Hikers And Hiking

Bears Den Lodge and Hostel

I find it unbelievable that it has been a month since my last post; so much has happened. At the end of January, I went to the RUCK at Bears Den Lodge near Berryville, VA. The RUCK is an informal gathering of hikers and is put on by ALDHA, Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. I spent three days there and it was a great opportunity to catch up with people I haven't seen in a while, as well as to make new friendships. I have spent many nights at Bears Den over the years and find it to be one of the better places along the AT to stay.

A few days after the RUCK, I made an overnight camping trip to Great North Mountain on the VA/WV border. This  area lies west of Edinburg, VA and north of Harrisonburg. There are many of trails in this area as well as a great little campground  at Wolf Gap. It was from the campground that I hiked up to Big Schloss, a large rock outcropping that straddles the ridgeline. It was a spectacular day.

The view from Big Scloss

I am continuing the job search process and am beginning to get some responses from prospective employers back. I have to make a trip to Tennessee at the end of this month and it would be nice to have something to come back to. In any case, I am trying to figure out my plans for afterwards. I recently signed up for services with the VA hospital in Martinsburg, WV since I no longer have any medical coverage of any type. Luckily there is an outpatient clinic about 30 miles away in Harrisonburg. I am doing my best at maintaining a positive outlook, although I don't always succeed.