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Some words from our shuttle clients and prospects
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I have used shuttle services up and down the Appalachian Trail, and they help me reach the goal of section-hiking all 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine.
Mountain & Valley Shuttle Service far exceeded my expectations of how a shuttle service operates. The first phone call which was in-depth, the promptness of the driver, the condition of the van, and the information provided while enroute—earn you guys Four Stars.
—Tammy and Steve Landers, “Tortoise” and “Hare”; Delaware
Rodney:
I thank you very much for providing information concerning our section hike from Thornton Gap to Harpers Ferry. My call to you was to procure a shuttle ride, but you suggested that I could park our car conveniently and safely near the trail and would not need your shuttle services. Not everyone would provide that advice and talk themselves out of a shuttle customer. To top it off, you provided hotel suggestions and their telephone numbers! What more could we ask?
Another great help for AT hikers. We are indebted to you.
Paul Hosier, "seaoats," Wilmington, North Carolina
I really appreciated the help Jim gave us when we set up the shuttle for our thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park. He obviously knows the Park very well.
His advice saved us several hard climbs, pack weight, time, and made the trip a lot more enjoyable. Shenandoah is the best place east of the Mississippi to take a backpacking vacation, and when we come back to take in some side trails next year—we’ll be calling Mountain & Valley Shuttle Service again.
Next time, we plan to park on your property and use the “Rainbow’s End” camping option before and after our hike. That’s a great service no one else around your region offers.
—Gary, Cindy, Bob, and Bill Grimes; Ohio
Rodney, do you remember us? 65 years, gray hair, shuttle to Pen-Mar in June? Well, we completed our section of 150 miles this year . . . great trip and we loved Shenandoah National Park!
We will be headed to the Park next June to continue, and will contact you for another trip. Thank you for all your help.
We talk about you sometimes (all good stuff) and often wonder how you made out with the woman who didn’t know which day she was to be picked up. Best to you and your life. We are glad to have met you.
—Phyllis Lewis, Vermont
Dear Rodney and Jim,
We were able to visit and hike the AT because of your shuttle service.
The fact that we could hike from one lodge to another and have your service available for the return to our car was a great feature. Rodney arrived exactly on time to pick us up and the van provided a comfortable ride back to Skyland resort.
The hike from Skyland to Big Meadows is beautiful and certainly doable in a day. Having a shower, a delicious meal and a bed to retire to can't be beat. We are already planning our next hiking adventure into the Shenandoah for the fall or spring.
Thanks for the service,
Venny Zachritz
We left the AT at the Salamander Trail, hiked up to Hawksbill Summit (highest point in all of SNP), descended to Hawksbill Gap, then went down to camp near the bottom of the Cedar Run Trail. All good. But the best part was coming the five miles back up White Oak Canyon. Six scenic and luscious waterfalls. The teenagers even were in awe, and you know it's not easy to put a teen in awe. That put us back on the AT near the Skyland Stables.
We wouldn't have even known about this side trip if you hadn't talked us into buying the very excellent PATC trail maps. As you know, we thought we could get by with just the little handout they give you to the overlooks on Skyline Drive. Wrong! Tell your customers to buy those maps!
—Sheila, Maryland
Everything about the shuttle was great! I really love that y’all have Sirius Satellite Radio in the vans! It made me want to go buy one after my hike and that I did just yesterday!
—Tom Carter, “Gopher Boy”; North Carolina
Thank you so much for coming to our rescue. My “partner” and I were in the middle of a thru-hike, and desperately needed to get off-trail because of an unexpected death in the family. You guys dropped everything and got us to the Charlottesville Amtrak Station the same day. We made it to Grandpa’s funeral on time.
I’m happy to report that we got back on the AT a week-and-a-half later, and are nearing our goal of Katahdin by September.
—Doris and Kathy, “Jersey Grrls”; New Jersey
Next time we’re up your way, we want to buy you guys a steak dinner at Big Meadows Lodge. The help you gave us planning our week-long hike, the extra info provided about campsites and water sources, the advice about where to park our truck, and letting us know about the lodges and restaurants in SNP made this the best vacation ever!
The only other trail shuttle we ever got was from a guy in Tennessee who, while cheaper than y’all are, was two hours late, reeked of bourbon, used a filthy pickup truck that looked like it might break down any minute, made us sit in the truck bed . . . well, you get the picture. We really appreciated your clean, comfortable SUV and that you were right on time. Rodney you have a way about you that kept us laughing the whole trip.
—The Morrisons; Georgia
When we called another shuttle provider in your area and asked about ‘slackpacking,’ he hung up on us. Due to a back injury, my husband can’t carry a lot of weight so we need to do a bunch of dayhikes instead of doing ‘real’ backpacking. It’s how we’ve done Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and most of Virginia so far. We love being out in the woods, and have this silly idea that before we’re gone from this earth we can walk the whole Appalachian Trail. The logistics of doing it as a series of dayhikes is challenging, but Mountain & Valley Shuttle Service made it easy in the ‘Doahs.
Rodney was there every morning for over a week at 9am where we parked for the day, drove us between 10 and 15 miles south, and we hiked back to our vehicle. Jim set up a very reasonable itinerary for us, and spent a lot of time talking to me on the phone. This let us stay in a motel each night, and it’s what I’ve come to learn is called ‘slackpacking’ among the thru-hikers. Sure, it’s expensive this way but a lot less than some other vacations we’ve taken over the years. We can get in at least 100 miles per year this way, so in about 12 more years we hope to be celebrating on Baxter Peak, Katahdin, Maine.
Jim and Rodney, you should put on a seminar for other shuttle providers up and down the trail. You guys do it right!
—Dottie and Hank Schafer; Kentucky
I was so glad to learn that your company would shuttle us along with our trail dog, Nanty (that’s short for Nantahala BTW). The extra $10 cleaning fee was definitely worth it, and it was good to discover that you guys are dog lovers too.
—Roger “Blisterama” and David “Loon”; Maine
The best part of Shenandoah National Park is not the AT, but it’s the side trails. They go into the hollows where the real history, waterfalls, remote camping, and the feel of wilderness are.
We only had eight days to hike, and I’m sure we could have done the whole AT within the Park in eight days. But Jim spent almost an hour talking to me on the phone and suggested a trek that included some of the highlights of the AT, combined with loop hikes that left the AT and rejoined it later. We still covered about half the AT in the Park with several detours. Much, much better than the linear ridgeline hike we originally had in mind.
We’re coming back next year to do the other half of the Park, and will be calling Mountain & Valley Shuttle for sure.
—The Jones Family; Florida
Picked us up on time in Harpers Ferry when we got off the train, shuttled us all the way south to beyond Rockfish Gap. Not cheap, but def not as expensive as doing the two-car thing. Took us just over two weeks to walk back to Harpers. Couldn’t have done it without you.
—Joe and Karl; Illinois
Totally awesome! Our hike from Big Meadows to Linden was one of the best things a family can do together. Even the heavy rain one day didn’t destroy our mood. Just part of the experience, and we all survived. Want to let you know how much we appreciated your service.
—The Ozarks; Pennsylvania
We’ve been coming out to Shenandoah all summer thanks to hooking up with your shuttle service. By Labor Day, we should have the whole AT done as a series of weekend backpacking trips.
You meet us on a Friday after work, shuttle us to the start point for the weekend, and by Sunday or Monday we’ve covered more trail back to our vehicle. This is the way to beat the DC heat!
—Molly and Tom; Washington DC
Hey guys! Do y’all remember the two newbies you shuttled right after the 4th of July? The two who didn’t have a clue? We made it! All the way from Lewis Mt. to Front Royal! Woooo-hoooo!
If it hadn’t been for the patience and good information your staff treated us to before and during the shuttle, we might not have even tried! I want to do the whole AT some day. This was just the beginning!
—Les Richards; Virginia
Jim and Rodney,
I need to put something in writing to you guys. It's a rare business that will actually refer a potential customer to a competitor. But today you did just that so I could save some money.
You may remember I called for a shuttle between Riprap and Rockfish Gap—a distance of about 15 miles I think. The price was WAY more than I expected. When it was explained where you'd be coming from and driving back to I then understood. Guess if I needed a shuttle from Riprap to further north your price wouldn't have been out of line.
Anyway, once you patiently explained the reason you all had to charge so much for my short shuttle, he gave me a number to call in Waynesboro. That worked out very well, at at fair price.
If I'm ever in the need for a ride closer to where you all are based, you've got my business!
Sally Beechum; Virginia
Jim and Rodney,
Thanks for the shuttles and best wishes on getting the stealth hostel together for next season.
I just wanted to touch base with all the fantastic folks who assisted me during my journey on the AT. Although I did not finish due to a wicked case of Giardia (watch out for a NY watersource called the Doublekill River), I had a wonderful time out on the trail and hope to finish the remainder next summer from where I left off at the NY/CT line to ME.
1400 miles in 4+ months wasn’t a bad walk in the woods. The scenery was fantastic, the flora and fauna interesting, but the best thing of all were the people I met. You are all part of my life as evidenced in my molded out trail guide and journal which I’ll pack up again in 2008 and hit the trail.
Hope the pix come through. I lasted about 1 week longer than the camera. If I can figure out how to post my other pix, you’ll see them on www.whiteblaze.com under my trail name of FURTHUR.
Hope to catch you at some point in time and space.
Sincerely,
Bruce “FURTHUR” Amshel
Thank you again for your help with our recent shuttling the weekend of my friends' wedding. Your service was very prompt, extremely friendly, most efficient, and very affordable. I will definitely use Mountain & Valley Shuttle Service for any future transportation needs in the Valley area and I would highly recommend your services to others.
Jason "The Goat" Knight
Hi Rodney and Jim,
You guys did an awesome job and in fact, we passed out the two business cards you gave us to hikers/backpackers we met looking for shuttle services.
We recommend a stay at Big Meadow Lodge to anyone and the evening meal. They have to order the Blackberry Ice Cream Pie!
Overall we saw over 15 black bears; we especially liked seeing a mama bear with her two little cubs! We also saw over 30 deer (I'm probably underestimating), wild turkeys, and a coyote! We were amazed at how many deer we saw during the evening and subsequent morning when we stayed at Rock Springs Hut. It was constant!
Our favorite section is between Rock Springs Hut and Pass Mtn. Hut. We decided to take the side trail to the tallest peak in the park (Hawksbill) and were glad we did!
Cheers,
Mike Boisvert, New Hampshire
The service you provided me on my shuttle from Front Royal to Rockfish Gap was wonderful, on-time and courteous. I thank you very much.
All shelters were in good shape. With the exception of Pinefield Hut, all water sources were quite serviceable. I had heard from other hikers ahead of time about Pinefield. It rained the night I was there and when I left in the a.m. from that shelter the situation had improved a bit. A big help was the water pump at the Ranger Station 2 miles north of there.
As it turned out, I arrived at Pass Mountain Hut the day after you were there doing some sprucing up, as noted in the shelter log book. I took note of the sign about nuisance bears, but had no problems whatsoever, and did not hear of any from any other hikers either.
The Waysides along the way were a real treat, and I availed myself to each of them for a lunch of cheeseburger and fries.
As for wildlife, I saw two copperheads in the southern section of the park; an albino squirrel on my way from Bearfence Hut to Rock Spring Hut; saw my first bear about a mile or so north of Pass Mtn. Hut; and a rattlesnake as thick as my forearm about 300-400 yards south of Elkwallow Wayside.
I did miss the cut-off trail to the 4H Center, but once I reached the gravel road after the stream I figured I went too far. After consulting the map and guide book I backtracked up the hill to the trail and proceeded down to my car. I do appreciate you having shown me the steps to where the trail leads out of the woods prior to beginning my shuttle.
Thanks for everything and I would not hesitate to recommend your services to anyone else who is interested in hiking in the area.
Best wishes,
Rob Rupley
Hi all! Our trip was amazing from start to finish. First and foremost, thank you so much for your patience with us, our preparation, and our arrival. It's nice that, true to your word, as long as we were communicative you were understanding.
Rodney was a great driver who helped us with some last minute pointers and concerns. Being first timers it was nice to know we had someone reliable to speak face-to-face with before we began. Thank you Mountain and Valley Shuttle for making the start of our trip professional yet personable, and, above all, reliable!
As for the trip itself...it was intense and amazing. More often than not we don't take the time in our daily routines to get off autopilot and really engage in our surroundings. This hiking/camping trip was an 'all hands on deck' sensory experience.
In a typical case of you don't know what you don't know, we didn't realize the first leg of our hike would be mostly uphill, so that came as a bit of a shock. My heart rate went from resting to racing in a hurry! But once we realized that logically we had to climb the side of the mountain to reach the summit (like I said...we are rookies!) the climb became less a thing to get through and more something to get into.
The view from Hawksbill was amazing and seeing a layer of cloud cover that was lower than where we were standing was an experience I'll not likely forget. It was nice to start out the hike with such a rewarding view because it really helped drive you to go the extra mile to see an upcoming view once you had an idea of it's potential.
We continued on the trail to Rock Spring where we enjoyed a place to fill our water (once purified of course!) and a great lunch spot. We were lucky enough to come across a cabin that was vacant so we borrowed the porch and the view and had some pb&j.
Once back onto the trail we took some ups and downs in terrain but overall enjoyed the moderate hike to Big Meadow. And, boy, were we ready to get there and relax! Our total first day hiking was about 6 miles, but with 30lbs/pack extra and a rookie status we were determine to out hike I'd be lying if I didn't admit our fatigue!
Big Meadow was a great site; awesomely maintained facilities from the sites to the showers, and we are grateful we chose that as our first stop. The ladies working the ranger station (Friday, Sept 18th) were kind, warm, and helpful. Although there were some more upscale amenities around (the lodge/restaurant) we decided to skip that and work with what we had, which was plenty.
Saturday a.m we began our next leg with some certain soreness, but a great level of excitement. We made it to Hazeltop and Lewis Falls during our originally planned 6 miles. The Falls were great to look at and we continued to add to our picture collection. Finding somewhere to eat was a little harder today because a large portion of the trail was pretty narrow with growth on both sides. We settled on a clearing right past the graveyard/access road, and it worked quite well.
This was supposed to be our backcountry camping night. We arrived to Laurel Prong Trail around 3p.m and needed some water. The boys wanted to continue down the A.T to find water and a place to set up camp, eliminating the Laurel Prong piece of our trek. Once I looked at the map and realized that if we took out those 2.8 miles we were only 3.6 (3.9 with Bearfence) away from our ending spot I suggested that we put some speed in our step and finish the journey. In hindsight I think this idea was driven as much by backcountry camping being a little out of our comfort zone as it was by simple logic. I had originally thought 'eh so we're early, who cares, we'll throw our packs down, do some spur trails and then return to camp', but then it occurred to me that throwing your packs down is actually hanging them in a tree, and getting them down for dinner, then back up after once dishes are done and we don't need anything out of them, after, of course we locate the spot to set the tents up in the first place, all before dark. Seemed a little daunting, and a little silly to go through all that to wake up the next day and have such a short hike. So we made the choice to finish our hike that day rounding out our total hike Saturday to about 10 miles.
We stepped up the pace knowing that with a fair increase we'd surely be out of the woods before dark. It was amazing to see how our energy renewed (with the help of some Blox and Luna Moons too!) once we knew we had to save daylight and get to the end. We made it to Bearfence Rock Scramble by about 4:30.
A lot of people were heading up that way and telling us we absolutely shouldn't miss it, and our original itinerary said that if we had good balance it was a great thing to do. So off we went. This is where I should admit that I got a little bit upset with the original itinerary. While yes, you do need good balance, you need a lot more than that. I, myself, am 28 and in good shape, but to say that good balance alone will make this scramble do-able is a little misleading when you factor in that the hikers are carrying heavy packs. I believe it should be encouraged that they leave those packs behind, or possess more than just 'good balance'. You need strength, energy, stamina, and a fair amount of "No Fear" to do this scramble. All that being said...AMAZING!!! It was INCREDIBLE. That view is one that no photograph will ever do justice, but I'd climb it everyday and take more if I thought it would bring someone, unable to reach it, even half an understanding of it's magnitude and excellence. It was a scene I will forever be proud that I brought myself to see and awed by it's splendor.
Once down from Bearfence we were nearing the end of our journey and with not much daylight to spare. We came upon Lewis Mountain Campground at about 6:00 after doing a good bit of "No Bear!" calls during the last .5 mile due to the acknowledgement of dusk coming.
What an experience. Never in my life has my body been so bone achingly, dead tired, but my spirit so alive. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to shake the core of their being our of hibernation and remember what it feels like to push your limits and come back victorious.
Thanks for all your help Debbie (HQ Information Receptionist who took the time out to respond to my post-it on my permit and indulge me in my early questions) and Rodney for your services, patience, and last minute advice. We will absolutely be doing this again!
Amylynn Buterbaugh
(accompanied by Team NFS: Jay Hersh and Devin Cook; also cc'd)
Thank you for your excellent service for our Easter backpacking trip. We met Rodney at Rte. 522 in Chester Gap for our shuttle to the southern terminus of Section 2. Rodney was on time and very friendly company as we made our journey to our starting point. We are thankful that there is a well established and reliable shuttle service in the area. We were also grateful that the shuttle service was very knowledgeable with the sections of the AT and was able to navigate to our drop off spot with no confusion. Rodney confirmed with us that we had all of our necessary gear for the backcountry (rope for hanging packs, trail guide and maps, etc.). He shared engaging stories of previous hikers and also his life experiences. We will definitely call MV shuttle in the future for our next hike in Shenandoah!
Our hike was fantastic. 4 days of summer weather at the beginning of April. Our first night we tented in the backcountry, watching as a beautiful sunset unfolded into a clear, starry night sky. Our next two nights we spent in or near shelters. The trail and shelters were maintained nicely. The springs were surprisingly small for this time of year but at least they were there and we could filter water from them. On our 3rd day we saw a small black bear cub near a crop of daffodils. What a treat! We enjoyed our backpacking trip very much and look forward to our next!
Thank you,
Vera Marston, Jacob Weinerth, Ben Marston
Thanks again for excellent service! You helped me finish all of SNP's AT mileage over the past three spring breaks.
Deadfall on the southern 45 mi. was not as severe as I expected. Water, as you know, was abundant. One note: Calf Mtn. shelter log book seemed to be missing. All other huts were in great condition.
Thanks again!
Mark Rowzee
Joliet, IL
******************************************************************** EXCERPTS FROM MESSAGES LEFT IN THE SHELTER REGISTER OF "RAINBOW'S END," OUR ON-SITE BASECAMP AVAILABLE TO LONG-DISTANCE SHUTTLE CLIENTS:
7/20/07:
Guess we're the lucky ones to "break in" Rainbow's End before it is even officially completed. This is a welcome and unique thing on the AT. Heading out Saturday to Loft Mt., and hiking north to Elkwallow. We'll call Rodney from Thornton Gap to give a heads-up, and he'll shuttle us back here to our car. What a great way to start a week-long hiking vacation—steaks on the grill!
Ken, Rich & Rob Hatcher
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
8/8/07:
THIS PLACE ROCKS! I'LL BE RECOMMENDING IT TO ANYONE I SEE ON THE TRAIL!
MARCO POLO8/13/07:
Got off the trail yesterday, back to our truck nice and safe right here. Thanks for providing this beautiful place to wind down before heading back to the "real world."
Construction workers showed up 6:30am to work on the main house. We may have freaked them out running around in just underwear!
Paul & Tina
Asheville, NC
8/21/07: A whole bunch of deer came through here about dawn. Then a BIG white cat. Hope we get to see a bear on our hike. We'll be out four nights. Thanks for letting us stay here to try out some new gear. Tom Harper & Ron Harris Richmond VA 11/17/07:
ONE WORD: PIE. Beyond that, a great stay and excellent trail information. Fortunate to have had such a clear night and limitless firewood. Wonderful people!
RS, Washington DC
We were extremely fortunate to have found Mountain & Valley Shuttle Service. Great people, excellent pie, and a warm fire. Trail information was helpful, an excellent stay!
Matt, DC
10/6/08
WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE. NICE WAY TO SPEND THE NIGHT BEFORE OUR HIKE. I'LL REMEMBER MOUNTAIN VALLEY WHEN I DO MY THRU-HIKE IN 2014.
MIKE AND CHERYL
CONCORD, NC
10/19/08:
Woken up with a fresh pot of coffee?!? Outstanding! Great hospitality, almost hate to leave—but the Trail beckons.
C, B, P
Baltimore
6/25/09: This was a great place to rest up before starting my section hike through SNP. Jim and Rodney were great, and very helpful. Had a peaceful night's rest here. Jo-To Bellmawr, NJ
Rodney and Jim,
Too many times I've gone through life and failed to thank those that made the journey a bit easier — please accept my apologies for waiting so long to offer my thanks and appreciation for the shuttle, knowledge and overall service.
It was a treat to be able to drive up a day early, stay in your shelter, use the facilities, have no worries about the shuttle and then able to use the showers again.
Please be advised that my home is open if you guys are able coming through the Augusta area, my wife and daughter would love to meet you, we'll provide some good ol' southern cooking and swap outdoor stories.
Again, thanks much, ya'll take care and best of luck
Bobby Centers
Augusta, GA
(there were three of us, David Elijah, Randy Cantu and myself-back the first weekend in October)
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