Signs of Spring at Evergreen Outfitters

Mary and I ran errands into town on Saturday afternoon and stopped by to see Howard and the gang at Evergreen Outfitters. We talked about a number of things while picking up a few essentials (I am now an official Ex Officio fan).

First up, Howard's recent trek on the Massanutten ridge from Rileyville to Kennedy Peak - this is about 17 miles on the ridge, and his party did it with an overnight camp. They brought their dogs, who stayed with them in the tent. Among the challenges of this hike is the need to pack in your water, since on the ridge there isn't any. This adds a couple of gallons to the weight you have to carry, a serious logistics and planning issue.

Also, there have already been two AT thru-hikers in the store. One signed in during late March - Santa's Helper (NoBo). This means he probably started north bound in February...there has been some awful late winter and early spring weather, so kudos to him for already making it this far north.

Last one, I found out that Google Earth Street View has published the US 340 route into Luray and follows BUS 340 south to Stanley. The photo of Howard's storefront is unusual - it captured an image of a person...as a matter of fact, it's him!