Date: 2012-02-08
From: Log Cabin Drive

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: broken clouds

The sky that had been clear last night had clouded over by the time I went on down to the house to get my ride back up to the Trail at 7:30. I was hoping to get to Flint Mountain Shleter, about 16 miles on up the way, so I was eager to get moving. Within minutes of my starting to hike it started to snow. The forecast had been for rain, but I'm usually happier with snow, so it was all still good. At first the snow was not accumulating, but the higher up I went the more snow there was, and in some places the rocks were becoming icy. The Trail seemed hushed and still; I didn't see any wildlife, not even the birds were stirring. I paused briefly at Little Laurel Shelter, halfway up my 2000 foot climb. After a snack and a drink I continued on up to Camp Creek Bald and hit the ridge. With the low clouds and snow there were no views to be had. I did see fresh footprints and dog tracks around Blackstack Cliffs. When I reached the blue-blazed bad weather trail I decided to take it. I'd heard that the upper Trail was a bit tricky - worth it for the good views in good weather but not so much in bad weather and no views. As usual I opted for the safer route. Views of low-hanging clouds just didn't seem worth the risk of a narrow, icy, exposed rocky trail. The temperature was dropping, the wind was picking up, and visibility was dropping. I tried to hurry my steps, still hoping to make it to my intended destination, but the slick trail slowed me down. As the afternoon wore away I began to question whether I'd be able to make it. I decided I would reevaluate when I got to Jerry Cabin Shelter. I reached that shelter later than the time I had estimated. It was just on the edge of what I thought I might make. I went into the shelter to find that it had a fireplace, and in it a fire smoldered. There was no evidence of a hiker's gear or of anyone living at the shelter. I wondered whether to go back into the cold, wind and snow and press on, probably arriving at the next shelter after dark, or settle in here and build the fire back up. It didn't take long to decide to stop for the day. The Trail would still be there in the morning. I had just piled a few sticks on the fire to try to rebuild it when there was a call from outside the shelter. "The Cleaner" walked in. He referred to himself as a renegade maintainer and had spent last night here. He'd hiked some of the other trails in the area during the day and was back for the night. With an ax and saw he quickly had good firewood ready to go from some downed wood that he gathered. Soon he had the fire going again, and the bright flames made the shelter a cheerful place. A couple of tarps across the front of the shelter blocked the worst of the wind, and I started to warm up. I can't say that the shelter was actually warm, but it was much, much better than outside the shelter. We talked quite a bit through the last of the afternoon and on well into the evening. "The Cleaner" shared quite a bit of trail knowledge and woods lore. I was glad to get the information and glad that I had stopped at this shelter rather than pressing on, trying to keep to an arbitrary, self-imposed schedule. An important lesson on the Trail.