I have no pictures to share, since my usual camera is built into a laptop computer, and I am not dragging that out on the trail. My plan was to head to Harrisburg, PA, but I wound up farther south. I would have taken I79 north out of Charleston, WV, but wound up continuing east on I64. On Monday I turned south on I81, exited to US60, and stopped at DG in Lexington, VA. I bought fudge toaster pastries, hot chocolate, cocoa cookies, molasses cookies, tortillas, and spray cheese. I drove east through Buena Vista and parked on gravel off to the side of US60 a short distance east and downhill of the AT trailhead.

It was an easy walk downhill 1.8 miles to the Brown Mountain Creek shelter. The shelter smelled strongly of mildew. Maybe the roof leaked, or maybe the wind blew rain into the shelter to cause the mildew. Not wanting to contaminate my gear, aggravate allergies, or get wet, I went looking for a relatively flat spot to pitch my GG Haven bug tent and EG 8x10 tarp. I crossed the bridge and talked to a leader of a group of about 9 young hikers with tarps. He suggested I pitch my setup by the second fire ring near the shelter, which is what I did. I tied a ridge line between two trees and used six Vargo Titanium shepherds hooks to stake my setup. My setup has Kelty Triptease guy lines and some shock cord which I leave tied to the tent and tarp. Everything fits in a stuff sack, sets up quickly, and weighs just over 2 pounds.

The picnic table did not rock, but it sloped too much to cook on (by design?) I set my alcohol stove on the solid flat part of the box-shaped fire grate. I made ramen and hot chocolate. I did not see a bear pole, so I strung my food bag up between two trees.

I forgot my CCF pad, and my BA Lost Ranger 15F bag has no insulation on the bottom, so I was somewhat colder than I wanted to be. I lay on my side to minimize heat loss to the ground. I woke up to snow in the morning. Breakfast consisted of oatmeal and hot chocolate. I nearly lost the water for the hot chocolate when the vibrations from a rolling boil knocked the 450 ml Vargo Titanium cup part way off my pot stand. The three screws supporting the cup were too widely spaced, and contacted the rounded bottom edge of the cup. I will do something different in the future.

When I left camp, the group across the creek were moving about, but still had their tarps up. It was a nice walk uphill in the falling snow. I cleaned snow off my car, ran the heater, ate some more food, and tried to get a weather report by listening to the one FM station I could pick up. Shortly after a plow went westbound, I drove down the mountain back to I81. I drove north on I81 and turned east on I64. I left I64 one exit too soon, and drove through Waynesboro to get to Rockfish Gap. I bought a balaclava and some Mountain House beef stroganoff at the outfitter. I saw some footwear and books in the hiker boxes outside the door, but nothing interesting.

At Rockfish Gap, I waited for a break in the falling snow. I saw a ranger pull a hiker out of SNP, where a waiting vehicle picked him up. Both Skyline Drive and the BRP were closed. I asked the ranger if it was OK to leave my car at the gap and hike to the Paul C. Wolfe shelter. He said, "You can hike anywhere you want to, as long as I don't have to come and get you." I thanked him.

It was still snowing around 4 pm, so I packed up and moved out. This time I remembered the CCF pad, and I packed more clothing, including North Face insulated camp slippers, Hot Fingers mittens, and Edelweiss snow pants. After going far enough into the woods to be out of sight, I gave a tree a drink. I saw footprints along the AT. I was guessing one or two hikers.

I crossed water frequently. One such crossing near a double blaze slowed me down, as I was not sure where the trail was going. I went downhill, crossed the water, and then picked up the trail on the other side. When I saw the ruins of the cabin (fireplace and chimney), I new I was getting close to the shelter. When I started down some switchbacks, I knew I was even closer. I had to take small careful steps downhill. I slipped a few times, but never fell.

When I got to the shelter, I met three guys who had planned a week long south bound hike. They were unprepared for the cold temperatures. Each one had a tent set up inside the shelter. They made room for me and I took an upper bunk. I cooked dinner over my alcohol stove. I hung my food bag on the bear pole near the shelter with a rope. I did not see the bag lifting pole until the next morning. When I went to get my food bag, the rope was frozen to the bear pole. We spent the night tossing, turning, and shivering. When I went to pack up my sleeping bag, I realized most of the down was near my toes. Next time I will try to evenly distribute the insulation. Seven layers around my torso, four around my legs, three hats, and a pair of cotton gloves inside my mittens kept me from freezing, and more so once the accumulated perspiration and melted snow dried up. Why cotton? Because I can grab a hot stove or pot and not melt them.

The snow stopped shortly after dark. In the morning, we had frozen water logged footwear. My toes were numb for a while, until my boots defrosted. I ate oatmeal, brownies, and fruit and grain bars for breakfast, with some hot chocolate.

The three guys with tents left before I did, but I caught up with them and passed them near the cabin ruins. The snow started melting, and parts of the trail were muddy. When I got back to my car, I found snow drifts around my car, and maybe eight other vehicles at the gap.

TrafficJam wrote:

That sounds fun! How often do you get to hike?

Every month or two, weather permitting.