Hiking in the Shenandoahs - Final Day

Sunday, 6/15/14

I woke up around 6:45, listening to the birds, again, shouting out to each other. It was a chilly night, and I found myself cinching down the drawstring on the hood of my sleeping bag further and further. I did have a not-so-passing thought of the long-sleeved shirt and lightweight long underwear that I left at home. "It's warm! Why would I need a hat and long underwear?". Again, the old adage is proved correct - the biggest gear snafus often occur when clear weather is in the forecast.

As before, I packed up camp and cooked up my breakfast. I had just enough fuel left for a mug of coffee and my grits. While there are quicker options for breakfast, I enjoy starting my day with a hot cup of coffee and warm cereal.

The hike back up the trail was beautiful. After a cool, dry evening the trail felt like it had a bit of spring in its step. About 30 minutes into my hike I met up with a lady walking her two dogs. We chatted about the park, her dogs, and the fact that she saw a bear the previous morning. I had never seen a bear in the park, though I wasn’t surprised to hear about a bear sighting near a popular campsite.

With this discussion in mind I continued on up the trail. 20 minutes later I had my own moment with a black bear. As I walked northbound on the AT I heard a branch break off to my left, and saw a dark shape. Excited at the thought of seeing a bear, I slowed my pace and then stopped abruptly. Off to my left, about 50 feet from the trail, stood a full grown black bear. He turned around to look at me, just as I had stopped to look at him. For a moment we just watched each other, unsure of what to do. I clapped loudly, once, as I heard that noise and disturbance would scare off the local bruins. Thankfully, the bear was more interested in wild berries and moved off to the west.

The remainder of my hike continued with occasional sightings of through hikers getting back on the trail, or young families out for a brief walk with the kids. I returned to my car by 10:45 in the morning, thankful for clear skies and a nice breeze. Two and a half days of backpacking, which started with clouds and rain and ended with clear skies and a nice breeze.

Trip Review:

So we come to the point in the discussion where I review what worked and what didn’t work.

Kitchen:The cooking kit, using an alcohol stove, worked very well. It was lightweight and efficient. And while I had enough fuel for the trip, I ended the trip with no fuel left over. I achieved this by skimping on my cooking process on Saturday, which leads me to plan on bringing a larger fuel bottle next time.

Tent: I borrowed a lightweight North Face tent from a colleague - the Tadpole. At around 4 pounds, the tent was an excellent option for this trip, and easy to set-up.

Sleeping bag: I brought my summer mummy bag (Wiggy's), which was fine. It would have worked a tad better on Saturday had I brought some warmer sleep clothes, but whatever.

Pad: This trip I tested out a Big Agnes Air Core inflatable pad, which was very comfortable. While it took a few minutes to inflate, I found it very comfortable for sleeping and sitting. This is a very comfortable pad, though for cold weather I may switch back to my therm-a-rest for the insulation value.

(stock photo)

Pack: My REI Crestrail continues to be as comfortable as ever, though I need to continue to adjust the shoulder straps as I get a slight bit of chaffing on the front of my shoulders.

Rope: For the future I plan on bringing a second line of cord for laundry lines and/or guyout lines. Friday night I set up my bear bag before I realized that I wanted to set up a laundry line. And, as the bear bag line was challenging to set, I opted to drape my clothes on the surrounding trees.

Food: My dinners consisted of pre-cooked chicken and rice, which was inexpensive and filling, but rather heavy and a bit bland. Truthfully, it tasted a lot better in the kitchen. For future trips I will look at diversifying my menu to include vegetables and the use of minute rice, as well as using bouillon cubes or gf soup mixes to add flavor to an otherwise bland diet.

The small sized boxed wine I brought along was a very pleasant addition to the trip. Having a glass of wine with dinner was a nice way to enjoy the summer evening. While heavy, I think this sort of weight is okay, at least for a short trip.

The one food aspect I want to address is dessert. While I had M&Ms for Friday night, Saturday night I came up short. In the future I will plan on having some sort of chocolate or candy for the second night.

Clothes: My hiking clothes worked very well on this trip. I wore all synthetic clothes, except for my merino wool light hiking socks. While I got very damp and sweaty on the trail, my clothes dried off very quickly.

I wore my old Merrell boots on this trip, and had no issues with blisters or food pain. Unfortunately, I also had no traction on the trail, and slipped on muddy or slick spots on the trail. At some point I will need to purchase a new pair, though I expect to be able to survive the summer with what I have.