average price meals of $15 to $20.
The waysides are like fast food joints, burgers, hot dog and some wraps. The Blueberry milk shakes are said to be great, but pricy. Gift shops have mostly snacks and drinks, and of course, trinkets.The camp stores will have more selection then the gift shops.Camp stores carry primarily car camp supplies, like loafs of bread, eggs, bacon, hot dogs and the like. Backpacker food is primarily Mountain house meals and snacks.
I typically carry most of my dinners into the park, use the waysides for the primary meal of the day a few times and use the stores to keep snacks and breakfast supplied. Big Meadows is about half way, is right on the trail and has a good camp store with a decent selection and a coin shower. So that's a good place to plan to spend at least a few hours.
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Skyland had both breakfast and "lunch" (might have been early Dinner?) buffets, at least on the Sunday in September of 2014 when I partook.
Perhaps it's just a "Sunday" thing, or perhaps now, 3.5 years later it's gone.
I don't remember the price, but I'm guessing around $20. I remember a bit high, but not ridiculous. And I got my money's worth. The breakfast one was particularly good, lots of hot, high calorie food.
There are plugs in the floor near various tables in the dining area, not the area near the windows (might have been plugs there too).
The AT goes right by Skyland. It actually ran about 50 yards behind some of the employee housing.
As for the prices, they weren't cheap. If I didn't have a discount I never would have bought any food. Then again, I was rather the skin flint and worked in the kitchen
The buffets weren't any everday thing but the were set up quite often. Go around the side of the building and you'll quite often see kitchen personnel having a smoke break. Feel free to ask about the menu.
I left Waynesboro with 3 days of food. Topped off at the first store and then hit each convenient wayside/store (don't remember names). But after I was out of the park I remember thinking that a person could start with about 1.5 days of food and be fine using the stores and waysides.
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