Date: 2013-10-16
From: Laurel Springs Gap

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

Was wanting to try a bigger day today so was up at 5:30 and on the trail before 7. It was almost a little early to walk without a headlamp, especially in the rocky areas where I needed to turn it on now and then for extra definition on the surface of the trail. The skies were completely overcast, keeping the morning light at bay a little later than normal. Still, I enjoyed standing on the Cedar Cliffs watching the lights at houses far below gradually fade in the approaching day. It was a surprisingly rocky run to the 3 Ridges overlook on the BRP, but from there the trail smoothed out and the day warmed and cleared into a bright and pleasant morning. I stopped in at Maupin Field Shelter for a quick break and to check on my feet. It seems I have developed a small blister on one of my right toes. After dealing with that, I shoved off for the steep climb up Three Ridges. I remembered this mountain well from my '07 thru hike, it had been a steep and rocky climb that seemed to last forever. The persistent rain I'd had hadn't helped much either. From the north side however the climb wasn't nearly as long, and today I had a warm clear day to enjoy the trip. The views from lookouts near the top were excellent, off over the Tye River valley toward the daunting face of The Priest. A few Christmas tree farms were scattered along the steep hillsides near the bottom of the valley. However, once I got on top of 3 Ridges a fog rolled in and visibility went down to near zero. The way down the south side to the Tye River crossing turned out to be just as long and rocky and tricky as I had remembered it, which didn't help the blister on my right foot. The large narrow suspension bridge across the Tye River was a fun walk. The river below was clear and fairly deep and looked to be a fine trout stream. I remembered the bridge well and had gotten a nice photo of Raindog walking across it in '07. At this point it was 3:30 pm with barely 3 hours of good daylight left. Ahead of me was a 3,000 foot climb up to and over the top of The Priest. I remembered this climb as being longer but not nearly as rocky or technical as the climb up Three Ridges, so decided to give it a go. Given the late hour and the length of the climb, along with the fact that I was closing in on a 20 mile day, I wasn't sure I had the gas left to finish the climb. However, I sweated my way steadily to the top, arriving at The Priest Shelter at about 6:30, just as it was getting dark. At the shelter I found five people in and camped around the shelter. This was the first time on the trip I've seen anyone at any of the shelters I've stopped at. There was a bright fire going with good conversation as I cooked dinner and others finished cleaning up from theirs. One hiker, Draggonstick, is a thru hiker who will complete his journey in a few days at Rockfish Gap. He started there in mid-April, hiked north to Katahdin, then flipped back down to Springer Mt, and started back north to here. He seemed happy, tired, and looking forward to getting home again after 6 months on the trail. I remembered well my last week on the trail, and could understand his reluctance to finish the trip, but looking forward with great anticipation to getting home. As we were sitting there around the fire a Barred Owl flew in and perched in a tree nearby. Then a second owl flew in, a youngster, and started screaming for food while it followed the adults around. Quite a show with lots of sound and theatrics. The temp this morning when I hit the trail was 45, but it warmed to 65 when I crossed the Tye River bridge. By the time I crossed the top of The Priest it was 51 with a gusty cool wind.