3/13/14- Let the Fiasco Begin
We left the car at 3pm, with the goal of making it to Gravel Springs Hut, over 10 mles away. The 4H center near Front Royal provides a free, convenient place to park just outside of the northern side of SNP. All you have to do is stop by the office and fill out a form.
Over 42#s of winter camping gear, food and water. Ready to hike 105 miles?
The look of someone with no clue what he's getting into.
My pack was somewhere north of 48 pounds. This made sense before I put it on my back..it takes a lot of food to hike 105 miles, and the park is closed in March. Rather than hike down into a town at the mid-way point, I figured it made more sense to be completely miserable by carrying 15 pounds too much weight. I was right about the misery.
Winded, I stumbled up the Blue Blaze to the junction with the Appalachian Trail and noted there was no "N" or "S" arrow. Since I had failed to pick up a good map, I had to guess which way to go based on my compass and the lay of the land.
30 minutes down the trail toward Maine, I checked my compass and then pulled up the GPS on my phone. Dang...we're hiking away from the park.
As a result of this wrong turn at the very beginning, our first significant climb of the day was to return to our starting point. One hour of daylight gone, my shoulders hurt from the 48 pounds, and we've made zero progress. Since it would be embarrassing to give up exactly 0 miles into our hike, we decide to continue.
Oh look...we're back where we started.
Onward we pressed to the Tom Floyd Shelter, the last shelter prior to the park. We arrived and found a pair of young, fit hikers who just finished the "Roller Coaster Section" (North of Shenendoah) and were wrapping up their week of hiking. They were annoyingly happy and energetic after multiple days on the trail. We were approaching a few hours on the trail, and looked worse for the wear than they did.
I decided the Tom Floyd Shelter was as good a place as any to lose my waterbottle, so I accidentally left it on the table as we hiked up toward the park.
The climb was brutal. My legs could handle the climb, but I had to stop every 30 feet or so to catch my breath. I consoled myself with the idea that this might be the worst climb of the trip (lol..not even close) and that it would get easier as my pack got lighter. Both ideas were consistent with the absurd, naive optimism that gets me into situations like this trip.
Ice on the trail, just the little extra touch needed for a perfect day.
To further lighten my load, I had purposely not brought much water. The idea was that I'd filter water into my water bottle on an as needed basis. That of course works better when you don't lose your waterbottle. As a backup, I also knew that my son had a full camelback, and if we get in an emergency I could always drink his water and send him to go find more.
The Gravel Springs hut is always 9 miles away. We hiked for hours, came upon multiple signs, and it seemed like every one said 9 miles. I checked the map and estimated....9 miles. Gravel Springs hut was our planned destination, but based on our progress at this point I estimated I would die of old age before we got there.
When hiking SNP, you have to stop and get a backcountry hiking permit. On this permit, you project the progress you expect to make and where you will stay every night. After hours of stumbling upward, we came to the backcountry registration station. I broke out my maps and came up with a plan that would have us in Waynesboro 6 days later. Most incredibly, I still believed we could make it in that time. Its this kind of absurd optimism that puts me in situations like this hike.
Fat Guy Tip: I recommend having an absurd over-estimation of your abilities when planning a trip. A realistic view of your own abilities and interests is more likely to result in a trip to Krispy Kreme than a good hike.
Exhausted and about 9 miles short of Gravel Springs Hut, we stumbled off the trail right before dark and set up my Kelty 10x12' Noah's Tarp as a tent. Nice tarp for the money, about 2.5#s which isn't light but it is quite versatile.
Based on the first day's progress, we'll need to make up some miles to keep up with our backcountry permit. How hard can that be given that I'm out of shape and we're carrying over 90 pounds?
The primary for bringing this tarp was to allow us to string two hammocks close together and cover both of them. Since we were too tired to bother with the hammocks, we just strung it close to the ground. When winter camping there really isn't much point in a tent, a tarp strung across a ridgeline works just fine and weighs less. There are no bugs, so a screen and sealed tent serves no purpose.
The reader should certainly listen to my guidance on gear selection..I'm obviously an expert since we're carrying a mere 90 pounds between us.
To attract more bears, we took my pack full of food and ran it up in the air on some paracord to ensure the scent would be broadcast widely. Much to my surprise, my backpack was in the same location when we got up. I expected to be awaken in the middle of the night by a bear trying on my backpack while nibbling on our ramen.
Ahh...the satisfaction of making very little progress and laying on the hard ground miles from the destination. About 9 miles away from the shelter based on my estimates.
