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Published: December 1st 2008
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Much to our disappointment, the weather has been absolutely dreadful for the past few weeks. Since our last blog, we have learned a valuable lesson; be careful what you wish for. We thought that we needed more of a challenge but now we realize just how foolish we were to think such a thing.
As we left Waynesboro, rain moved into the area and soaked the trail for days. To stick with tradition, we chose not to hike in the rain. For three days we covered only minimal miles, thinking that we could make up the miles once the foul weather moved out of the area. Needless to say, it was a pretty easy few days. There was one rainy day which we wasted in the shelter with three other southbound hikers. After watching the rain move in and out all day, we finally did leave the shelter with just thirty minutes of daylight remaining. No doubt it was a rough time to start hiking but the rain had passed and we had miles to cover.
Just one hour into our night-hike we crossed a fallen tree covered in blood. Andy and I were a little unnerved but we continued down
the trail anxious to finish our hike. Fifteen minutes passed and we spotted another LED headlight on top of a ridge. Our trail continued to lead us up to the ridge and the unknown light moved in the same direction. The light was moving in an unusual fashion but we could see that it kept turning in our direction before moving forward. We had that terrible feeling of being watched from a distant. Finally we topped the ridge and crossed paths with the unknown light. As we approached the light we were still not sure what was happening because the light was very close to the ground, as if the user was kneeling on the ground. Not surprising it was a hunter who was in quite a state. He was huffing and puffing with sweat running down his face. Behind him was a large deer carcass which he was attempting to drag through the woods to the nearest road. The man was out of breath and made a joke about a heart attack but the sight of this armed man in the night made us keep moving a little faster. Andy and I agreed that it was our weirdest nighttime
encounter on the trail. About a half mile down trail we came to a bridge where we met two other hunters looking for their friend in the dark. We told them he was back on the trail, trying to drag a deer out of the woods. They swore and trudged up the switchbacks in the direction of their friend.
That was the final night of the rain system but as the precipitation moved out, the cold air moved in. The following day was dreadfully cold and windy but dry. We hiked hard all day to make up for the miles we had failed to cover while waiting out the rain. Hiking in the cold was not too bad and we made our re-supply point in Daleville only a half-day behind schedule. Sadly it was in the town of Daleville that we learned how hard it is to leave the warmth of civilization to return to the cold woods. Within an hour of leaving town, the snow began to fall atop the ridge. The snow was not too bad and didn't start to accumulate until we reached the shelter. At the time we didn't think much of it but the next morning there was a fresh blanket of snow covering the woods. The snow deterred us from our usual early-morning routine and we gladly wasted the morning drinking coffee and listening to NPR. They continually updated listeners with school closing and road reports. This was the start of our long hike south through the snow. For the next four days Andy and I hurried through the cold, snow countryside. In some areas, like the valleys and sun-exposed mountain faces, the snow was not very deep, only a couple of inches. But on top of the ridges, snowfall ranged anywhere from six inches to knee-deep drifts. It was tough walking to say the least. All day long we endured cold, wet shoes before stripping them off upon arriving to the shelter. The only way to stay warm was to hike hard or be bundled-up in a sleeping bag. In the morning, everything was frozen including our trail runners. This was absolutely the worst part of snow hiking, starting the day by ramming one's feet into frozen shoes. But we made it through four days of this frigid routine to arrive in Bland, Va.
In Bland we thawed out in a motel room where we met our father, who came out to hike with us to Damascus. Dad already had some experience on the Appalachian Trail; last year he hiked a 150 mile section of the trail with Andy. But that section hike did not prepare him for the conditions which he hiked through this year. The cold weather did not relent and he hiked through the cold, snowy November weather. Most of the nights were really cold with lows dipping below twenty degrees.
Luckily the weather changed for the end of his section hike. The last three days he was on the trail were sunny and clear. And at night, the lows did not drop below freezing, leaving our shoes and water bottles much more manageable in the morning.
Easily the most enjoyable part was our hike through Grayson Highlands State Park. This park feels completely out of place in Virginia. Lush rolling meadows open into big open skies which are often compared to Montana's landscape. The nice weather and beautiful views were a welcomed change but the best part was the herds of roaming Shetland ponies. Those little ponies are so friendly and likeable, I got a big kick out of them.
We pushed a long 28 mile day into Damascus to make the old man end on a high note. He was pretty tuckered out by the time we rolled into town but it was nothing that a hot shower and a warm meal couldn't cure. After finishing this section hike, he now has over 12.5% of the trail completed.
The same night we finished in Damascus I caught an absolutely terrible cold. Andy has been battling a cough for the past week and I tried to avoid catching the bug but my luck ran out on Friday. Yesterday morning I woke up with a fever and decided that hiking was out of the question. Dad and Andy were kind enough to bum around the hotel as I slept all day long.
This morning the alarm sounded at 2:00 and I woke up feeling much better than I did yesterday. Dad had an early flight to catch so Andy and I were dropped off at the trail a few minutes before 3:00 am. Of the course, the beautiful weather we ended our hike with has passed and the rain started just twenty minutes after we hit the trail. It was a tough way to start the day but we made the most of what we were given and are now forty miles closer to Springer Mountain.
We have entered the final stage of our hike, the summit push has begun. Only 421 miles sit between us and the southern terminus. We plan to finish in two weeks, fulfilling our goal to finish in less than ninety days. Hopefully the rain moves out of the area but after hiking in the snow for ten days, a little rain is not so bad after all.
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Dylan Hughes (DH)
non-member comment
Thanks for the updates
Sounds like an amazing adventure! Keep the updates coming, I love reading them. Keep warm. DH from Madison.