Date: 2014-03-26
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 3.6

I slept restlessly all night. I woke at 5:00 am and found I was shivering uncontrollably. My 12 degree sleeping bag failed me. I quickly did exercises in my sleeping bag and after a few minutes stopped shivering.   My motion not only warmed me but shook the snow off me, too. Then I did lots of contortions putting on my pants and socks. I couldn't resist the call of nature so I slipped out of the bag and put every piece of clothing I had on. My boots were frozen solid.   I pounded them mercilessly like a mad man. I'm sure everyone in the shelter was awake by now but I continued to beat them until I was able to slip my feet in them. It was like putting my feet into ice cubes that didn't yield as I hobbled to the privy.  I couldn't tie them because the shoe strings were icicles. I got back, beat my boots some more and got the laces tied. I decided to hit the trail. I packed up and checked the time and temperature; 6:30 and 10 degrees, colder than my bag is rated. I slung the pack on my back and instead of the familiar soft and warm feeling it hit my back like a cold block of ice. My water bladder was frozen solid.   Instead of carrying life-giving water I was carrying a useless block of ice in the small of my back.I donned my headlamp and started hiking.   I had failed to scout the trail the night before and soon became confused in the darkness.   I clearly appeared to be on the trail but was sloshing down a stream.   I didn't want to walk in water in my already frozen boots and now painfully cold feet. I retraced my steps and sure enough the stream was the trail. I walked as fast as I could and followed the narrow tunnel of light from my headlamp.   After 30 minutes I warmed up enough to take a layer of clothes off and no longer needed the headlamp to see. Another 15 minutes and my boots finally thawed enough and I stopped hobbling.   It was really cold. No creature had ventured out and left tracks. The snow on the trail was unmarked by life, unlike yesterday.   As I hiked I saw the lights of Franklin in the valley below. Street lights only, no traffic, the town was still asleep. The dirty brown crescent moon was in the east and Mars or Venus in the west. After a little while I could tell the sun was rising on the other side of the ridge.   Soon I hiked over the ridge and saw a great red sun shining through the trees setting each on fire. The whole forest was glowing red. As I marveled at the sight the Son spoke: YOU HAVE PASSED TODAY'S CHALLENGE, YOU MAY ADVANCE TO THE NEXT TEST. My heart filled with emotion and I felt renewed.I charged down the trail to Rock Gap and found 6 other cold, but cheery hikers.   A trail angel came by and gave three of us a ride to town. I checked into a motel and took a long hot shower.   Then I went to the local outfitter and added another layer to my sleeping bag. While writing my blog most of the hikers from the shelter checked in except Ben. Ben said he was through and going home. We each tried to talk him out of it. I offered him the spare bed in my room but he rejected all attempts to change his mind. As the day progressed Egret and the couple from Switzerland checked in. Egret was going to take a couple zero days waiting for warmer equipment to arrive from home. New trail name given to me by Simon the German from the shelter last night. RW means Risky Walker. Tomorrow I hit the trail after breakfast.   The Franklin Baptist Church is treating all hikers to an all-you-can-eat breakfast. More later.NOTE: According to the National Weather Service, a powerful Spring snowstorm encompassed the entire eastern coast on the night of March 25th, causing blizzards in New England, and unusually cold and bitter temperatures along the entire Appalachian range and Virginia. This freak snowstorm was fueled by bombogenesis, a weather phenomenon that occurs when a storm quickly intensifies, usually over the ocean just off the East Coast. On Wednesday, this storm was said to be similar in strength to a Category 3 hurricane.