[at-l] Trip Report from Hell.

[stephensadams at hotmail.com (Steve Adams)]

I started Wednesday as per usual.  Glass of milk, banana, cocoa, cinnamon, 
ground flax seed, mix together in a blender, drink, whir with soap, rinse, 
set aside.

Off to step-aerobics for my ?Beating by Tara.?

Shenandoah National Park - Thornton Gap.  The ranger at the gate looked at 
my short sleeve COTTON T-Shirt, shorts, and flip-flops, and said, ?It?s 18 
degrees in the park.?  He advised the northern end of the park was closed 
due to black ice.  I asked if the trails from Milam Gap to Camp Hoover and 
back were accessible.  He asked, ?Do you have any more clothes??

A midweight capilene long sleeve shirt, with a cool reversible nylon shirt 
(fuzzy on one side), activist fleece pants, socks, liners, and soft shoes, 
rain parka and rain pants.  I use mittens, a long scarf, a watch cap or wool 
brimmed hat, and windbreaker to adjust my warmth quotient.  I tried a new 
(for me) combination: A puffy down jacket with hood instead of the faithful 
wool sweater.  [I take enough along with me on day hikes that I could spend 
the night if I had to.]

Drove 21 miles, south, on Skyline Drive.  Passed numerous small herds of 
whitetail deer.  Saw sign of civilization - - ?Mowing Ahead? - - and was 
waved by.  Turned right at Milam Gap Parking Area.

I walked across Skyline Drive on the AT, southbound, and continued 2.4 miles 
uphill.  The wind, oh, the wind.  The wind was terrible.  I?d estimate gusts 
upward to maybe a couple miles per hour.  I may take scientific instruments 
along the next time.  I noticed the right side of my nose was definitely 
colder than other parts of my nose.  Thus, reassured the westerlies were 
still prevailing, I pressed on.  I saw snow drifted probably up to 
three-eighths of an inch.  I could discern the outlines of boot prints 
beneath the snow, but they weren?t fresh.

I turned left onto Laurel Prong Trail (Blue Blaze), and continued 1.0 mile, 
a little up, a little down, and a lot of level.  I noticed large patches 
without snow.  It?s amazing anyone survived long enough to settle in 
Virginia.

I turned left onto Laurel Prong Trail a second time, and continued 1.3 miles 
downhill.  Once, as I stepped forward with my left foot, at the point where 
all my weight came to bear on my right foot, the ground gave way.  I swiftly 
fell, coming four inches closer to earth?s molten core.  My right knee 
reminded me, it still isn?t in the best shape.  It seems the earth sometimes 
heaves upward when it becomes frozen on little ?engineered? stalagmites of 
ice.  Sometimes rocks remain where they are and the earth around them 
raises, other times rocks raise along with the earth.  Cool.  Continued 
straight ahead for 0.6 mile, downhill (Yellow Blaze).  Why are some creeks 
solidly frozen while, almost next to them, water flows through swampy seeps 
without even a sign of ice?  Has tannin or something else infiltrated the 
water and lowered the freezing point?  Angled Right at the ?Y-Intersection? 
onto a dirt road, downhill.

Left, at Camp Hoover, onto a gravel road, and continued about a hundred 
yards.  The rest is uphill.  Turned left on Mill Prong Trail (Blue Blaze), 
continued 0.8 mile.  Most of the water in the creek was frozen solidly 
enough to pick my way across with some caution.  I turned left onto Mill 
Prong Trail, again, and continued 1.0 mile.  I may be imagining this but, I 
don?t remember the rocks being in a straight line across the shallow, wide 
creek.  I recall there were enough rocks to permit a dozen people walking 
abreast to cross the creek together.  We wouldn?t want people to get all 
stressed out deciding which rock to step on next, now would we?

Turned right onto the AT, northbound, immediately crossed Skyline Drive, 
then turned right into the Milam Gap Parking Area.

As I drove north along Skyline Drive a coyote in excellent physical 
condition ran up the mountain side, across Skyline Drive, and easily slipped 
into a dense thicket of laurel on the other side.

My difficulty choosing hiking clothes is that I begin to perspire quickly.  
I must, therefore, pay close attention to my sense of warmth and remove 
layers at the first hint that my perspiration is not evaporating quickly 
enough.  I started this hike wearing the down jacket over the nylon shirt, 
over the midweight capilene top.  I removed the jacket when I warmed up.  I 
added a windbreaker when I was no longer walking uphill, and removed it 
again when I resumed walking uphill.  I substitute the wool brimmed hat for 
the knit watch cap if I begin to perspire beneath the watch cap.  The 
brimmed hat is a great windbreaker, and useful for precipitation.  I have 
hiked uphill long enough in similar weather to end up wearing the capilene 
top under a windbreaker, a pair of shorts, and a brimmed hat.

I confess, on those few occasions when I have encountered solitary female 
hikers, I regret causing any distress.  My wife confided, she?d be scared, 
too, upon meeting someone dressed as I sometimes am, hiking alone.  Sorry, 
ladies.

Steve

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