Date: 2005-03-06
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: clear sky

When I got up at 1 AM, I noticed that my water bottles were still liquid but my boots, being wetter yesterday than previous days, were frozen stiff. So into the sleeping bag they went, encased in a large plastic bag I had brought. By wake-up time, they were pliable which is more than I can say for my outer socks. Since nothing was drying in my sleeping bag anyway, I left them hanging from a nail whereby they assumed a most creative shape in the morning.With minimal mileage facing me today, I slept late so as to not disturb my sheltermates. I was still the first one up, rising at 6:35 when the sky was light enough to begin hiking. Looks like a promising day weatherwise.Every year, the NOBO thruhikers embarking in March or earlier experience the joy of hiking from winter into spring. But how often do they experience that feeling in one day? Today was my day. From a morning temperature likely in the high teens, I would walk to warm sunshine with a springlike feel in the air in half a day covering less than 8 miles. As I bid farewell to my sheltermates at 7:55, I started in 3 layers along with hat and gloves. Within an hour, I stripped to two layers and later upon reaching the sunny areas of the Pearis Mountain ridge, I jettisoned the hat and gloves. Following Stavros¢ footsteps ensured that I wouldn¢t lose the trail today. In contrast to my last stretch leading to the shelter yesterday, this morning¢s trail was much easier, i.e. not very deep snow. However, last night¢s sub-freezing temperatures formed a crust which stressed the feet more similar to my February 1-3 hike south of Groseclose. The steady ascent up Pearis Mountain proceeded smoothly until the abrupt right turn leading to the final 1/10 of a mile where the steepness combined with the 10 inches of snow on this western-facing slope gave me enough of a workout to burn more than a few calories. Strong winds at ridgecrest and the openness caused by the powerline meant little snow but once the Trail turned into the woods to proceed along the ridge, more snow and knee-deep drifts. For a while, the average snow depth was about 3 inches but there were few spots with 3 inches; the ground was either bare from the winds or sported 6-12 inches of snow from drifts. As I put more distance from the powerline, the bare spots disappeared and the base level increased to about 6 inches with mid-calf and occasional knee-high drifts. But at this point, that¢s palatable. All this is under bright blue skies and increasingly warm temperatures and I¢m seeing nice views (most of them unavailable in the greenery of summer) off both sides of the ridge.After taking a gorp break on a rare dry log. I met two young guys on the second day of their planned 10-day trip. They camped at Angel¢s Rest last night, pitching their tents directly on the snow. I expressed my admiration for that feat, something I haven¢t worked up to yet in my winter hiking career.The deep snow schlepp was gradually coming to an end. Just before Angel¢s Rest, I arrived at a rocky ledge overlooking Pearisburg and the snowless valley below. The warm sun enticed me to linger here after eating my crackers-and-cheese lunch. Off with the hat and gloves. The bandanas dried in the sun in less than 15 minutes. Hey, the meteorological spring has finally arrived!By the time I left, the snow¢s crust had melted into slush. Now the long descent into Pearisburg characterized by snow turning into slush turning into mud. The mud may be the worst part of this entire trip; for a steep downhill, I¢d prefer the thigh-high powder from my first day. But I made it to Pearisburg without falling.At the Rendezvous Motel where my car greeted me from its safe home, Brenda and Buck¢s son checked me in. After showering and a meal at Darlene¢s Restuarant in town, I stopped in the convenience store for my first coffee in 4 days and by happenstance encountered the owner. We had a nice conversation. He was familiar with the hiking community and was friends with a Trail shuttler - Homer Widger - who I remembered picking me up hitchhiking after a section hike more than 10 years ago. Back at the Rendezvous, I talked to Brenda for a while - what a treat! One of the, perhaps greatest, rewards of AT hiking is the people you meet. Trailmates are special but I also get a kick out of talking with the locals in the communities surrounding the Trail. Realistically the Trail wouldn¢t exist without the support and services from people like Brenda and the convenience store owner. Warm feelings emanated through me as I phoned home, went to dinner, and drove to check out tomorrow¢s trailhead.Yes, tomorrow. Brenda asked right away if I needed another shuttle so tomorrow, I¢ll hike from Rt. 615 to Kimberling Creek where I started this 4 day trek.