2/20/08 David Lessing Shelter to ATC HQ Harper's Ferry

Yep - very cold last night. I had to get up about 10 or 11 pm to visit the rpivy. the sky is clear and starry. there are lots of lights in the valley. Very pretty but too cold to linger. I get back to my sleeping bag. The air coming in the face hole is cold so I pull out my shelter and pull it over me, including my face hole and hey!, much warmer! I was warm enough all night, just not toasty warm. I had on my fleece pants, long john shirt, socks, fleece, winter jacket and hat. I got up just before sunrise. Sure enough, very cold outside my sleeping bag. My groin hurts when I get up and legs are stiff. Off to the privy then back for some aspirin. I get cooking from inside my sleeping bag and while I'm eating the sun peeks out for about 30 seconds then it dissappears into a solid overcast. I pack up and set off, I think it's about 8am.

The groin pull hurts every step. An hour into my hike I try and get a drink, no go. Even tho I had blown the drinking tube clear when I loaded up and tested the water bladder, it's still frozen. Ok, I take off the pack, take a nature break and unload the pack enough to get at the water bladder. I hold the tube connections in my hands at both ends to thaw residual water. Eventually it thaws enough for me to drink. I load everything back up and on we go. This time I leave water in the tube and take a drink every few minutes to keep the water flowing.

The trail has no real climbs, pretty level tho there are some spots completely rock strewn, like walking in a dry streambed, slowing me down. Still not totally sure of the time, I don't want to delay Wendy's pick up, cause I know she has an obligation to go to after she picks me up. I finally reach the power line, about the 1/2 way point and stop for lunch. Today it's a food bar and one of my dehydrated snacks of backpack bruchetta and soy chips. The dip would be better warm but it's still pretty tasty. It's so cold that by the time I finish eating my hands are freezing. I pack up and get my gloves on. While packing up I see a squirrel. I only see it for a 1/2 second, it looks like it's red and black? I'll have to ask Wendy about it. I trek on and it starts snowing. In about 1 mile I pass a sign post declaring the area the Harper's Valley Historic park. Hoo Hoo! Only 2 miles to go. However, this is the hardest part of the trail in the 2 day trip. It's very steep and lots of shale, now wet and covered in snowy wet leaves. I decend carefully. The area is supposed to have stone redoubts from the Union Army shelling of harper's Ferry during the Civil War but I haven't seen any. Betting to the bottom of the ridge OK, I still have 2 ravines to cross. They turn out to be pretty easy but the path leading to the road and bridge crossing of the Susquehanna is very steep, wet shale. Slippery when wet! Once at the bridge, there are lots of steps to the sidewalk, groin hurts every step. Once on the bridge tho, great views of the river. Lots of ducks and geese in the water. They don't seem to mind the cold or the snowfall. Across the bridge, there's a ridge to climb, moderately steep slope and lots of wet rock steps but going slowly I get up to the historic area. It's rumored that getting thru this area and to the ATC is tricky. I found my way pretty well but missed the last turn post sign and ended up walking around a large block. I asked directions and it turned out I was just down the street (down hill of course) from the ATC. I walked up the hill and found the place. I was the only hiker in that afternoon. A great crew there who gave me a lot of assistance and bless them, a hot cup of tea! It turns out I got there a little after 2pm. I left a phone message for Wendy and toured the building, bought a couple of souveniers. The ATC has a computer for hikers so I sent Randy a quick email and posted a quick blog entry. Waiting for Wendy, I go back down the hill to the liquor store and buy a bottle of wine to celebrate. Wendy picked me up at 5pm and after a dinner and glass of wine, in bed by 8:30pm. Missed the eclipse of the moon, dang it!

The Drive to West VA and Snickers Gap Start 2/18-19/08

So, I drove to Shepardstown West Virginia on the 18th to meet the originator of our AT Hiking group, the Tiger Bombers. I found Wendy's house with no trouble and Wendy, Tiger Bomb, and I had a nice supper, chatting about hiking. We hit the hay early since I wanted to get an early start at Snicker's Gap, Virginia. We were up at 6am (2/19) and I took a quick shower, finished packing my pack and were out the door by 6:30. We met Denny (Katahdin Kid), another member of our group and Wendy's fiancee, for breakfast then went to the trailhead. About 8:15am, Wendy and Denny hiked with me about 1/2 mile then said goodby. Wendy will pick me up tomorrow afternoon at the ATC HQ in Harper's Ferry.

So this part of the trail begins in VA and is the tail end of a section of the AT called the Rollercoaster. Just after I left Wendy and Denny, I realized my watch had stopped. I've only a general notion of the time now. I suspect the cold, about 38 degrees, has something to do with the stoppage. So, I trudge up 2 hills and notice that the watch is working again. Big sigh. I think it's about 1 hour off. I'll go with that reckoning for the rest of the day. So I finish the last 2 mountains of the rollercoaster and am on the long ridge and about 11:30 I figure it's time for lunch. that's when I realize in my rush to get up and out this morning, I forgot to make the balony and cheese sandwich I wanted to bring for lunch. Drats! I always forget something; if this is the worst, I've got no worries. So I eat what I brought for snacking on, a Gluten Free food bar and some peanut butter and crackers. While eating, an older guy, mid-60's?, came by. We chatted for a minute, he's thru hiking and will be stopping at Bears Den. He stayed at the David Lessing shelter last night and said it was clean and nice. He noted that the spring is 1/4 mile down the ridge from the shelter on a pretty steep slope. I was planning on staying at the Backburn Center but thanked him for the lean-to status. After that he trudged on and I finished my lunch.

By now it's as warm as it's going to get, sunny but cold wind. The guy was hiking in a thick down jacket, heavy gloves, etc. I'm down to 2 shirts and my fleece when I stop. Different strokes I guess. So, I finish lunch and trudge on and in an hour get to the Blackburn Center blue blaze trail. It's only about 1pm, way too early to stop. Benefits of the Blackburn Center is a cabin with wood stove, easy water and an early stop to the day. Negatively, that would make tomorrow a 13 mile hike and the David Lessing Shelter is 3 sided, unheated and water is a steep ridge walk away. I figure, what am I going to do all afternoon if I stop? Do I really want a 13 mile day tomorrow? Answer is, no. I don't want to stop now. So I go on to the David Lessing Shelter. Hope I don't regret that stove!

Even tho this is the end of the rollercoaster, I find the trail pretty easy. It's amazing to me that there are rhododendrens in green here and small plants along the trail (no snow!) are already greening up! The trail itself has long stretches of smooth, pine needle or leaf covered trail, easy on the feet. I do notice I've pulled a groin muscle or tendon. Painful to lift my leg for any climb. Oh well. I got to the shelter about 3pm and it was as nice as promised. It has a big deck overlooking the Virgina valley (Patomic?)and a separate shelter for a fire pit, picnic table and hanging porch swing. Sweet! Also several camping areas scattered around along the way to the spring. I unload my pack, take a bread to read the shelter journal and sign it myself. While resting, I take a look at my trail guide for tomorrow's hike and finally get up to go fetch my water. I fill up my cooking pot with water for tonight's supper so I'll have a full water bladder for tomorrow's hike. Won't have to go to the spring again.

Sure enough, it's a trek down to the spring and the flow is shallow but I manage to use my cup to dip out enough to fill the bladder, then trek back up to the shelter. I add the chemical purifier and seal the bladder up and set it in the little bit of sunlight left. Hope I can warm the water up a bit that way. I get organized for the night, changing into dry clothes to sleep in and hang my hiking stuff in the breeze to dry. I crawl into my sleeping bag to stay warm while I cook up my dinner. I was going to have a cup of hot tea but realize I forgot that too. Oh well. So, about my wet clothes. It turns out, on the ride to the trailhead, my drinking tube was squashed and leaked water all over the bottom of my pack (outside not inside). It wouldn't have been a problem but my pants and long johns and shirt absorbed the water from the pack and I'd been hiking all day with a cold, wet butt. I'm hoping the breeze will finish drying my pack and clothes. OK, sun is going down, I get up and take my clothes down and put them in my sleeping bag along with the water. It's supposed to get in the 20's tonight and I don't want the clothes or the water freezing.

Hiking the AT in West Virginia Pt 1

Well, I drove to Shepardstown West Virginia to meet Wendy Pacek (Tiger Bomber), the organizer of the AT Hiking Group, Wendy's Tiger Bombers. That was Monday the 18th. We had a nice chat all evening and a good meal then to bed. Next morning at 6am I was up and at'em cause we're meeting Denny, Wendy's beau (Katahdin Kid, for breakfast before they drop me off for a 2 day hike across WVA from Snicker's Gap to the ATC HQ in Harper's Ferry. I am typing this from the ATC HQ where they have internet access for hikers. I'll do a journal entry about the 2 day hike later.

Getting Ready

I'm getting ready for a trip to West Virginia to meet my internet AT hiking friends. The group was started by Wendy Pacek via an ad in the AT magazine. I and several others, answered and we formed Wendy's Tiger Bombers. Anyway, Wendy has already started her thru hike of the AT. She's using the Leap Frog method. It lets her do sections in whatever order is best for the weather and time constraints she has. She's already done a big chunk of PA and West VA and parts of VA. I'm joining her and a couple others next week to hike West VA and MD or PA. I dreamed hiking the last 2 nights. While I'm no longer doing a thru hike, I'm still going to try and complete the AT by section hiking.