Backpacking on the AT
What was I thinking?!?! It was so cold! There were (no kidding) 40 foot icicles clinging to the rocky faces. It was so foggy that you could barely see 30 feet ahead of you, and an icy wind was blowing right in your face. The ground was covered in a mix of snow, slush, and slippery black mud. I leaned on my hiking staff and tried to get my lungs to take in some air while trying to keep my heart from bouncing right out of my body. I'm quite sure I'll probably croak, and after asking to be the last hiker in the group, no one will notice my absence until they get to the summit.
Half of our group started this weekend's backpacking trip at Neels Gap under the stone archway of the Walasi-Yi Inn. These were the boys who nearly run the trails even with full packs. There must be something wrong with them. The rest of us drove around to Tesnatee Gap and began to hike back toward them, with the plan being to meet in the middle. It started as a straight-up zigzag trail from the parking area, and it didn't let up until we emerged on a bald rocky area 100 yards from the summit of Cowrock Mountain. It was astonishing at the temperature difference between the steep, icy trail, and this area where we were peeling out of layers of clothing and relaxing for lunch. The other group of boys came galloping over the summit and joined us. Then we retraced our steps back down toward Tesnatee Gap.
The older boys outran us again, so they were sent ahead by the Scoutmaster to recon potential camping areas for us. While they explored several different trails and Mr. Baker looked over the map, the younger boys ran around like they had not hiked an inch. I was glad to set my pack down for a few minutes, as I'm pretty sure I must have packed the sofa in it at home by mistake. Finally Mr. Baker announced that we were headed to Hogpen Gap to rejoin the others. The icy rock faces along the roadside were incredible! We pulled in at the carved stone that proclaimed "Hogpen Gap - Appalachian Trail."
Grab the packs and hit the trail again! This time the trail was a bit more manageable, so I got a chance to actually enjoy the scenery from Hogpen Gap up Wildcat Mountain instead of praying not to have a heart attack and die where I stood! About 3/4 of a mile in, Aaron wanted to take off a layer of clothing. He and I stopped for a minute and told the others we'd catch up shortly. I took advantage of using him as a sentry to make a potty stop before we rejoined the other 14 guys. That's right, 15 males and one female again.
I really enjoyed Aaron. He and I kept a steady pace with each other and had a good time talking and laughing. He became a tree hugger when he got tired, and even named a few of them Roy. It may not make much sense when you read about it, but it was hilarious at the time! We caught up to the others easily, and trekked the last distance to where the older ones had decided to camp. They were busily constructing a fire ring, as you could already feel the temperature dropping again. We picked out our camping spots, set up the tents, and gathered wood. There was no water nearby, so everyone inventoried how much they still had in their packs. We were surprisingly well-stocked for the evening. Everyone hung their packs on the trees near their tents. Pretty soon the fire was blazing, and everyone was huddled around little camp stoves cooking all manner of food. Jamie and Aaron shared a freeze-dried backpacking meal of lasagna, which they said was good. Daniel and I were going to have one also, but he changed his mind. We ended up roasting Vienna sausages on sticks over the fire, and eating cheese and crackers with them. We put everything away and put the covers on our packs. Once everything was cleaned up, the whole group stood around the fire and basically waited until it got dark enough to crawl into a sleeping bag. It was funny to watch as everyone turned their backs to the fire simultaneously as if on a timer. When that side felt like it was roasting, everyone rotated back around. If they had to leave the fire for any reason they'd say, "I call Spot-back!" This would ensure that no one swiped their place in the ring. The last ones up had to put the fire out, so Daniel and I volunteered. He wanted to poke around in the embers with a stick, and I wanted to be able to sneak away and visit a tree without all the other guys running about. Finally he and I shoveled wet mud onto the fire until you could no longer see glowing coals. This was before 8 PM, and like I said, we were the last ones up.
REI sells these nifty little gadgets called sleeping bag warmers, which basically are big handwarmers that slide into a little fleece pouch. You unwrap them, tuck them in the pouch, and shove them into the sleeping bag before you poke your frozen lower extremities into it. I wonder if they need a poster child for those up at REI? Daniel, my little tent buddy, slithered into his mummy bag with one, and I didn't see him again until nearly daybreak! He slept very soundly. I'm afraid I didn't. The boys had the really good sleeping mats that self-inflate with a twist valve. My older one self-inflated too, but the plastic plugs that you had to stick in to keep the air in were too cold to go in. Oh well. I got to lay and listen to the forest each time I woke up. The wind died down sometime after midnight, and it didn't seem like it was quite as bone-chilling. Some deer came through the camp behind Aaron and Jamie's tent. Aaron heard them, but when he was describing the sounds to us in the morning, it sounded more like Darth Vader had stopped by! About 2 AM a big owl started calling from right behind the tents. He was answered by two that were father away. I listened to them chatting until they silently went on their way. Every time I'd wake up, I'd think about my warm bed at home, with a fluffy pillow and a toasty husband in it. He didn't get to come along on the hike due to bronchitis and an ear and sinus infection.
Shortly before daybreak Daniel's bladder told him it was time to get up. He couldn't wait for me to get my boots on, so he took the flashlight and walked just outside the camp with me watching from the tent door. When he returned and crawled back in his bag, I took my potty trip. It was just barely light enough that I didn't need a flashlight. I crossed the trail and found a nice big tree to get behind just in case one of the other guys got up with the same idea. I didn't want to scar either of us for life! As I approached the camp I saw a strange figure wearing a yellow pack standing motionless near my tent, facing the camp. I stopped and looked, thinking a hiker must have come down the trail and wondering what he wanted. I had followed all the backpacks on the way in the day before, and none of our guys had a yellow one. Then I realized that my "hiker" was actually the tree wearing my backpack with the bright yellow cover. Boy I'm glad I realized that before I yelled and woke up the whole camp for that! I crawled in my bag again and Daniel and I whispered. He giggled when I told him about getting freaked out by my own backpack! He was ready to jump up when he heard the other boys stirring around, but I told him to wait until they got the fire going. I dropped handwarmers down in our boots to knock the chill off before we put them back on.
The fire was roaring and it felt wonderful! Once again, I was amazed at what and how the boys decided to cook over the fire. They held granola bars over it to make them flexible enough to bite, or one managed to lean his poptarts on some of the logs to warm them up. Soon we all had eaten enough to get the day started, and we packed up the camp. Everyone took turns shoveling mud on the fire again. We took a moment to pray, and then went around the circle to tell what we were thankful for on the trip. I actually had several things. I was thankful we had not had any illness or injury. I was thankful to be there with my boys, and with boys that I had been watching grow up for a long time. And I was thankful that they didn't mind having a girl along! We started back down the trail toward the parking area. I really enjoyed the beauty of the woods. I thought about the thousands of feet that had walked this same trail, from those long ago in moccasins, to the modern ones in sneakers and hiking boots. We emerged victorious at the parking area, and had another hiker take a group photo of us. We rode back around to Neels Gap and everyone took another run through the shop. I got the boys both a sticker to put on their notebooks when they get home. We're no longer AT-wannabes. We have braved the frigid wind. We have carried our heavy packs over rugged terrain. We have slept on the cold ground. We have "gone" in the woods. We have been startled by backpack-wearing trees...
We have had an adventure we'll always remember.
Half of our group started this weekend's backpacking trip at Neels Gap under the stone archway of the Walasi-Yi Inn. These were the boys who nearly run the trails even with full packs. There must be something wrong with them. The rest of us drove around to Tesnatee Gap and began to hike back toward them, with the plan being to meet in the middle. It started as a straight-up zigzag trail from the parking area, and it didn't let up until we emerged on a bald rocky area 100 yards from the summit of Cowrock Mountain. It was astonishing at the temperature difference between the steep, icy trail, and this area where we were peeling out of layers of clothing and relaxing for lunch. The other group of boys came galloping over the summit and joined us. Then we retraced our steps back down toward Tesnatee Gap.
The older boys outran us again, so they were sent ahead by the Scoutmaster to recon potential camping areas for us. While they explored several different trails and Mr. Baker looked over the map, the younger boys ran around like they had not hiked an inch. I was glad to set my pack down for a few minutes, as I'm pretty sure I must have packed the sofa in it at home by mistake. Finally Mr. Baker announced that we were headed to Hogpen Gap to rejoin the others. The icy rock faces along the roadside were incredible! We pulled in at the carved stone that proclaimed "Hogpen Gap - Appalachian Trail."
Grab the packs and hit the trail again! This time the trail was a bit more manageable, so I got a chance to actually enjoy the scenery from Hogpen Gap up Wildcat Mountain instead of praying not to have a heart attack and die where I stood! About 3/4 of a mile in, Aaron wanted to take off a layer of clothing. He and I stopped for a minute and told the others we'd catch up shortly. I took advantage of using him as a sentry to make a potty stop before we rejoined the other 14 guys. That's right, 15 males and one female again.
I really enjoyed Aaron. He and I kept a steady pace with each other and had a good time talking and laughing. He became a tree hugger when he got tired, and even named a few of them Roy. It may not make much sense when you read about it, but it was hilarious at the time! We caught up to the others easily, and trekked the last distance to where the older ones had decided to camp. They were busily constructing a fire ring, as you could already feel the temperature dropping again. We picked out our camping spots, set up the tents, and gathered wood. There was no water nearby, so everyone inventoried how much they still had in their packs. We were surprisingly well-stocked for the evening. Everyone hung their packs on the trees near their tents. Pretty soon the fire was blazing, and everyone was huddled around little camp stoves cooking all manner of food. Jamie and Aaron shared a freeze-dried backpacking meal of lasagna, which they said was good. Daniel and I were going to have one also, but he changed his mind. We ended up roasting Vienna sausages on sticks over the fire, and eating cheese and crackers with them. We put everything away and put the covers on our packs. Once everything was cleaned up, the whole group stood around the fire and basically waited until it got dark enough to crawl into a sleeping bag. It was funny to watch as everyone turned their backs to the fire simultaneously as if on a timer. When that side felt like it was roasting, everyone rotated back around. If they had to leave the fire for any reason they'd say, "I call Spot-back!" This would ensure that no one swiped their place in the ring. The last ones up had to put the fire out, so Daniel and I volunteered. He wanted to poke around in the embers with a stick, and I wanted to be able to sneak away and visit a tree without all the other guys running about. Finally he and I shoveled wet mud onto the fire until you could no longer see glowing coals. This was before 8 PM, and like I said, we were the last ones up.
REI sells these nifty little gadgets called sleeping bag warmers, which basically are big handwarmers that slide into a little fleece pouch. You unwrap them, tuck them in the pouch, and shove them into the sleeping bag before you poke your frozen lower extremities into it. I wonder if they need a poster child for those up at REI? Daniel, my little tent buddy, slithered into his mummy bag with one, and I didn't see him again until nearly daybreak! He slept very soundly. I'm afraid I didn't. The boys had the really good sleeping mats that self-inflate with a twist valve. My older one self-inflated too, but the plastic plugs that you had to stick in to keep the air in were too cold to go in. Oh well. I got to lay and listen to the forest each time I woke up. The wind died down sometime after midnight, and it didn't seem like it was quite as bone-chilling. Some deer came through the camp behind Aaron and Jamie's tent. Aaron heard them, but when he was describing the sounds to us in the morning, it sounded more like Darth Vader had stopped by! About 2 AM a big owl started calling from right behind the tents. He was answered by two that were father away. I listened to them chatting until they silently went on their way. Every time I'd wake up, I'd think about my warm bed at home, with a fluffy pillow and a toasty husband in it. He didn't get to come along on the hike due to bronchitis and an ear and sinus infection.
Shortly before daybreak Daniel's bladder told him it was time to get up. He couldn't wait for me to get my boots on, so he took the flashlight and walked just outside the camp with me watching from the tent door. When he returned and crawled back in his bag, I took my potty trip. It was just barely light enough that I didn't need a flashlight. I crossed the trail and found a nice big tree to get behind just in case one of the other guys got up with the same idea. I didn't want to scar either of us for life! As I approached the camp I saw a strange figure wearing a yellow pack standing motionless near my tent, facing the camp. I stopped and looked, thinking a hiker must have come down the trail and wondering what he wanted. I had followed all the backpacks on the way in the day before, and none of our guys had a yellow one. Then I realized that my "hiker" was actually the tree wearing my backpack with the bright yellow cover. Boy I'm glad I realized that before I yelled and woke up the whole camp for that! I crawled in my bag again and Daniel and I whispered. He giggled when I told him about getting freaked out by my own backpack! He was ready to jump up when he heard the other boys stirring around, but I told him to wait until they got the fire going. I dropped handwarmers down in our boots to knock the chill off before we put them back on.
The fire was roaring and it felt wonderful! Once again, I was amazed at what and how the boys decided to cook over the fire. They held granola bars over it to make them flexible enough to bite, or one managed to lean his poptarts on some of the logs to warm them up. Soon we all had eaten enough to get the day started, and we packed up the camp. Everyone took turns shoveling mud on the fire again. We took a moment to pray, and then went around the circle to tell what we were thankful for on the trip. I actually had several things. I was thankful we had not had any illness or injury. I was thankful to be there with my boys, and with boys that I had been watching grow up for a long time. And I was thankful that they didn't mind having a girl along! We started back down the trail toward the parking area. I really enjoyed the beauty of the woods. I thought about the thousands of feet that had walked this same trail, from those long ago in moccasins, to the modern ones in sneakers and hiking boots. We emerged victorious at the parking area, and had another hiker take a group photo of us. We rode back around to Neels Gap and everyone took another run through the shop. I got the boys both a sticker to put on their notebooks when they get home. We're no longer AT-wannabes. We have braved the frigid wind. We have carried our heavy packs over rugged terrain. We have slept on the cold ground. We have "gone" in the woods. We have been startled by backpack-wearing trees...
We have had an adventure we'll always remember.
posted by Jennifer at 11:08 PM
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