Day One
Last year I attempted a 4-day bikepacking trip in early June. COVID restrictions made it nearly impossible as all camping was closed and even hotels were not taking guests. I called it quits after getting about 100 miles west of DC. So this year when I saw a good window for cool summer temps, I hastily made a plan for a 3-day trip. I started the journey at the bottom of the hill in Bluemont, Virginia to pick up close to where I left off last year. My plan was to ride the TransVA route for 3 days and finish up just north of Roanoke, VA. This would give me about 75 miles and 5000' or so feet of climbing a day.
The route began with a nice climb out of Bluemont, fun descent, to the river and a series of nice rolling hills, until I crossed over I-81 and headed to the foothills along the border of West Virginia. I stopped for lunch at Garden Mart for a sub. The lady put jalapeños on instead of pickles which was a little bit of a surprise after the second bite. I also picked up a can of jalapeño Pringles instead of sour cream and green onion (both are in green cans btw). Needless to say my lunch was spicy!
After lunch, I refilled on water and contemplated the route ahead because I knew it was mostly climbs as I headed into the George Washington forest. The hills were not too bad until I hit the hike a bike section which was a single track trail with baby head size rocks. This section would’ve been difficult on a mountain bike. This trail is over a mile long and it’s difficult to even walk, let alone walk and push a 50 pound bike. The rain from two days prior still left much of the trail muddy. Almost 45 min later, I was free and glad to be back on a “smooth" gravel road. I continued up the side of the mountain and I was still feeling pretty good but a little short on water so decided to camp at a primitive campground after 77 miles.
It ended up to be an excellent campground. I had it all to myself with a nice fire pit and access to the stream nearby. I soaked my feet and legs, and washed off as best I could in the stream, but the water was cold! And then set about to get the camp ready, putting up the tent and getting a fire started. After 5 hours in the saddle, I was getting hungry. To make dinner, I had to get the water boiling for my delicious freeze dried meal which consisted of two servings of Backpackers Pantry Three Sisters Stew. It was pretty tasty! I was tired from a long day and not sleeping much the night before so I was eager to get to bed. But before I could, I had to solve one problem, what do I do with my food?
There were signs posted around the camping area warning of bears and the need to store food up out of reach to keep the bears away. But I didn't have a rope that was long enough to reach over the higher tree limbs. I looked through my things and found a couple of Velcro straps and a really long stick and slung the food-filled tent bag over a Y shaped tree about 25 yards from the campsite. I was a little worried it wasn’t gonna make it through the night with raccoons and other scavengers. It was a chilly night for June, cooling down to around 48°. Luckily, I brought my puffy jacket and was able to put that on the middle of the night as my bikepacking gear is better set for summer temps.
I am very happy with my camping gear. All of it works great, is light, and easy to set up. I do have to critique myself on with how well I did packing and doing inventory of the stuff I needed. Generally speaking, you want to minimize your weight and only carry things you absolutely need when backpacking. I failed. When I got to camp on day one and was unloading my bags, I realized I packed not two pairs of bike shorts, but four. WTF!? And I had three jerseys and not two but three pairs of socks. In my haste to pack and get on the road with little planning, I didn't inventory my stuff. So I made the best of it and had fresh clothes every day. My rush to pack and get ready on Sunday night was probably not the best idea I could’ve had in terms of making sure I didn’t carry anything I didn’t need and everything I carried I was going to use at least once for an important purpose. For example I only brought one pair of bike shorts and put in to where those fox ranger shorts over my padded shorts all three days. Sure they were a little stinky but they’re not up against my body, so it wasn't a big deal.
Day Two
As I woke up about seven and laid in bed contemplating getting out of the warm tent and to go check on the food. I really wanted a cup of coffee! It was a nice pleasant morning a little chilly and once again, glad I had my puffy jacket and hat to stay warm. But my first order of business was to check on the food. I was happy to find the food was still there, hangin in the Y shaped tree. I started the water boiling so I could make my breakfast which is comprised of Backpackers Pantry hot blueberry walnut oats and quinoa cereal, one serving. I had a feeling that wouldn't be enough and had to also eat a Hammer bar to supplement. I'd been thinking about the route for the day as I had to cover 100 miles to get to the Stokesville Campground. The good news is I had all day to get there and I could stop at stores along the way and pick up food. There's also a pretty good market nearby Stokesville. I was also looking forward to the convenience of electricity and bathrooms as it’s a pretty comfortable campground compared to the primitive campground I stayed at last night, which is basically a flat spot in the woods.
My route for today will consist of heading up to the highest peak near 4200 feet and then the descending down in the valley to Stokesville.
As I was riding I saw a hilarious group of two rednecks wearing hunting shirts and hats riding on pink bikes that were about half their size. My regret for the morning was not getting a photo of it.
Around mile 35 for the day, I expected to stop for lunch at a market along the route. However when I arrived where the marey once stood was a burned out building. Sigh. I need a new plan for lunch.
Lucky for me the HamVan was open for business at Fulks run, 7 miles down the road (it's a thing). Ham sandwich, chips, cane sugar soda, and a bag of ginger snaps-$8.40. Boom!
This took me off my route and with it my desire to climb up to Red Knob only to descend back down, so I took the meandering route along the foothills. This made the last half of day two pretty uneventful, as I meandered my way down the base of the GW national forest on my way to Stokesville. I did stop once for a snack and then of course, the Stokesville Market to get an adult beverage and a bag of chips as my reward for the day.
The campground at Stokesville was luxury compared to the primitive camping of previous nights. As anticipated, there was electricity, water, a shower and a picnic table. Oddly one of the things about primitive camping is the lack of places to set your stuff. So you end up with things laid all over the ground or hanging on branches. A picnic table is a nice luxury. Another luxury is having great neighbors. There was a family camping two spots over and they brought me a piece of grilled chicken right off the grill to add to my Backpackers Pantry Three Cheese Macaroni meal. Thanks Greg!
Day Three
I woke up around 6:30 with birds chirping and sun shining into my tent. I climbed out of the tiny 1 person tent, heated up some water and made some coffee. Just as the water came to a boil, my stove ran out of gas. Again with the poor planning. Perfect timing though, as I had pre-made my breakfast the night before with the excess hot water from dinner. After a quick breakfast, I packed up and headed down the bumpy road out of the Stokesville Campground.
After a quick start a stop at the Stokesville market to grab a danish and a cup of coffee, I headed out for the day with a plan to ride the 75 miles and 5800 feet of climbing with a destination of Clifton Forge, just north of Roanoke, VA. Day three was great. I stopped for a sandwich to eat later for lunch at Hanky Town Market. After a pretty big climb up to the scenic overlook near Fort Edward Johnson, I held on for a screaming descent back into the valley and then followed the Cowpasture River south. As it turned out, having a sandwich at the ready was a great plan, it allowed me to stop when I was hungry. So i pulled off the road for a nice scenic lunch in Williamsville, Virginia. There’s even water available in front of the post office, which was perfect timing. And it offered great views of the mountains while I ate my sandwich.
On day three, I was in the groove. I felt strong, and covered the last miles pretty easily, enjoying the descent in Douthat State Park after the last climb of the day. I was looking forward to a big juicy burger and a beer at a pub in Clifton Forge to finish off my adventure. It was a great trip, spontaneous and not without its mistakes but well worth the time and effort. As Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will regret far more those things that you did not do than those you did."
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