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.