Thursday, June 15, 2017
Our stay at Devil’s Backbone Brewery was everything I could have hoped.
No, actually, it could have been made better if there was a shower. A place to do laundry would be nice, too. Still, this place was close enough to perfect for thru-hikers that the day will be long remembered.
The same thing could be said about today.
| Weather | Hot and humid with a threat of rain all day, but only an evening thunderstorm |
| Trail Conditions | Some rocky sections |
| Today's Miles | 14.1 miles |
| Trip Miles | 856.9 miles |
As I said yesterday, the people at Devil’s Backbone were very accommodating to thru-hikers. This was especially apparent this morning.
A special $5 breakfast was offered, plus a free ride back to the trail.
The locals may occasionally come here to buy breakfast, but nearly all of the business today came from hikers.
And that wasn’t all Devil's Backbone did for us. We were also given a free baseball cap.
For my first breakfast, I ordered eggs, bacon, potatoes, fruit and a biscuit.
Yes, I said for my first breakfast. A short time later I ordered yogurt, fruit and granola.
Both were tasty. I wasn’t full when I finished them.
After breakfast we had to wait for someone to drive us back to the trail.
Had we known how long of a wait it would be, we might have chosen to hitchhike back. Truthfully, though, we weren't in much of a hurry.
It wasn’t until about 10:15 a.m. that Stick, RedEye and I climbed into the back of a brewery pickup truck with Jason (pictured left) and Boomer.
Before long, we were dropped off at Reid's Gap and were back on the trail.
It was a hot and sunny day, so when we came upon a chilled box of beer yellow fizzy water, we didn’t hesitate to take one.
Yes, it was only 11 a.m. Yes, it was Coors Light, which under normal circumstances would be beneath my beer-drinking ethic.
Sometimes you just do what you have to do when you hike the Appalachian Trail.
The trail magic had been left for us at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. From there we crossed the road and began a long climb up Humpback Mountain.
The approach was sometimes rocky and steep, and almost continuously up.
At several spots along the way the trail came to a ledge, such as the one at Cedar Cliffs, which opened up a wide view of the Waynesboro Valley.
The clouds were getting thicker and darker as we walked, and I predicted we would get wet soon. That turned out to be wrong, at least for the time being, as the band of rain clouds stayed south of us.
Near the top of Humpback Mountain the trail passed another of the openings, which provided a view of The Priest and Wintergreen Ski Resort.
It also gave me another chance to check out the storm clouds, which lingered nearby.
The rockiness of the trail continued on the other side of the summit and crossed more ledges.
The departure from the top was much less steep, and for a short distance followed the path of what appeared to be an old road, running parallel with a crumbling stone wall.
At 6:15 p.m. I got another open view of the sky and it didn’t look good. I knew I was nearing Paul Wolfe Shelter, where Stick and I planned to stop for the night, but I wasn’t sure I was going to get there before the storm moved in.
I decided to pick up my pace. Apparently Stick did too, because though he was behind me he caught up with me.
The descent became steeper, with several switchbacks to make it a little less steep than it would have been otherwise.
The sky got so dark it looked like nightfall. Then it began to rumble.
We still had a mile to go. Stick and I looked at each other and suddenly began sprinting down the mountain.
Admittedly, sprinting is a relative term when you’re talking about a 58-year-old and a 61-year-old.
As soon as we arrived in camp we made a quick assessment of the best places to pitch our tents, then set about getting them up as quickly as possible.
At the same time, two young women arrived and did the same thing. Just as we finished setting up, a few raindrops began to fall. We turned to the women, shouted a quick “hello”, and dived into our tents.
Within seconds, the sky opened up and produced a deluge.
I was happily sitting dry and warm in my tent, so happy that I took a picture of myself and posted it on Facebook.
A couple of my high school friends commented on my post. Jeff, Kevin and I had been in the same Boy Scout troop.
"Max taught us well on setting up camp, it still pays off,” Kevin said. "Good that you are dry."
We always called our scoutmaster Max, not Mr. Smith. He was a special leader and friend, and Kevin was so right.
"I'm not sure I would be doing this hike if it weren't for Max and the other leaders of Troop 10,” I replied.
Thank you, Max.
Childhood comes for me at night
Voices of my friends
Your face bathing me in light
Hope that never ends
Pages turning
Pages torn and pages burning
Faded pages, open in the sun
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of heaven where I'm from
Better bring your own redemption when you come
To the barricades of heaven where I'm from
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