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[at-l] In Need of A Story
Lynn Setzer wrote:
>
> Today it was 99 degrees in Raleigh. (I know, I know, what would that be that
> in dog years?)
>
> Now, I know it's bad form to whine, but I'm hotter than I'd like to be.
> Anybody out there have a story (tall tale, perhaps?) to share about the
> coldest night on the AT?
>
> I welcome any and all stories about the coldest night -- or day, for that
> matter -- spent on the AT.
>
> I got to have some relief!
>
> Thanks,
> Lynn
>
The day/night I most remember cold while hiking on the AT was March 29,
1994, when I went from Derrick Knob shelter to Mt. Collins in about 4-8"
of snow. It was a very physically demanding hike, but the views were
absolutely gorgeous--I kept thinking I was seeing scenes out of Dr.
Zhivago (sp). The fir trees were coated in snow, and the view from
Silars Bald looking at to Gatlinburg was like a Christmas card scene
from New England. When I got to Clingman's, I thought it was about 1
mile to the shelter--instead, rubbing the snow off of the sign, I
realized it was about 3.9 miles, and the sun was setting fast. A stupid
mistake on my part when doing the days calculation, as well as wanting
to believe a couple of hikers out for the day that the shelter was "a
short distance" from Clingman's. I started to run down the Trail trying
to beat the darkness. As the sun was setting, the slush in the Trail
started to slowly "harden-up" which began to make hiking more
difficult. In darkness, with my headlamp on, I finally got to the
turn-off for Mt. Collins. By now, the side trail was a solid sheet of
ice, which I had to cautiously pick my way down. Present at the shelter
was a couple I had been hiking with, who were having a problem with
their Zip stove. Their fuel was wet, and they couldn't get it started.
One of them was starting to have really severe chills from the cold. We
got my stove going, made hot meals for all, and then exhausted, climbed
into our bags. We slept with our water bottles at our feet, and managed
to finally generate enough warmth to get some degree of sleep for the
night. The next day was somewhat clear, but I was so tired, I only
hiked to Icewater to rest up from hiking in the previous days snow. I
often mention to people that was my most physcially demanding day on the
Trail, even though the snow depth wasn't that great. The snow and cold
really took something out of me that day.
Marshall
"Tarkus"
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