Date: 2023-04-12
From: Sinking Creek, VA

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: light rain

What a day! We stayed in a motel near Roanoke last night, having left our well-established campsite at Big Meadows after spending nearly two weeks there. After waking up this morning, I had to spend some time packing my big backpack, the Green Monster. I slackpacked all of Shenandoah so I hadn't needed it, but I will going forward, and it's imperative to make sure that it has all my gear in it, and we've been using stuff out of it. After packing it all to my specifications, we went for breakfast, then to a Kroger for my food supplies, and finally headed to the trail. I'm starting about 40 miles north of Pearisburg which is where I left off. The plan is to walk to town!Mike left me on a beautiful country road where a white blaze on the road side led off across a sunny pasture. With a deep breath and only a twinge of butterflies in my stomach I started off across the pasture. It was a rolling hillside, and absolutely gorgeous in all directions. It was a gradual uphill as the pasture made its way up to the woods on the other side. It was early afternoon when I started, and quite warm. I quickly realized that carrying a heavy backpack is a real game-changer in the uphill hiking arena. Add in the heat and the sun, and, well, I relished the few spots of shade when they appeared and I stopped often to catch my breath. Finally I entered the woods and realized that, contrary to my hopes, there are no more leaves on the trees here than in northern Virginia! So heat and sun continue to be an issue for me. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the walking and discovered on the few level or downhill sections that carrying the pack did not affect them like it did the uphills. I was afraid that it would change my center of balance or something, but no, they're fine. Just the uphills are harder with a loaded pack.  So I continued on my way. I had only a two and a half mile hike to the shelter I was planning to spend the night at, so there was no rush. After going uphill for over two miles I came to the little downhill section that was going to lead to a stream, and the shelter was only a tenth of a mile or so past the stream. I was happy to get to the stream, and it was really lovely, a quickly moving body of water situated in a stand of rhododendrons, the first I've seen this trip, and a favorite of mine. And then, a fiasco. After sitting for a minute on a rock enjoying the coolness of the glade I stood up to continue to the shelter. But where was the trail? I couldn't see any white blazes. I backtracked, and I could see the last one, that led me to the creek, but none after that to show me the direction I needed to take. The rhododendron thicket was quite thick, laced with briars, but there were a few almost trails that I followed until I couldn't follow them anymore, and then back through the thicket to where I started. I checked the map in my Farout app, it looked like the trail came to the creek and then made an almost 90 degree turn back to the left. But nothing made sense, and I stumbled around that little clearing for probably half an hour to 45 minutes, trying to figure out where I was supposed to go. And then, light bulb! I looked across the stream and there, in full view the whole time, was a bright white blaze. Oh, I was supposed to cross the creek! Feeling like an idiot, I looked back at my map. It sure looked like the trail did not cross the creek. Now, crossing the creek didn't look easy. It wasn't wide to get across it, but the water was swift and there was a blown-down tree there. I remembered seeing something in the comments part of the app, where hikers can leave advice and tips and information about specifics for each other. There was a comment about walking beside the creek for a short distance and there was an easier crossing. This had confused me back when I didn't know that I was supposed to cross yet, and I thought it must apply to a later crossing of the creek. So, to find an easier crossing I did walk along and finally came to a place that might possibly be easier. Or not, but I wasn't crazy about fighting my way back through the thick rhododendrons and briars back to the original crossing. I'm glad there's no video evidence of me trying to cross that creek on a fallen tree, tangled in the curving branches. It seemed like the trees came to life like the trees in The Wizard of Oz, snatching at my hat, my backpack, catching and holding me, etc. I knew that it was ridiculous and was torn between laughing and crying. I made it across by giving up on the tree and walking in the water, mud and water going up over my ankles. Once on the other side I looked around--there was no where to go. A steep rise, a narrow bank, there was no where to go but back across the creek. Which I did, by wading back through the water again. Now back on the original side with wet shoes, I had no choice but to return to the original creek crossing, and following the white blazes like a good little (sane and reasonable) hiker would have done. So, back again through the living trees and their grasping hands, fighting my way through. Then I saw, ahead through the trees, a male hiker saying "Are you on the trail? Is that the right way? I don't see a blaze." Well, at least I wasn't the only one to miss the blaze across the creek. I fought my way over to him, pointed out the blaze across the creek, and we both crossed at that original spot, which wasn't really hard at all!After just a short hike I arrived at the shelter, which was lovely, nestled in a grove of those rhododendrons which I used to like so much. (My mother, from Kentucky, called a grove of rhododendrons or mountain laurel a "laurel hell", now I get it.) I collapsed into the shelter. I think I spent nearly two hours down at the creek crossing! I got to know the other hiker, the one who showed up at the crossing, and we were the only two hikers at the shelter all night. He's about my age, named Eagle Wings, and was good company. I don't like camping alone so I was really glad he was there. We had a nice evening doing all the usual camp chores-collecting and filtering water, setting up our stuff, cooking supper, eating, cleaning, washing up, getting ready for bedtime, which comes at about 8:30 or so. I wiped dried sweat off as well as I could. It's getting much cooler as the sun goes down, I hope it won't be too cold tonight, although after the heat of the day this coolness feels great.  There's a long steep uphill climb waiting for me in the morning. I'm not excited about it.Good night all!