Massanutten South

Tortuga, Flip, and I hiked a couple days in the Massanutten Range. We started just west of Luray and hiked back via Sticklers Knob. All-in-all a good weekend. Perfect weather, with nice day time temps and good chilly nights. I think all of us learned things this weekend, as at least I know I do everytime I go for a hike. Tortuga, as you might know, is an inexperienced backpacker. He went to REI and got a bunch of gear and this was a test of himself and of his gear.
I was testing out an upgraded sleep system, using the hammock and just a down backpacking blanket. I figured the worst that could happen is I'd shiver all night, if it got really bad I'd either move the hammock to the ground for insulation or start a fire and huddle by that. No rain was being called for so I didn't think I'd be in hypothermic danger no matter the case.

Friday

Anthony and I met up after a half day of work. I arrived at his place close to Alexandria. He showed me his gear as he packed his new backpack. We weighed in, he at 35lbs and I at 17lbs. Obviously his pack weight needed some refinement! But as this was a learning trip, learning by doing is very important. I had given him advice on what to bring and what not to bring, I'd given him a pack list and coached him through the purchases he had made at REI. He was adamant about some things, and thought I was being silly on others.

Flip and I are a good balance. Flip also carries a light-weight pack, but he also carries damn useful things like a saw and a good camp kitchen; where-as I break sticks and eat out of a cup. I self-sump and he carries a rag to wash his dishes. I carry a gallon zip lock and he carries a collapsible Platy or two for extra water. Each of our methods are 100% correct... for us. So with this mentorship Tortuga can see two sides and decide for himself.

T and I got in the car and drove out towards Luray via 66 thru Front Royal and south on 340. We stopped at the grocery store and picked up some snacks prior to heading to the parking lot. We started hiking right at 5pm. Plenty of daylight left this time of year to make a couple miles from the road and find or make a campsite and wait for Flip (arriving a bit later).

We ascend the forest road Massanutten Connector trail, talking and enjoying the day. We talked of gear and other trails we'd like to do in the future, of our lives and wives (in his case) and future wives (in my case). The sun slanted golden beams on the Trail before us, the trees still barren of leaves, but springs pulse quickening around us. We kept our eyes open for a likely spot but saw none for awhile, up over a hill and down a steep descent took us to the sound of water in a valley and the Massanutten Trail going East and West from where we stood. Since Flip would likely be coming in in the dark I wanted a campsite on the connector trail, we turned and re-ascended the steep hillside (only about 100 yards) and dropped packs. I wanted to search the semi-level area around to find a nice camping spot. Tortugas' first stealth site!

Hammocks hold a great advantage. Had we tents, we would've been out of luck, we would've had to range further or walk miles more to find a site. I found 4 trees to hang 3 hammock. I cut some small scrubby sticks that were in the way and cleared back a spot for a campfire. I tried to follow Leave No Trace principles, and when we left the next morning, there was no trace, so much so that on our way back I asked T where we'd camped as we hiked past and he had no idea. It could be because he is incredibly un-observant in the woods (we're working on that), or maybe I've mad LNT skillz.

Tortuga did a great job hanging his own hammock for the first time and putting the tarp over it. He gathered firewood and made his first fire. He broke out his camp chair and lounged comfortable. Camp chair?! Ok, so there's 1.5 lbs of that 35. I did say one comfort item. Mine is a 5oz pillow. But to each their own.

We sat around a nice campfire, listening to the woods, able to see the lights down in the valley, able to see the dark mass of Sticklers Knob hulking above us. We slipped some whiskey and waited for Flip. Flip did show up soon enough and we pitched in a hand to help set up his hammock in the dark. Our three hammock shared one tree and spoked out to three others.

After a bit more whiskey passing, cigar sharing, and chatting we called it a night and T went to hang for the premier time. I slept a bit on the chilly side, but I wasn't uncomfortable. Considering the temps dipped into the high 20's, I am absolutely thrilled about removing a pound from my pack by trading in the sleeping bag for the blanket!

Saturday

We all awoke early, the sun was up, but not upon us. The warming rays still on the hillside far above us. I packed quickly with numb fingers and feet. Tortuga saying he couldn't feel his feet and that they were very very painful .Yup, so are ours buddy, just a joy of hiking in the cold. Best way to warm up? Get packed and start hiking! The sun finally enlivening us, we tossed on the packs, made sure the fire from the evening before was nothing but a memory, hide our existence and started hiking.

Back at the intersection of the Massanutten Trail we headed left, west and the start of the loop we were taking this weekend. Immediately we began ascending a large pile of rocks, otherwise known as a mountain. Tortuga started sweating. Wasn't he just frozen a minute ago? Oh yeah, the best way to get warm is to walk! We gained elevation on this gorgeous morning, the valley opening like a flower behind us, all it's secrets exposed. Still above us was Sticklers Knob, imagine the view from that lofty place!

Once up top we followed the ridge, views to both sides, and sights south to Waterfall Mountain and way across the valley, Shenandoah. Shenandoah with it's easy access roads, paved trails that always go down hill, and snack bars. I imagined the tourists already having paid their $25 entrance fee driving down the Skyline drive commenting on the view so easily achieved. I liked our view better. We worked for it. Some of us harder than others!

We continued and crossed over a gravel road. I thought we would dip down again, but we did not. We only ascended gently to the other ridgeline. As we hooked back north we came to an overlook. This open place looked west, over Shenandoah Valley. There snaked Rt 81. There, the tops of those mountains, is where West Virginia began. Peeking through a far pass, could that be Dolly Sods? Probably a bit too far to see.

After the picture opportunity was done we continued on. Four miles of ridge-top walking, first to the west then up and over to the east then back again. This up and down frustrated Tortuga. I've learned to not fight the Trail. It always wins. the trail traces to the west or east to (a) avoid a cliff (b) show you something cool (c) go the harder of the two ways so you don't get bored and complacent.

The four miles done, we came to a knob another 1/2 mile up the trail (an out and back). Despite Tortugas protestations Flip and I ran up with our packs thinking it would be a good lunch spot. And it was. Very pleasant in the sun to let our socks and feet dry out and snack on all our goodies. We chatted about the things people chat about while on a,mountain top and enjoyed the company of each other.

After lunch, down down down and the sun sank lower. We finally got to a water source flowing out of a spring and I gladly filled up. I could tell I was a bit behind on my water consumption as I'd been nursing the last 1/2 liter for a couple hours. We gave T lessons in wood lore, or at least tried to. We asked him, "Which way does the trail go?", "Are you sure?", "How can you tell?". We tried to impart to him the ways of not getting lost. Not just following blazes on trees but where it looked like more people had traveled, and why. I went on to explain why we were getting water from this small spring trickle rather than the larger creek in the valley floor. And much to my chagrin, but unsurprisingly, the diaper I said I'd found next to larger, close to road, water sources was there as we passed by the picnic area by the road. A good illustration to my point.

We began the slow ascent of the far ridge after the picnic area, climbing a rocky crumbly trail. Tortuga mentioned that we had trod every kind of trail he could think of. Muddy, rocky, sandy, flat, steep. Not my intention, but it works to teach! The afternoon wore on and still we climbed; not steeply and not a difficult trail, but Tortuga was weary. Flip and I hiking ahead and then waiting for Mr. Slow-and-Steady to catch up. To the top of the ridge and immediately we dropped over the other side. At the top T definitely didn't want to see what the overlook 1/2 mile off trail looked like and so we descended. At the bottom a sign pointed towards a camp site. Not knowing the area or where the next water source or clear-of-brush area might be we called it a day and went about making camp.

On his own, T set up his gear like an old pro. We each concerned ourselves with our own stuff and soon had a bivouac surrounding the fire pit. The fire pit had nice stone lounge chairs around it which negated the need for T's chair. He still stubbornly used it because he'd carried it all that way. He allowed Flip and I to peruse and tear down his ruck. We gave him helpful suggestions and some minor sh!t for his more fanciful carryings! The extendable hotdog forks, the snow baskets for his hiking poles, and fabric pouch that covered his water pouch, and the extra battery, cell phone charger, Android and iPhone charging cable gave us a clue as to why his pack was heavy. Flip and I are strong hikers anyway, add in a pack that was half his weight and it is completely understandable why we weren't sore or exhausted. We energetically gathered firewood and scampered around. I hope T will take our advice and sift through his pack some more!

We finished all our booze. We ate 3 dinners. We enjoyed a raging fire in the company of friends. The evening grew dark and we roasted marshmallows, T using his extend-o sticks, I a green branch. I have to admit, knowing the company I kept this trip (Flip) I brought no stove. I brought no uncooked food. I brought no cup. I was the light-weight moocher. I had enough food to not cook. I could have very easily "survived" without a hot dinner. But I also knew the preeminent trail chef in our midst would have plenty for all! I ate well and carried none. The rule is know the company you keep.

Sunday

The night was warmer. I slept with more clothes and a hot rock from the fire, both unneeded but it's good practice. We did our morning routine of packing. Tortuga lamented about relaxing in camp in the morning, he is backpacking with the wrong guys for that! We had some miles to go and some sights to see along the way. And lunch in Front Royal.

Tortuga took his first crap in the woods.

Again we explained to him why you had to go as far from water as possible, how to dig the hole, and how to bury it. All this is intuitive to people that have pooed in the woods since we were kids - not so much to a nearly 30 year old that has not.

The trail on this side was terrible. We followed the creek toward its source, a Bobcat had been used to grade the trail leaving it a muddy mess. The condition was terrible. I'm not sure who or why this was done, but nothing done would've been much better! A few miles and complaints drifting on the wind from behind we made it to the top of the ridge and the end of the Bobcat destruction. Here lay the beginning of the ridge to Sticklers Knob. We dropped packs and Tortuga decided to stay behind. Flip and I both tried to coerce him into coming, but gracefully bowed out from the side quest.

Flip and I love side quests. They make our trips. We grabbed a few snacks and jogged down the unofficial trail to the Knob. At times rocky, but easy to follow, we made our way peering at the views to the east and west. We found several good campsites, each better than the last. And the last really was amazing. A small 2 person tent would fit and that is all. The firepit on top of a cliff and truly spectacular view of the valley and the Shenandoah Mountains to the east. A few tenths beyond we scrambled up to the Knob. We got sweeping 360 views and we even found a Geocache! Experience points gained, side quest done, we headed back so T wouldn't feel abandoned and we could explain to him on why he should've come with us.

Our packs lay in the trail. No sign of a Tortuga in any direction. We guessed he must've got impatient and started heading back towards the car. We hoped. Ten minutes later he must have remembered and scratched his initials and an arrow into the dirt. Confirmation that a pack of raptors hadn't carried him off was good. After a bit we caught up with our quarry and he explained he wanted to test his skills. He survived and was happy for it.

The next few miles were all down hill, side slabbing up above a stream before crossing and re-crossing it to get back to the Massanutten Connector Trail that lead back to our cars and civilization. Hours after getting home Tortuga (now Anthony again) sent me a picture of a pile of stuff he wouldn't be carrying next time! The man learns! He's no longer a noob and will not treat him as such. The lessons are over and now he makes his own calls on what to carry and what not to carry. No longer an amatuer he must make his own way.

Related articles

• Explore Some Wilderness in Shenandoah National Park!
• Introduction to Backpacking
• Hammocks for Hiking

Gear in Review - Clothing

The List
Packa
REI shorts
REI Convertible pants
North Face synthetic T shirt
Minus 33 T-shirt
Stoic Base Layer
Synthetic Boxer briefs
3 pairs of wool socks
2 pairs of sock liners
bandana

REI Down vest*

Long Underwear*
Turtle Fur knit hat*
Fingerless Mitten gloves*
Ear/Neck thingie*

Cold weather gear

The Story
I have expounded on the virtues of the Packa before. And I will do so again! This piece of gear will be used daily as a pack cover on the (hopefully occasional) rainy day it will also be my rain gear. In camp it can either be strung up like a tarp or sat on to keep me bum dry. I found the Packa at Trail Days and Cara bought me the gear for Christmas and it looks as if it lives up to the (self generated) hype. Now all I gotta do is actually get the chance to use it! Cedar Tree, the thru hiker that invented and sells the Packa, gives it a warranty of 2000 miles, and from everything I've heard stands behind his product 100%. Not only do I like the idea of supporting a small shop and a former thru hiker, the product itself is is totally a great idea. Every feature a rain coat has it has, every feature a poncho has it has, every feature a pack cover has it has - except it has none of the draw-backs of any of those products!

I will be starting in early April. The day rushes toward me! From all I have heard, people starting in late March into early April can expect cold weather and at least the possibility of snow until they hit Damascus, VA, north of the Smokies. If my schedule holds true I will be passing thru Damascus during the second week of May. I have plans to send home the items followed by an asterisk when I hit town. The climb up Mount Rogers should be easy breezy!

Warm weather Gear

Much clothing will be sent home when it warms up. I will be keeping a long sleeve shirt for the occasional chilly night and to change into while I wash my other clothing. Same with the pants (that can also be shorts). A change of clothes will be nice, and they are light. Also, having relatively clean camp clothing will be important, as well as having something to wear while washing my clothing is important.

I will be playing around with this the next few days to see how it fits into my pack, But this is generally what I take winter camping. I have been warm (or hot while hiking) with this gear into the teens. I may also trade out the sleeping bag once I hit Virginia, but that is covered in another post! I have packed what I want and left what I don't think I'll need. The dry compression sack with the clothes is smaller than a soccer ball and includes the chamois cloth that will serve as my towel. I left out from that the clothing on my back and a couple layers that I will be wearing or putting at the top of the pack for quick retrieval.

I have seen people wear hiking kilts, and some ultra-lighters with only the clothes on their backs. Then my brother says he would wear jeans because that's what he wears every day anyway, so why change it up? Clothing, like most everything else, is a matter of preference. This is one of the reasons I love the Appalachian Trail, there is no right way to do it. If you walk from GA to ME who cares how heavy/light fast/slow fat/happy you are?!

What are your experiences? Do you have a hiking 'uniform' you put on?

Money money money!

It makes the world go round. It takes quite a bit of preparation and expense to hike the Appalachian Trail. When I decided I wanted to hike the Trail I arbitrarily decided that I wanted a certain amount of money as a safety net. I have not reached that goal, which was quite high, though I have a comfortable amount, I think.

Money makes the world go 'round,
Money leads hikers to town.

I have read many many many ad nauseum posts on White Blaze of someone asking how much money one needs to bring on the Trail. This is a very important question. And I can understand querying the masses.... if there weren't many easily searchable threads already pertaining to the very topic! All the threads on WhiteBlaze range from $3000 to $8000 for on-Trail expenses. And each past or future thru-hiker is very adamant and expressive as to why that is their number, mingled with the folks that remind everyone to HYOH (hike you own hike). With all that in mind I set a dollar amount, and additionally I have some rules for myself and some money saving methods I am going to try out.

If Money is the root of all evil,
then Roots in the Trail are Money.

I will reflect heavily on these pre-Trail thoughts after I'm done. I may find all these to be completely ridiculous and lackadaisically simple minded. But it's not from senselessness that I spout these opines. I have thought and re-thought and these are the logically thought-out methods I have concluded, I am hoping logic has clouded my delusions! Of course, rose-colored lenses and the romance of the Trail may have clouded my conclusions instead.

Allowance
I am doing this pre-Trail as well to get into the habit. Go to an ATM on a certain day and withdraw a certain amount, and X amount must last X days. Anything left over is a bonus for next time. If you are short, then either you get that much less next time, or just have some lean moneyless days. While driving back and forth to work it is more difficult to just have a moneyless day when the car demands fuel. On the Trail I will be allowing myself a certain amount every 2 weeks. Much of that time I will be in the woods with no one to exchange for services my hard won monies. In town's I want to limit myself the ability to splurge just for spending sake. It is very easy to swipe the card, but to have the cash in hand and see the pile dwindle makes it more real. I am looking for reality on this trip!


Tried an True Gear
The gear I have I have tried to test and use as much as possible. I also have purchased much of the gear from REI with an REI dividends credit card. REI allows you to return without question gear you can't use or don't like or begins to smell funny. While REI isn't the cheapest place in town, getting 5% back as well as being able to return anything for store credit forever saves money and space in my supply closet at home. Friends and family have been very accommodating and have really hooked me up with things I would not have otherwise thought that I could afford, such as boots, the Packa, SPOT, and good clothing. I would've "suffered" thru with more basic stuff - which would of had a chance of making me uncomfortable at the very least, or injured at the worst.

Pre-made meals
I have made all of the dinners for the entire trip in advance. I have nearly all of my lunches and breakfasts also made and ready to ship. Not only does this allow me to control my caloric intake, but I also have been able to buy in bulk and find deals on good quality highly nutritional meals. Not going into a grocery store in a small town while in the throes of the Hiker Hunger will save me money, and my meal diversity is substantial as well.
I have heard of others, including thru-hikers that are adamantly against mail-drops. Then I have also heard thru's just as loud for drops. So it is obviously a personal choice. Whether it's to spend a full day in town searching for food, re-packaging it into bags and then heading out, or my choice of hopefully grabbing what I need from the Post Office and tossing it in my bag before scooting out of town - it is a preference,  not a necessity one way or the other.

Limit sleeping indoors
I am trying to stay out of towns as much as possible. Much of the adventure is the camaraderie one finds on the Trail and in the Trail towns, I will participate to the fullest extent, but I will be sleeping in my comfortable secluded little tent 13 of 14 days. If there is a hostel on the Trail that has that magic allure I will stay. I have some mail drops scheduled for deposit at Trail hostels, and I will be staying at those places for comfort, recuperation, and of all the stories I've heard of these places. But I don't have plans to stay in hotels often! My drop stops are in towns either on the Trail or in towns that are as close as possible to the Trail. I want the ability to get places without relying on taxis, shuttles, or my thumb!

Self control
The AYCE. Once the hunger sets in, I've heard these joints are hard, neigh impossible, to pass by! My budget will cover eating meals from towns whenever I want, however I want to control my urges, and stick to my prepared meals. This goes back to staying out of town! This goes for beer too. I will definitely want to have a tall cold one from time to time! But even the cheap beers add up quick! Six later and you've spent as much as you had the past week in food.

Very Good News, indeed!
I was asked last week to write a letter of intent to the President of the company for which I work. With a bit of trepidation I wrote several paragraphs outlining why I wanted to take off for 6 months of unpaid leave. Would he understand? Would he go with my supervisors recommendation of allowing me to go? Or would this be alien to him?
I received word today that the Prez has followed my bosses advice (THANK YOU MIKE!) and he is OK with me going.
I am reassured that I will have a job when I get back, that I have not done all this planning to have a final and unassailable road-block within sight of the start date, the Day of Ascension of Springer's Approach Trail. I will not be paid to be gone, obviously, but I have enough in savings to carry me. This does give me a "finish by" date. I gave myself a full 6 months to do the Appalachian Trail, though I have every intention of doing it in a maximum of 5 months. I really needed to add some cushion into the dates so I didn't hear a ticking throughout the trip. If I am injured or there is a family emergency or whatever the case may be, I have a window that is slightly longer than I need it to be. Additionally I will be able to use my accrued leave at the beginning of the trip, about a week and a half, to give me a boost monetarily.

Things Missed...

...and NOT missed!

I often try to imagine myself on the Trail. Walking along, day after day. Waking with the sunrise, enjoying a breeze, hearing the pitter-patter of rain on my Packa or tent, even being sore tired damp and smelly (not to romanticize the Trail!). I can imagine those individual scenes. I can't imagine it day after day for half of a year. But that's going to be my life. And I crave it! However much I want to get away from many things there is going to be things that I will desperately miss as well. Until the Trail becomes normal, lack of normalcy will be echoing around me. How long will it take for it to sink in that this isn't a short trip? I have done over-night camping trips, and I have done 12 day canoe trips. It takes over a week for the life-style change to really sink in. Even then, you know in a few more days you will be moving with the help of gasoline again rather than your bodies own motive power.
So, what am I going to miss the most? And what do I think I will not miss the most? Here's a couple lists. At the end of my journey I will look back at these lists and then write again about which things on the list turned out to be missed more, less, or surprising!

I will miss:
1. Cara
2. Friends and family
3. Kaya
4. Home
5. Bed
6. Heating/cooling
7. Wine from the bottle
8. Cooking multi-sided meals
9. Showering daily
10. Pay-check

I will NOT  miss:
1. Traffic, other impatient drivers
2. Feeling rushed frustrated and angry at things I cannot control
3. TV
4. Sitting the majority of every day
5. Worrying about needing to exercise or eat right
6. Being bored
7. Immersion in a society consumed with short attention spans, lying politicians, greed, and rampant consumerism.
8. Dress pants
9. Looking at my cell phone every 2 minutes for email - once a day will be fine IF there's signal!
10. Commuting


I know these lists will change, maybe gradually. I may start not minding skipping showers for a week at a time. I may start to really like ambient temperature every day. I may miss dress pants (doubtful on that account, I wear jeans most every day and haven't had an urge to put on slacks).

Things that I take for granted, like water from a tap, a fridge, ease of buying whatever I want whenever I want could possibly become things that I really miss (speaking of consumerism!). I go on this trip to remove myself from typical American life, to get some perspective, and to find out what I really consider important. I may be standing way too close to see what I really value.

What about you? What did you miss? What will you miss?

Little Calf Mountain Reroute

http://www.southshenandoah.net/events/details/29-flyingmcleods-march
I just got a PATC memo with talks of a new mountain to be climbed in Shenandoah; the Trail re-reoute will now include Little Calf Mountain, with west-facing views.
I look forward to enjoying the hard work of those volunteers, and will need to re-pay their work with some volunteerism of my own!



Doing some research:
http://www.summitpost.org/little-calf-mountain-summit-view-bear-den-mountain/468975

Little Calf Mountain is at Mile Marker 99.5

Project Details

Gear in Review - Camera

This is the beginning of a Gear Review series that will cover the gear that I am using, that I have Trail tested and will update each review periodically as the trip progresses.

 Self-timer used

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

Specs

Features

  -Shockproof

  -Waterproof

  -Dustproof

  -Freezeproof

  -Altimeter / Depth Indicator / Compass / Barometer / GPS

  -12.1 mega Pixel

  -28mm Wide-angle Lens

Focus

  -Optical: 4.6x

  -Extra Optical: 5.7x (4:3 / 8M), 7.3x (4:3 / 5M), 9.1x (4:3 / under 3M)

  -Intelligent: 6x

  -Digital: 4x
  -(Max. 18.4x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom)
  -(Max. 36.3x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
Many other specifications are provided at the linked Panasonic wesite


The Story
Problem, I needed another camera! I had a fairly nice Kodak that had an unfortunate snow-boarding accident. I spent $100 to have it fixed, and the shots have never been the same, a tinge of blur on the left side of every picture taken.
I bought a cheaper Kodak and it also took nice pictures, had a decent zoom and was small and light-weight. A humid morning killed that camera in Dolly Sods! That's all it took. The camera was in a plastic bag, it had rained the night before but the camera was in a bag in a backpack with a rain cover under a tarp. And yet when I removed the camera from the bag to take a picture of a gorgeous sunrise from Bear Rocks, the screen became full of condensation and the camera breathed it's last, even after instantly removing the battery, and putting the camera in the freezer when I got home.
After going through two cameras in less than a year I was determined to get one that could live through my life-style, that is outside and on the go, with occasional bumps and bruises. I began searching and came upon several cameras that styled themselves as 'ruggedized'. After reading reviews, and having worked for a couple years with Panasonic Toughbook ruggedized laptops, I decided to go with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3... the only problem was that it hadn't been released yet! The TS2 was still being sold, but heading towards EOL. I decided to wait it out, put in a pre-order and go without a camera for a few months, with the hopes that it would arrive in time to go to Stehekin, WA for the Volunteer Vacation. The camera did arrive in time.
The camera took hundreds of very nice pictures, the battery life was good. The GPS, altimeter, barometer, and compass were nice features. After using the camera for 9 days we were hiking back to base camp with tools in hand. The shovel I carried banged, and not hard, into the camera that was in my cargo pocket. The back LCD screen cracked and spider-webbed. The camera still took pictures just fine, but with the screen compromised I figured the water-proofing was also compromised.
After the trip I sent the camera back to Panasonic, free of charge for warranty repair. The LCD screen was back-ordered for over a month, and a couple months after sending it in I got a fixed camera back. While I'm glad they made good on it, it took way too long. 

Conclusion
The pictures are decent, the stabilization is good, the color is true. However, you must understand that the zoom is not great the lens is contained within the housing so optical zoom is limited, and digital zoom always becomes lossy very quickly. The camera is rugged, but from experience, not invincible. I have taken pictures with it while swimming, but I would not go scuba diving with it, though I would probably go snorkeling.
The GPS takes forever to find satellites and it really must be under clear unobstructed skies. Even with the GPS left on the battery lasts for a long time, several days of constant use. In the time I was in Washington I changed the battery once.

All in all I'm glad I purchased the camera and it will be traveling the Appalachian Trail with me.

Holidays and the Approaching Adventure

I went to snowy New Hampshire for Christmas. This has been one of the best Christmas in recent memory. Then again, when does one have enough time off to do nothing for 10 days!

I have been good with my personal days this year, and even with this last expenditure I will be rolling some days over to next year. When I go on the Appalachian Trail I will have some days to give me that one last extra boost monetarily.

New Hampshire

Cara and I drove up after work and arrived fairly late on the 16th. Her parents own and operate a country inn called Lovette's Inn, in Franconia, just down the road from Franconia Notch and Canon Mountain, only a couple miles from the Appalachian Trail and within very easy driving distance of several other ski resorts, and the entire White Mountains region. I didn't realize how many trails this area has to offer... more on that later! Both of her brothers and Significant Others were there, as well as her older brother's 2 kids. The next day after getting there we visited and played with the kids, watched some Christmas movies and generally relaxed. What little snow was on the ground melted. I was hoping for a white Christmas but we still had lots of time until the guy in the red suit showed up.

Over the next several days we opened some presents, ate massive amounts of good food, drank excellent wine, and just generally enjoyed the downtime. Guests with their children came and enjoyed the Inn along with some of Cara's brother's friends that were in the area. The hustle and bustle, was counter-pointed by how homey it felt. One evening we took the kids over to the Polar Express on the Hobo Railroad in a nearby town. The program included getting on a train, getting hot coco and candy, and traveling to the North Pole to hangout with Santa and the elves. Very fun to see the joy and wonder on all these kids faces.

After Cara's brother's left it was just Cara, me, and her parents for a week. We did more of the same, Christmas movies, some light shopping in Littleton, hit a couple local restaurants. Cara and I drove to North Conway to the outlets, on our way across from Franconia we passed by the base of Mt. Washington, which was unfortunately mostly shrouded in clouds and the sky dropped rain onus that froze on the roads and made shopping treacherous - I needed some micro-spikes! The following day the sky cleared and the temperature dropped. The 4 of us went back to Mt. Washington and I was able to see the true sky-scrapper in all it's majestic glory.

We got snow! Enough to go on a short hike on snow-shoes on the cross-country trails behind Lovette's Inn. that evening we decided to open one Christmas present. The girls boxed up a map that I had been eying in a local store, they thought it was a semi-joke gift... I guess they didn't realize how much I love maps! I poured over it, imagining myself cresting this hill, following that stream. The White Mountains has enough trails scattered around it, some very densely interlaced, I could spend the next 20 summers trying to explore them all. I was always impressed by the amount of trails in Acadia when we visited in my childhood. Acadia has a fraction.

This area echoes in my mind with names that I have heard over and over in all the books on the AT I have read. I saw the AT cross the road in Crawford Notch, looked at the mountains surrounding the Notch, stared up at Mt. Washington and tried, really really tried to imagine myself on the Trail for 5 months. But I can't. I cannot fathom how I will feel, or if I will make it. I imagine that I will, but how can I not when I'm making a 6 month commitment to the AT. People ask me almost daily, relatives and friends, if I am ready for my trip. I always answer positively, but it is not an honest answer. I am filled with eager anticipation, tinged with fear of loneliness and knowing that I will miss Cara and everything "normal". The anticipation is great, I have not fully allowed myself to realize I am actually going to embark on this trip. It's all an idea right now. I see the silver thread of the tread-way skimming across the mountain tops, marching a steady march to Maine. I see images flash by in fast forward as if I was on the Trail. But it is all illusory, dream-like and ephemeral still. I am planning and studying maps, trying gear, and making food packets, but I can't comprehend 6 months. I can't grasp going to a post office for food week after week. It's like sitting on a beach gazing at the stars and you can't wrap your head around the vastness of all the stars above you or even all the grains of sand beneath you. I doubt I will get it while I'm out there immediately. We're programmed to always be looking to the next thing, the next drop off point, the next day, the next turn in the Trail or the next peak to bag. I'm hoping when I have 7 days food on my back and all I gotta do between now and the next post office is walk that I can be more in the NOW than I ever have been before.

Another walk in the snow with the three yellow labs playing in the snow with us, and a couple more days of delightful nothingness, work and the world called us back. Ten days gone so quickly, and with less adventure then I have had in years. But I feel recharged. My love grows ever stronger for Cara, and times like this of us just being for days with only quiet happiness confirms my feelings. Of course the drive back in traffic was completely trying to my state of euphoria, people are in such a hurry to get back from work and away from family. I surely won't miss traffic and brake lights while I am on the Appalachian Trail! We got back in time to see my Uncles and Aunts and cousins before finally getting home in Southern MD...

Anticipation

I have been putting together meal packets for the Appalachian Trail. I enjoy the preparation. Not only do I like searching Amazon for deals on food and getting package after package of Clif Bars in the mail, I also enjoy separating, organizing, and repacking. I try to imagine myself 6 months from now when I get to a post office and unbox my fuel for the next week. Will I curse myself for not enough diversity? Though I've tried for it. Will I berate myself for forgetting to put a packet of coffee one morning? Will it be too much or not enough? I feel I can't answer any of these basic questions until I have been out there for awhile. At first I think I will be wasting food, as 700 calories of rice, couscous, or other starch is a LOT, but later, when the hiker hunger creeps in I'm hoping it will be enough. Not to get bogged down into crunching numbers, but I have tried to make the meals fulfill what calorie expenditure I have researched. I do not want to lose much weight while I hike. I can't afford it. To that end I have lots of protein bars, nuts, dried fruits and meats, and tons of starches planned. I am trying to buy as much now while I have a pay check so while I am out there I won't need to spend my saved money on daily meals. I want the money put back to go for 'over-and-beyond' stuff; like an occasional hotel stay, an AYCE buffet, a shuttle ride for Cara to her car - whatever it takes for me to be happy out there, but not the base expense of the Trail.

The anticipation builds, as I think how fast the past year has already gone. Only 3 more months. Only 3 months to buy, build, organize test, address, label, check and double-check EVERYTHING. And all these checks and double checks could go awry if I hike faster than what I have planned (not slower, not in my vocab!). Also adding to the anticipation besides, the ticking of the clock, are the presents I received from all my loved ones. An awesome pair of boots, the Packa which I've spoken of before, hiking socks, a poncho, camp mug, MAPS!, a better funnel and pre-filter for the SteriPen, and a AT tee shirt! People know what I need!

The list grows shorter of what I still need to do. Some things must wait until last minute, like getting a cheaper cell phone, loading the licensing for the SPOT, discontinuing credit card use and switching to cash. Other things I need to ramp up on in a major way, like drying beef jerky and fruits, completing meal packaging, boxing meals into shipping containers. All the work is fulfilling and time consuming.

 *Other pics to be added soon

I have found a good resource for finding out where the AT crosses roads:
http://walkiness.com/scripts/newvarat.php
Google Maps also has a couple good publicly shared maps of Parking and Shelters, provided by the ATC:
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/mapping-gis-data

Bridge Day

October 14th Friday

Planning was next to non-existent for this trip. I had diligently pre-paid and paid fully for the trip. I had checked the Meetup message boards for updates, but mostly it was just people getting rides lined up for themselves. I threw all my camping and back-packing items in a couple bags a few days before. I looked up the directions and tried to find out where we would be camping. I had planned on taking the day off, but had forgotten to put it on my calendar. Newman, the coordinator of the trip, called me at 11am to tell me that some family issues were going ot keep him from coming on the trip and that he was passing me the torch of leadership. I was not happy about this, but figured that I was going camping with a group of adults and the only real coordination would be to tell them to show up Sunday morning for the rafting trip, I assumed that the days festivities would occupy everyone. So, feeling frazzled, I left work a bit early - and honestly I felt like I was sneaking away, I felt guilty leaving when I left and felt like I could get in trouble if I got "caught". All these stressed feeling, in addition to some anxiety induced by that second Starbucks venti, I was just ready to unwind and forget my worries.

I met Cara, Kaya, and Jamie at the New Carrelton Metro station. We packed everything into my car and we left the lot around 2:30. We dodged the DC traffic, cruising around the Beltway and out 66 with barely a hitch. Jamie and Cara chatting amicably. I was on the quiet side, still feeling anxious, and checking my phone for work-related messages or calls. We made our way to 81 and south to 64 West, the sun slowly sinking, the darkness chasing away the day. After dark we got off of 64 and onto some secondary roads, all of us hungry, we passed through a small town that had half the population of the town at the high school football field, and stopped at the Taco Bell. I had no appetite, I had gotten an email from my boss, asking when I had gotten to and left work today. He never sends a message like that, my anxiety notched up and my phone died. I told Cara of my frustration and she said exactly the right thing and made me eat a bit. I felt much better from her words. The rest of the night I let it go and enjoyed no anxiety.

We soon arrived at the turn off to Class VI and the check-in for our campsite. The guy behind the desk gave us some funky directions and we got turned around, crossed the bridge, made a U-turn, made the incorrect right turn and finally found the group campsite! As we stepped from the car the coldness came as a shock. A few short hours ago the temperature was in the 70s and warm. Now it felt to be in the 50's, our breath coming out in puffs of steam. There was a group of 4 women from the Washington Backpackers already there with tents set up and a fire blazing, drinking some spirits and gabbing. We spoke with them and found a dry place slightly removed from them to pitch our tent by car head-light. We stowed all our gear and popped the top on a few beers. The cute little 10 oz Miller  Lites Cara had mistaken picked up. We stood around for an hour or two getting to know the 4 women, all of whom knew each other through the marriage of a sibling or relative. The other people from our group had yet to arrive, from reading their posts they were leaving Centreville at 7 or 8 so would not arrive until late (or rather early!). After the fire-wood burned down we climbed into our tents.

October 15th Saturday

Cara was extremely cold over the night and I got to (or was rather made to, but I liked it!) hold her all night. Kaya was cold too and eventually made it into the double sleeping bag as well. I was comfortable, but pushed around a bit! Sometime during the night other people arrived in the field we were staying. I didn't hear much noise while they set up their tents or any thing like that. After they set up though they stayed up for awhile and drank, which is also fine, the curfew was 1:30am and it was after that, and most were quiet - except one girl and a loud and carrying voice, and of course she liked to talk. I didn't know if she was part of our group or from some other group. I couldn't get back to sleep until she retired as well.

As the day replaced the night we got out of the bag so we could make it down to the lodge for breakfast. We drove down to the main campus and parked. There was wind that there was a payment issue, that some people hadn't shown up and that some people were trying to get a free ride. A couple of the 4 women were rather paranoid about it and were accusatory towards the rest of the group that had arrived after us. I think that the other group had woken them up setting up and they were kind of bitter towards them. I was getting a "group divided" feeling already. It felt like an episode of Survivor almost, the tribes were aligning - and I was trying to stay out of the middle of it, because the other "tribe" was taking the bait and puffing up and acting offended and not talking to Jamie, me, or Cara like we were with the 4 women.

People in the group were asking where I was leading a hike, after they got wind Newman pushed the lead on me. I went and got some free local maps and handed them out, pointing out where the trails were and where the Bridge Day festivities were located.

After the buffet style breakfast we went back to camp and put lunches and water in our backpacks and headed towards the Visitor Center to see about a better map. I did find a hiking map, but it was no better or more extensive than that which I'd already procured. Leading out the back of the Visitor Center was a boardwalk to views of the bridge. We walked down to a viewing platform and watched people BASE jumping from the bridge, repel from the top of the arch, and zip line off to one side. While standing there we saw a jumper go, and go, and go - I never saw his chute deploy, Cara said she saw something puff up right at the very end. Everyone gasped and surmised. Had he died? Someone said, "People have died before, and they kept right-on jumping" and before too long people started jumping again. Had we just seen a man jump to his death? Was it faulty equipment? Did he do it on purpose? Spoiler:The full story of the jumper.

We determined to ask around once we got on the bridge, surely people would know.

Walking towards the bridge we were told we could bring neither backpacks nor dogs on the bridge. Bummed, we began walking back towards the campsite to lock Kaya in for the day. Right by the entrance to the bridge I asked a uniformed officer just to be sure I wasn't getting fed a line by some random guy. The officer confirmed, but also pointed out a church table off to one side that was volunteering to hold bags and dogs for free. Thanks! That saved us a trip and it gave Kaya time to be outside and play with people and other dogs.

Bridge Day:

The New River Gorge Bridge is a single arch style bridge that is 3030 feet long, 876 feet high, and 70 feet wide. One side of the bridge is closed for the festival, West Virginia's biggest, with 100,000 people in attendance. This year 421 jumps happened off the bridge. Leading up to the bridge were a few vendors, but once on the bridge the only structure set up is the stage were the jumpers do their thing. On the far side of the bridge were more numerous vendors coming from Beckley.

After taking our time to walk the bridge and see all the vendors and watch some jumpers we headed back across. On our travels we heard the guy that appeared to fall to the river had lived, but we got no more details. Cara, Jamie, and myself saw no one else from the Meetup group, which is how I figured it would be. To try and keep up with any group at all in the throng of people was difficult, going with a 19 people would have been impossible and annoying. After collecting Kaya and heading back to camp we drank a bottle of wine and lounged in the warm sun for awhile, I dozed a bit. We decided to walk down to the main campus from our campsite again, about 3/4 of a mile road walk, but figured it would be easier than driving. Kaya came with us, we were planning on just figuring out the details on the rafting and going on a short hike to the gorge edge. By the time we got there and soaked in the view it was close enough to dinner time that we just got seated outside with Kaya.

I also settled our account so we were paid in full after I found out we had been told we owed more than what we already paid. There were two stories stemming from this. Newman told us we lost some of our discount because not enough people had paid. This didn't ring true, and he had never put his deposit down on this trip, nor paid the final piece. Class VI said that Newman had added meals and wet suit rental at the last minute which is what jacked the price. At diner the four older ladies sat at our table and the rest of the group sat away. I was getting some major vibes of tension between them. I really was at a loss for why there was such apparent loathing. Regardless, I enjoyed the spread. Everything was high quality and tasty including Prime Rib, Duck, Salmon, and Pork tenderloin as well as a good salad bar and accompanying vegetables. After paying for our beers we caught a shuttle back to camp to drop Kaya off and put on some warm clothes. And then we started walking back to the campus to hang out at the bar for awhile, in the warmth! A pickup truck pulled up and we got a quick ride back.

We went to the upstairs pub and drank some beers did a shot and chatted amongst the three of us, watching some TV and having a good time. Apparently there was another bar that also had live music but we didn't know about it until the next day. After we settled up we hopped the shuttle back to our campsite. Being frigid out and tired from the lack of sleep the night before we turned in early. There was some back ground noise, the sound of voices and laughter, the thunk of a bean bag being tossed back and forth from a game of corn-hole. The noises didn't bother me, but rather lulled me into slumber.

October 16th Sunday

Sometime in the dark hours before dawn, probably around 2:30 or 3am. I get woken up by three people conversating. Rather, one guy woke me, the other guy that was up was low toned, and the girl was quiet also. The conversation was very obviously alcohol induced, and had I heard it at any time other than the middle of the night I would've been rolling with laughter. Talking of self-defense, loud guy, "I'm a fighter, one time when I was ten I beat the crap out of a 14 year old, broke his nose and then started pounding on him!" That was his only self defense story. Talk about living in the past. I was waiting for his band-camp story. Next he loudly proclaimed, "my right leg is so powerful. It would launch me at someone." Wow. awesome. STFU. I was not the only one thinking this. One of the four ladies got out of the tent and said pretty much what I was thinking. Synopsis, you're loud. Shut up. Go to bed. Of course this wasn't taken kindly. The guys buttoned their lips, the girl though rose to the challenge and got into a verbal assault with the woman. Anyway, after a few minutes the altercation was over and everyone went to bed. All the children put away for the night, I slept soundly until the alarm.

We packed our gear and broke camp while the sky was still mostly dark. After getting everything down and in the car we drove over for breakfast and the rendezvous for rafting. After one final hitch with the bill and getting it cleared we ate and got our wet suits. The clammy rubber warmed quickly with a few layers over top. We went through the process of getting helmets and life-vests. Everyone seemed to be getting along, there were no more harsh comments. It seemed like the worst was over and we were coming together for white water without any lingering grumpiness.

Soon enough we piled on the bus and headed towards our put in spot. We divided into our rafting groups once there. In our group we had me, Cara, Jamie, Kate, Cameron, Toaha, Sean, and Corbin - the guide. We shoved off into the Upper Gauley river and onto the class V rapids just down river!

The Class V rapids were very fun, Corbin was very informative about each set of rapids and how we would go through them, and if we got knocked out of the raft which shore to swim towards. All the rapids had names, like 'The Tomb Stone", Softey, and Woody, most of the names escape me, I was concentrating on staying dry and alive!

After the second Class V the raft behind us flipped and dumped its passengers. We paddled in to the rescue. I pulled in a guy, grasping him by the shoulders and falling backwards into the boat to leverage him in. We were eye tot eye inches apart. The wide saucer-sized eyes full of fear and then gratitude. He thanked me profusely, and that look reinforced that I did not want to go in the drink! We loaded our rescued rafters back into their boat and continued down the river. We would paddle a few times and then rest. Corbin would weave us around kayaks and other rafts, set us at the top of some rapids, giving us some fun lines and keeping us dry mostly. We were very close to capsizing on several occasions but we were fortunate and stayed upright. The adrenaline rushed and we hooted and hollered as we flowed over and around pillows of raging water.

We talked to Corbin, and it turns out he was on the rescue boat that pulled the guy out of the river when his chute didn't deploy. He confirmed that the guy lived, but didn't give much detail beyond that.

As the day wore on and the miles grew further behind us, the sun past it's zenith and the number of rapids ahead of us grew less than the number behind our energy began to flag and thoughts of lunch became obsessive. Finally we came to our break spot and paddled one final push into calm water. We clambered out to a pavilion with a diverse spread. Nachos and cheese, crackers, mash potatoes, hot dogs and hamburgers. I ate my fill and drank some coffee, soaking in the warm sun and listening to the group say some snarky things about one another. Apparently the night before was gone, but not forgotten. The puerile behavior made me rethink about going on Meetups again.

Too soon, as I was just settling back for a nap, the boss- Redneck (aka Larry) called for us to get back in our rafts and head down stream. Around a bend a good spot to jump of a cliff presents itself, some opted to go up and jump off. I decided we had come this far with staying dry, I would try to go the day staying parched!

The day was perfect! In the 70's it was not too hot to paddle and stay comfortable with the splash jackets and life-vests on. The sun shone with gentle autumnal warmth and there wasn't a breeze to speak of. The leaves were changing to their brilliant fall colors, contrasting with the dark blue sky. Shadows were springing up around certain bends in the river with higher sides. With only two Class 2 or 3 rapids left, 'Uncle' Redneck called a storytime in the center of the river. Timing was everything and we were quickly rafted together.

The story of the drowned kittens:

"The rafting company wants me to tell you some history about these parts. On the left shore there used to be a mil town, it went from bustling activity to a ghost town around the time of the Great Depression. One guy lived there after most others had moved on. Well one day he was outside by railroad tracks when a Model T broke down in front of his house. The feller that drove the car came up to the man and asked for help. Being a nice guy the man went and got the missing part from one of his junked vehicles (he was country folk after all, and they always have junk cars sittin' around). The car fixed, the owner of the car asked what he could give to him in payment. The man looked in the back of the car and saw the most beautiful Siamese cats, he talked the man into letting him keep the cats for a spell and breed them, selling the kittens and then giving him the cats back in a year.  Settled the man agreed to come back and get his cats in a year.

The man bred the cats several times and made a penny on the gorgeous kittens. Towards the end of the year the female cat escaped and got pregnant from the meanest ugliest barn cat around. When these kittens were born they were twice as ugly and misshapen. The man put the kittens in a basket and chucked them in the river, right here.They floated down. Meow. Meow. Meow and around the bend of the river. Meow. Meow. and suddenly they went quiet. They hit the rapids and drowned.

To this very day, you gotta appease the spirits of the kittens or they will flip people in their rafts. They say a rapid that looks like a cats paw reaches up out of no-where and flips ya."

He looks us and says, "Corbin why don't you go first!"

We float down the river, everyone oblivious to what is about to happen. I have an inkling we are about to get wet. We all play along, meowing loudly trying to appease the cats. Around the bend there is one small rapid, easily avoidable. We headed right for it. Next thing we know, SPLASH!

We are all in the water, the frigid water shockingly cold, I gasped for air and drop the paddle immediately. I was completely buoyant and had no trouble finding the surface. Bodies and paddles were everywhere, some people calling out, but mostly just gasping for air. It happened so quick and even though expected it was still a shock. The river was flat there and it was easy to get back to the boat and hang on the side. We grabbed paddles and Corbin flipped right the boat. Cara pulled me in. Toaha had dislocated his shoulder, and Corbin calmly resets it. Toaha took it without a grimace, and that quick we were back in business. After the rapids all the rafts were close together. In the silence Cara shouted, "Hey Redneck, F you and you cats!" Redneck looks nonplussed and everyone else rolls with laughter. We float on singing the Meow Mix song and warming up.

There was only one rapid left, and people start 'Riding the Bull'. This is when a person sits on the front of the raft and tries to hang on without falling in or out through the rapids. Jamie was elected for bringing it up at the start of the trip. She does a fair job, but less then 7 seconds in she falls backwards into the boat.

Around a bend we paddled up to a sand beach and carried the rafts back to the awaiting trailer and jumped on the bus. Cold beer and lots of banter await on the hour bus ride back to the main campus. Once there we all hustle to get our dry clothes situated and hop in the shower for some much appreciated warmth.

We stuck around to watch our video, which wasn't terribly impressive, and definitely not worth the money. We left tired and sore with a 7 hour drive ahead of us and 7pm! What a long day! My head didn't hit the pillow until 2:30am.

The full story of the jumper.

Dolly Sods!

Saturday August 20th, 2011

Cara, Kaya, and I woke up and left from Lake Shore to head towards West Virginia. We stopped by NoVa to pick up our friend Tania and her dog Nyla.
The highway has been extended beyond Moorefield , so I took US 48 to the end and jumped over on to Rt 42 and State road 75 in short order. Going that way cut off a bit of time and mileage getting to Dolly Sods. Huge open highway that begins in no-where and ends in no-where! I like the lack of traffic and the speed in which I can get to my destination.
We followed the road up into the highlands, passing Bear Rocks to our destination, ready to begin the hike. I nosed the car into a spot across from Red Creek Campground. We climbed out, the dogs as excited to be out of the car as we were. We changed into our hiking shoes and put some last minute adjustments to our gear, finally extending our hiking poles and striking out down Blackbird Knob Trail. I had done this hike before, I had started in this location when I had solo hiked last October. The blue berry bushes looked to be beyond season, there were no more in evidence. This path starts on a wooden walk-way and quickly goes into a pine forest the coolness in the shadows reaching out to brush on my skin. Next the path opened into a meadow with views into the distance of the highlands.
The scenes change so quickly here. First the forest feels like the northeast. Close your eyes take a deep breathe and open your eyes and you are transported to Maine or New Hampshire - pine and birch abound. Around the next bend the meadow full of golden rod and purple and white wild-flowers nodding heads in the warm breeze. Marshes and established eastern forest, young new growth trees. All these biomes fly past in the course of just a few miles. Dolly Sods is similar to a arboretum things change as if designed.
We crossed a couple streams and arrived at the meadow where Upper Red Creek Trail comes in from the right; a few tenths of a mile later Red Creek Trail intersects on the left. We took a quick water break before descending into the top of the river valley where I know there are some good camp sites hidden down by the creek. After descending to Red Creek we came to the top of the creek and we began searching for a campsite, rather than following the trail down we followed the creek. The water and the trail diverge here for awhile, some of the best waterfalls and swimming holes are in this area, so it is well advised to check out the creek!
After skirting one likely campsite and bushwhacking a bit we found a spot that seemed like it could fit a couple tents. The site wasn't directly on the water but had a trail leading to the waters edge. We sat our gear around the campfire pit and unpacked some things before heading down to the creek to check it out. There stood a group of guys and girls trying to get a rope swing working over one pool, the rope was very thin and it seemed they had gotten the rope stuck in a spot they didn't want it. The whole thing looked like a broken head waiting to happen! Fortunately better sense took over and after a bit they got the rope unstuck and out of the tree! I did not want to have to carry an injured person out from this location, 3 miles up-hill to a road crossing or 4 miles down stream to Lanevill cabins - either way, not something that would be fun!
We went about setting up camp after not finding any better spots down stream, only waterfalls and lovely cascading water over the gray slick rocks. Cara and I found a spot to setup Maison du Noir... aka the 10 lbs 4-person Coleman tent I have for us. On weekend backpacking trips it's nice to have the room with Kaya, and I figure the extra weight is good cross training!
After our nights housing were erected, we elected to go exploring a bit. The dogs were antsy and needed some play time to be a bit more calm. Back down by the water Kaya happily chased the tennis ball. Nyla happily barked in Kaya's face as she was trying to extract herself from the creek. Meandering down the creek we came to a water fall with no easy way to climb down, we had to go up into the forest and do some climbing over roots and rocks and down a steep embankment to get under it. The climb was well worth it, a great swimming hole opened up below the falls. Kaya would run after the ball and fall head-long into the deeper part of the water. The falls itself had a deep shelf underneath. There was plenty of room to get behind the falling water and have a water-distorted view of the world. Tania got under the falls and let the water fall on her.
After exploring a bit further down the creek we returned to camp to continue the evening camp chores. The valley where the river resides is decidedly moist, nearly like a rain forest, the trees mostly river birch mixed with some pines. The popularity of the area in conjunction with the type of wood lying around made it very difficult to find any viable firewood. Most of the wood on the ground was spongy with rot and moisture, even the standing river birch were full of punky wood in a wrapper of white bark. The bark of the river birch is a great fire starter, even slightly damp - take a piece of the dry bark dunk it in water and hold to flame after dunking and it will still light and burn fiercely for a short time! Cara started and tended the fire as Tania and I went further and further up the steep hill behind camp, crossing the trail-proper and heading into the woods on the other side. After using the pocket chainsaw I got for my birthday a few times we collected enough good wood for the evening.
Firewood chore done, we sat and enjoyed a cup of Maryland Linganore Winecellars Mountain White wine from the Platypus wine preservation bladder. Cara and I had couscous with fried summer sausage for dinner, Tania enjoyed a Gluten-free stew of some type.
As the fire burned on, our eyes riveted to the dancing flames, we spoke of many things, as the campfire provides entertainment for the mind the conversation flows naturally from topic to topic. We speak of life, past experiences, present concerns, and hopes of the future. A fire as a centerpiece always brings out the most interesting talks.
It is with some regret that I plan on not making campfires regularly while hiking the Appalachian Trail next year. I am sure some other hikers will insist on the fire ritual, at which point I will feel an obligation to bring an arm-load of sticks to sacrifice to the inferno, my tithe to enjoy the fire alongside whomever created the warming chemical reaction having as much life as any living thing. I will not often make a fire for myself though. Between not having the energy or gumption after a full days hike, I do not need a fire to cook by or read by or even warm by. I will have my tent, sleeping bag, and stove. Drying boots after a wet slog may be a reason to lay some sticks. I will instead hike until I am tired and sleep and rise and hike on, leaving the dead and dried wood for the weekend camper, the ones whom need the fire ritual, the ones that have time to appreciate it, the ones that will sit around it having deep possibly life-changing conversations and revelations.
We hung some very lame bear bags, but hung they were, more to keep the skunks, opossums, raccoons, and mice out of them. Considering just up the creek I had brazen little mice running across the torso of my bivy, I knew how ignorant the creatures are in Dolly Sods! Bears, though, would have had a blast batting the swinging morsels this way and that spilling the contents in every direction... Fortunately that did not happen and our food stuffs remained intact. Cara and I retired to the Big Agnes double-wide sleeping bag she got me for my birthday. I am really a fan of this sleeping bag - it packs down to the same size as my cold weather sleeping bag, as a Big Agnes it has the integrated ground pad sheath, and pillow sack as well as 2 zippers that go down to the feet for ventilation. There was still plenty of room for us to sleep comfortably apart not requiring constant cuddling.

Sunday August 21th, 2011

We rose to a very leisurely morning. Eating breakfast slowly and just generally enjoying moving slowly. Cara offered to get some water from the creek. A few minutes later she comes back laughing at herself, and soaking wet. She fell in! She took it better than I would I think - I would laugh at myself, but my initial reaction probably would have been choice words... followed by kicking a tree or a rock, thus stubbing my toes followed by more choice words and THEN laughing at myself. Kaya of course jumped in to try and "save" her... and by save Kaya tries to drown anyone in the water with her by climbing on top of them.
After breakfast, coffee, and enjoying the campfire a bit more we broke camp and packed. Looking to the sky I decided to don my pack-cover just in case. We looked at the map and decided to take the long way back, going up Breathed Mountain Trail and then back across the top of the ridge to Blackbird Knob Trail back out to the car. Just as we began the ascent a peal of thunder gratingly rolled across the sky. It seemed the pack cover may have been a good call.
The ascent was not too tough, probably not as bad as the descent we had come down on Red Creek Trail the day before. As the trail began to level out we camp upon a large field, and in this field blue berry bushes on every square foot, and on these blueberry bushes a plethora of berries perfectly ripe! The berries were sweet and full of flavor. I could have eaten every berry in that field if given the chance. We stopped often under the gray nearly dripping sky, trying to move on but moving at a crawl. I dropped to the back so I could sneak more and then hurry to catch up. Even the dogs figured it out and cleared the lower bushes of the crop of tasty morsels.
At one of these clearing as we hiked along the splatter of rain began. Quickly becoming a deluge. I should have put my contacts in! And this is why I will bring contacts on the AT! I could hardly see where I was plodding as water ran off my face and landed on my lens, distorting everything including the ground in front of me. A bit further on my ankle turned and really hurt. That turning of the ankle, happened so fast, and not on a particularly rocky patch has made me re-think my shoe choice. I had my trail runners on and I have come to the conclusion that they do not provide enough ankle support. A twisted ankle could be a Trail ending injury of which I must be careful! Boots it is.
After the height of the storm the temperature went from warm to a slightly chill breeze back to warm. We stopped and ate a couple Clif bars and more berries, finding some taller huckleberries bushes also loaded with fruit. As we turned onto Blackbird Knob Trail, 4 miles into our days' hike, the rain stopped and the clouds began to break up. Over the next hour the sun came out, the breeze became pleasant, the sky blue. The world was apologizing for the thunderstorm and certainly making up for it! If we had decided to go out the same way we came in we would have arrived at the car about the time the rain had stopped! Many times the longer route has many unforeseen benefits, like a bounty of fruit and blue skies!
On the top of the ridge we passed some trees that had to be some kind of planted fruit tree. The regularity and spacing showed they were planted. I surmised by the unripe fruit and the bark and leaves that they were planted cherry trees. I would love to come back when those are ripe! There seems to be something for every season on this West Virginia Highland.
Cara set a brutal pace, averaging 3mph back to the car! My legs were definitely feeling the pace. She impressed the heck out of me, being that this is her second time backpacking, the first being a few weeks ago following the relatively flat trail next to Seneca Creek. Later she confessed that she was getting a blister on her heel that was painful and her feet were damp - she claims she was walking so fast to get back to the car and get out of those shoes and into flip-flops! That girl can move, even in discomfort.
We arrived in sunshine and dropped our packs with smiles. We loaded the packs and the dogs into the car, after a brief stop at Bear Rocks we headed back to civilization. All in all a fun trip with great companionship!