We said, "See you later," to the Appalachian Trail on February 19th of this year, and Misty and I immediately started trying to figure out when we could go back. That February trip had dealt us some wicked weather, and we were unhappy with the fact that we had cut the trip short. Misty happened to have a few days off in April, and I set to work coming up with a plan to hike the missing miles. With just five days to hike the 82 miles we needed, we planned to carry all the gear and food we'd need for the entire trip. Our packs would be loaded up, but we'd be ready!
The tentative plan was to drive down to Bland, Virginia on Wednesday, car camp, get up early and hike a small out-and-back section we had missed last year, and then catch a shuttle down to Fox Creek and head north from where we had left off in February. A week prior, Misty got in touch with our friend, Bunny, to set up the shuttle ride. All systems were go!
And then the plan changed...before we even started. Anticipation got the best of us, and Misty decided not to work Wednesday, allowing us to leave first thing in the morning. That would mean we could get a few miles on trail Wednesday and take it from there. She contacted Bunny again to change our shuttle plans.
My alarm went off at 3am and I took my last shower and headed out. There had been a heavy frost overnight, and when I turned on my windshield wipers to clear the glass, PING! My wiper blade broke off and went flying. So, I had to go back inside to wake up Jason, and he thankfully was able to fix it. I was on my way.
Of course, I was early to Misty's, but she was ready. I threw my pack into her car and away we went! Bland or BUST!
This was my first time riding in a vehicle with Misty driving, and I was not prepared for the stress of it! Before we made it an hour down the road, we had flashing lights behind us and Misty earned a ticket! We were not having the best start to our trip! And then, Bunny called. Her truck was out of commission, and she would not be able to shuttle us after all. No need to panic, though, she was sending a replacement shuttle driver, Aaron, in her place.
The rest of the drive passed quickly and soon we were back in Bland! Owen had dropped us off on our very first section hike in Bland, but due to the parking situation, that left a .8 mile gap we needed to pick up. We opted to leave our packs in the car, and enjoyed the easy walk down the trail, which was actually all road in this area. We ended up hiking this little section with Captain, another section hiker on trail from Texas. We chatted with him as we walked and just enjoyed the sunny day. At the .8 mark, we came to where it all started! After wishing Captain happy trails as he continued on, we turned around and headed back to meet our shuttle.
As we waited, along came Chuck Wagon, Captain's hiking buddy. Chuck Wagon got his name because he apparently carries ALL the food, making fancy meals at camp, complete with olive oil and a variety of seasonings and spices. I need a hiking partner like that! (Ahem, Misty...get it together!)
Aaron arrived right on time, and we headed towards Fox Creek. As it turned out, this was Aaron's very first day of shuttling, and we were just his second booking! He had a logbook we signed, and we gave him some tips and tricks and talked about the adventures we had all been on as we traveled. Soon enough, we made it to Fox Creek, said goodbye to Aaron, and headed for the trail.
Before we could get started though, two southbound (SOBO) ladies passed through the parking area. They had been on a thru hike last year when Hurricane Helene hit and forced them off trail. They were back to finish it. They told us the trail was great behind them, and we'd have a nice three-mile downhill hike. Nice!
When we had started SOBO from Fox Creek in February, the new bridge was still under construction. Now, it was completely finished and beautiful!
The day was quite warm, and we were loving it. It was so nice to be back on the trail, among the rhododendrons. Misty and I had discussed hiking three miles in to a campsite, but once we were on trail, we decided to see how far we could get before dark. We hopped over streams and climbed up, up and up. Where was the three-mile downhill section the ladies had mentioned? We soon decided that they must've been playing some sort of joke on us, because we never did have a significant downhill section that day. Rude!
We passed through the first camping area and were glad we had decided not to stay there-there were several tents and hammocks already set up and not much room for more! Onward we hiked, happily chatting, and enjoying the day.
We came to a fork in the trail, with the Appalachian Trail turning right, and an alternate trail heading left. This trail leads out to a road, which is designated as the "high water route" in the event the AT isn't crossable at Comer Falls, a few miles away. There was also a sign indicating a campground to the left. We hadn't really seen a suitable campsite in the last hour or so, and I was getting just a tiny bit anxious about finding a spot to settle down for the night. We decided to take the trail to the left and head to the campground.
We had passed a few people throughout the afternoon, but now that we weren't on the AT anymore, it was almost eerily quiet. Soon, the campground was in front of us, and it was closed. Closed meant closed to vehicles and RVs, right? There was a little footpath around the locked gate, and we took it. It was instantly clear that Hurricane Campground was closed due to hurricane damage, coincidentally. There were downed trees and branches everywhere. A lot of work had been done to clear the grounds, but there was still a lot of debris all around us. With darkness slowly creeping in, we wandered further into the campground. Every time we'd approach a tent pad, I'd look up and see huge, dead branches looming overhead. We definitely didn't want anything falling on us in the night. In the end, we found a little flat ground and tucked our tents up against some low bushes, with nothing threatening overhead. A picnic table nearby was the perfect spot to cook our meals, and the river next to us sang lovely background music.
Just before dark, we looked up to see a man walking down the campground road from further inside the park. Tall and thin, with a hat and carrying a bucket, we assumed this was a park ranger. As soon as he saw us, he headed right towards us. Great! I was sure we were about to be kicked out of the park for trespassing. As he approached, I saw that he was actually smiling, and he was carrying a fishing pole. And then I realized he wasn't a park ranger, but an excited fisherman. He nearly ran up to us and then pulled out a long string of fish! Would we like a fresh trout for our dinner? Wow! Fresh trout! And he was offering one to us! He even offered to clean it for us. I have a big regret in saying no to him, but we had just finished our meals, didn't even have a fire going, and it was almost too dark to see. We should've said yes. I feel like that was a once in a lifetime trail opportunity and I wish I could have a do-over!
All in all, it was a very good day. We had left Michigan early, made the drive to Virginia, and hiked more miles than planned. For our first night of camping, we had a great tent site, in a quiet campground, next to a river that was just loud enough to drown out all the little sounds the forest likes to make at night. Life was good.
Miles hiked: 8.61
Elevation gain: 1,473 feet
Calories burned: 1,709
Another an extraordinary adventure..
ReplyDeleteYes, trout would have been a yummy treat! 👍 ❤️
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