#138 Pass Mountain Hut to Tom Floyd Shelter - Day 72: ATMM 945.6 to ATMM 969.2
“Why are you carrying a leaf blower?" With all seriousness and fortitude he says..."
I intend to hike out northern end of Shenandoah N.P. today
The sun’s intentions seems to be playing hide & seek. You’ll hear no complaints from me. Each of the three full days spent crossing the park were perfect. The two half days book ending the park were not. I entered the park in a cold fog, and I’ll be exiting the park in identical conditions.
Eight miles into the hike I step out of the woods and into Elkwallow Wayside. It’s the last wayside in Shenandoah N.P. for hikers heading north, where Skyline Drive, The Appalachian Trail, and the Wayside converge.
Surveying the area, my grumbling stomach’s radar zeros in on the camp store.
I’m here too early in the year to fully experience this wayside. Much like the other waysides I’ve dropped into this week, the grill is still closed and not scheduled to fire up for a few more weeks.
Being a tourist spot, there’s not much in the way of hiker foods to be found here. What I can find are packaged foods not compatible with backpacking.
Examples: Tuna packets are a staple for most hikers. Here, your tuna comes in a box with a tube of mayonnaise, a tube of sweet relish, some crackers, and a plastic mini-spoon. Over priced, of course. Similar scenarios play out with some of my trail snack selections.
But what choice do I have? I strategically buy what I need for a few more days of trail travel. With trail foods secure, I pick out a few things to eat for lunch.
I head over to a picnic table and jump into my meal. I disassemble my tourist- friendly packaged foods and discard all the unneeded extras. Example: The oatmeal comes in overpriced individual plastic bowls. By pouring each bowl’s contents into zip lock bags reduces weight and bulk in my pack and reduces trash on my back later.
There’s a hiker at the table across from mine. When I go back into the store for seconds on dessert I notice a strange item lying beside his gear.
That looks like a battery operated leaf blo……..
Woah! It’s Leaf Blower! I’ve been hearing about him on the trail since I got on nearly three weeks ago. He’s hiking the from Georgia to Maine with a leaf blower, mostly in hand but on his pack when he needs his hands to climb.
I stop to chat with him a few minutes. The word on the trial is that when you find him you have to ask why he’s carrying the leaf blower.
I tell him that I know I’m supposed to ask the big question, so here it goes.
“Why are you carrying a leaf blower?”
With all seriousness and fortitude he says,