Hiking in the Shenandoahs - Day 1

Here is the beginning of a travelogue for my most recent trip in Shenandoah National Park.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Flip flops remain the best idea for this trip, though I am giving serious considerations to a camp chair…

I arrived at Shenandoah National Park (SNP) around 10:30am. I bought an annual pass for the park, as I suspected I’d be visiting the park a few more times this year. I opted to check in at Dickey Ridge visitor center for my backcountry camping permit, as I wanted to get a better feel for the trail conditions from the rangers. Going into the trip I suspected that the stream crossings might be more tenuous than usual, so I brought old sneakers to wear if I had to wade across a particularly swollen crossing. The ranger appreciated that I was thinking about this, and said that a couple of the crossings might require wading.

As I said, I chose to check in with the rangers at Dickey Ridge visitor center, as they were supposed to know a lot about the trail conditions. And while I’m not convinced it was necessary for me to check in with the Rangers, it did set me on my path for the day.

I drove south on skyline drive for 15 miles, alternately enjoying the wonderful views and eyeing the increasingly dark storm clouds. My plan was to park at the Hogsback Overlook, and set off down the AT from there. Sure enough, at mile 21 I found the overlook, pulled over and parked the car. I took a few minutes to gear up and get organized. A brief shower swept across the ridge, which I weathered in the back of the car, lacing up my boots. In retrospect, I should have realized this for the warning indicator that it was. Alas, while I covered my pack with a rain cover, I kept my own rain gear stored securely in my pack.

There. I had my boots on, swung the pack onto my back, and set off on my weekend. Immediately I met someone heading northbound, and we exchanged greetings in stride. And after 50 yards, I arrived at the parking lot for the trail-head, which is where I needed to park instead of at the overlook. So I turned off the imaginary soundtrack in my mind (think Indiana Jones), turned around, and went back to my car. Just ridiculous.

Five minutes later, having moved my car, swung my pack on for a second time, I set off for my solo weekend on the trail. I started on the AT for about ⅓ of a mile, then turned right onto the Tuscarora Trail, heading West. As I hiked I was serenaded by low rumbles of thunder, which didn’t seem particularly worrisome.

Ten minutes down the Tuscarora trail I met up with two teenage boys who were surprisingly polite and, as it turned out, quite lost. Or, if not completely lost, were at a loss for which trail they needed to be on in order to get back to their car. And I am who I am. So I stopped, pulled out my map (“Wow, mister. You have a map?!?”) and explained to them where we were, and which trail to take. And when we got to their trail, I proceeded to walk them down this side trail to their car. And while I didn't need to do this, I sort of felt like I was supposed to do this. The entire weekend I had moments like this, where things occurred where I just felt like there was a confluence of people and events. And besides, I’m a good guide and these two needed a guide, if only down a well marked trail.

As we hiked down the trail, the rain began to fall in earnest. Again, this would have been the obvious time for me to stop and get out my rain gear. Which I didn't. And so I got wet. In a few minutes I got the guys to the parking lot, where there were two teenage girls who wanted to go for a hike, who also did not know the way… So I walked *those two* back up the trail I just came down. The two girls were far less interested in hiking with me (understandably) and happily dove down their trail. Two minutes later I was back at the Tuscarora trail.

I’ve done enough hiking to know that I *really* don’t like to head out without a map. And yet, here were two groups who just headed out with a small bottle of water and a vague knowledge of where they were going. Points for them for being adventurous, but perhaps deductions for getting turned around..

For the next 30 minutes it continued to rain as I headed down the trail. By this time I was steaming from exertion - Wearing my rain gear I felt like one of those rotisserie chickens in an oven bag. Thankfully, the rain stopped and the sun came out. As I hiked/slid down the wet trail I thought a lot about hiking shorts that were just plain nylon with cargo pockets - My REI shorts, while quick drying, were not quite what I wanted at the time. Maybe swim trunks with cargo pockets?

The wonderful part of this section of the Tuscarora trail is that it follows a stream - Overall Run - down a steep gorge, which lead to several wonderful waterfalls. At 1:45 I stopped for lunch at an overlook for Overall Run Falls, a 93 foot waterfall. It was just wonderful, listening to the waterfall as I ate my lunch and tried to let my gear start to dry out. Twenty minutes later I was on my way, and continued down the trail for another hour or so - down being the key word here. Descending the trail was far trickier, as the rain had made the steep and rocky trail very slippery. I did find a wonderful hiking stick alongside the trail - think ‘Wizard Staff.’ And while the staff was a bit heavy, it served me well on the stream crossings (none of which required wading.)

At 3:45 I came upon a swimming pool at the base of a small waterfall. It was a scene reminiscent of Stony Brook State Park in New York, where I spent many summer afternoons swimming in the pools formed by the river. For a moment, I started walking past, thinking that I shouldn't go swim, that… I’m not sure here, but somewhere in my brain was something about breaking the rules. And, happily, that thought was quickly drummed out by the 7 year old in my head that yelled, “Swimming?!? We get to go swimming?!?” I clambered down to the stream bed, stripped off my gear and clothes, and waded in. The water was really, um, brisk. Refreshing. Enlivening. Really quite cold. And absolutely wonderful. Honestly, it was a perfect addition to the day.

I continued down the Tuscarora trail to the Overall/Beecher connector trail. I found a great backcountry camping site right where I thought there might be one, about 25 yards up the trail  from the stream. I favor campsites that are reasonably close to a water source, though not “flood” close. And, as with my other favorite sites, I was able to listen to the stream from my tent. By this time the weather appeared to have cleared, so I opted to pitch the tent without the rainfly. After I set the tent I started inflating my new airpad. I was testing out a new air inflated pad, as opposed to the self-inflating type that I usually carry. While lighter and thicker (1 pound, and 3.5 inches thick) it did take about five minutes for me to inflate. In advance of this trip I had fashioned a simple air pump from a large plastic bag. I cut a hole in one corner of the bag, fit this over the valve, and then wrapped up the open end. I squeezed the air out of the bag into the sleeping pad, rather like a bag piper. But without the noise. I mean, er, music. The benefit to this is that I was able to inflate my pad without feeling faint, as well as not filling the pad with moisture laden air (which might mildew later on.) So yay me for figuring out a simple solution. Truth be told, I stole the idea from a similar bag we sell at REI, which retails for around $35. But I made mine for free.

And after all that, I tested out the pad, sweaty clothes and all, with a nice nap. Just wonderful.

Around 6:30 my tranquility in the backwoods was halted, briefly, as a new front started to roll in. Very quickly the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. I jumped up and ran over to setup the rain fly with all guy lines (tension lines) strapped out, just in case of a big blow. And, of course, as soon as I got everything under cover and secure, the wind eased up and the sun came out. Of course.

Dinner was lovely. The chicken and rice took me two runs with the alcohol stove, as it was still quite frozen. Plus, having a cup of wine to go with it was a pleasant addition. In future I am going to rethink my dinner options, as the frozen dinners take a lot of fuel and are quite heavy. The wine, on the other hand, was really great weight.