Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Situations on the trail are always temporary.
Enjoying good weather? Sooner or later it will turn bad.
Is the trail smooth and easy? Just wait. It will get rocky and steep before long.
The point here isn't pessimism. The trail has a way of reminding you that when things are going well, you should enjoy the moment and take advantage of it.
Conversely, when things are going badly, hang in there. The bad can’t stay that way forever.
| Weather | Warm, with an afternoon thundershower |
| Trail Conditions | Several ups and downs, with one extremely long descent |
| Today's Miles | 14.2 miles |
| Trip Miles | 834.9 miles |
As a thru-hiker, it’s wise to seize upon opportunities when they’re presented because you know they are temporary.
One such situation happened today when I discovered the cell service was good at Seeley-Woodworth Shelter. Also knowing we weren’t trying to do big miles today, I decided to stay there and call my wife Kim this morning.
It was good to hear her voice. We talked for at least 20 minutes and began making plans for her to drive up to meet me in Harpers Ferry. I expect to arrive there in about two weeks.
Once I finally started hiking, the trail continued a pattern set yesterday afternoon, a repeating series of ups and downs.
Some of the ups and downs were steep, but in the morning none were as long as yesterday morning’s climbs. There weren’t many views from the tops of the ups.
The first substantial climb of the day was up Priest Mountain, also known as The Priest. It is 4,063 feet high.
About eight tenths of a mile from the mountaintop was The Priest Shelter, which is where I stopped for lunch shortly after noon.
Thanks to the shelter’s name, an AT tradition was born. Hikers write their trail confessions in the shelter logbook.
What did I write in the logbook? That’s between the Priest and me.
There are two other mountains in this range, The Cardinal and The Friar. The locals call it the Religious Range.
The Priest is located in 5,963-acre Priest Wilderness Area, which was designated by Congress in November 2000. The AT is the only trail within the boundaries of the wilderness area.
When I reached the top of mountain I saw something I had not expected to see, Amish backpackers.
The trail then made a long, rocky and sometimes steep descent, dropping 3,000 feet in four miles.
About a mile down from the top there was a rocky ledge that offered a clear, broad view of the valley below. It seemed as though I could see halfway across the state of Virginia.
Before reaching the bottom of the descent a thunderstorm started. The heavy, steady rain made the trail a muddy mess.
The long descent ended at a footbridge across the Tye River.
After crossing the river the trail entered another designated wilderness area called Three Ridges. It received wilderness status the same year as Priest Wildernesses Area.
The Wilderness Act, which was signed into law in 1964, establishes strict criteria for managing the land. Permanent roads are prohibited. For the most part, trail maintenance crews are not allowed to use motorized vehicles or power equipment. Signage is kept discrete and to a minimum.
The purpose of these limitations as stated in the law, is to provide "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”
The rain lightened up considerably as I made another steep climb, this one up 1,000 feet in a mile.
At the top of this climb was the junction of the Mau-Har Trail.
Four backpackers stopped there after coming up the Mau-Har. They turned to go south on the AT, but then decided to go north to Harpers Creek Shelter, which is where I was headed.
Then they changed minds again as rain began to fall more heavily. Seeing that they seemed confused, I offered to help them. They weren’t sure where they wanted to stop for the night, so I told them about a campsite I passed near the river. They agreed to go that way.
By the time I reached the shelter at 6 p.m. the rain had stopped.
The shelter was full of hikers. Three tents were set up as well, but there was still room for Stick and me.
I know it's wrong, things I do
The way that I mistreated you
But I know oh-ho, it's a sin
It's a sin
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