Date: 2015-11-24
From: Troutdale, Virginia 

To: Old Orchard Shelter 
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

I've said it before and I have to say it again, What a difference a day makes! In this case, a few days. This road through Troutdale is not well traveled and it takes awhile to get a ride, so we didn't get on the trail until 10am. A man on his way to work going the opposite direction actually turned around and drove us to the trailhead. I am still astonished how kind and helpful people have been. The sun was out today and it is much warmer! Within a mile I came to Comers Creek with a footbridge and cascades which was worthy of a stop. The fast moving water over layers of rocks was just gorgeous and loud and powerful. It broke the silence and stillness of the cold forest. There were icicles dripping off a tree that had fallen onto the rocks. I've heard people say once you've seen one waterfall you've seen them all. Not so. They are all so mesmerizing and unique in their own way. This one especially so because of the ice decorations. Soon the trail became crunchy under my feet and I looked down and was surprised to see what I thought was coral. I couldn't figure out how there could be coral on the trail, but I have walked over and seen so many different rocks and geological formations. After closer inspection I realized it was ice that looked like fingers coming up from the ground. This was really cool to me and I got many close up pictures.  I didn't want to step on any of them because they were so pretty. Water on the trail was plentiful today with many stream crossings. I had lunch at Hurricane Mountain Shelter and am wondering how it got it's name. My spirits were lifted considerably today the more I hiked and I felt my confidence building. Warmer weather tends to do that for me. I met Rip Tide at a road crossing before the Old Orchard Shelter where we were both heading for the night. He is hiking from Harper's Ferry to Springer.  The shelter was near horse trails and was a big open area and was easy to collect wood for a big fire. As soon as the sun went behind the mountain it got very cold. So cold that I added hot water to my pasta and dehydrated tomatoe sauce, chicken and vegetables in what I thought was a freezer bag and brought it into my sleeping bag with me. I wrapped it up in my sleeping bag liner as a cozy while it did it's magic and became a delicious meal. It must not have been a freezer bag because it leaked all over my liner and made a huge mess. I still had enough for a meal but my extra source of warmth was wet and covered with gooey pasta.  I dried it as best as I could in front of Mover and Rip Tide's awesome fire. By the time I went to bed it was a little damp and the gooey stuff had hardened. If there are any hungry bears out tonight I am sure I will be the target. The only wildlife I heard tonight were screech owls which sound like children screaming for help.Rip Tide and I are both lovers of the sea so we entertained each other by talking about what we would grill over the fire if we could. Oysters, clams, scallops, fish, eel and octopus were top on the list. I know what I will be dreaming about tonight. There is a full moon tonight and the forest is illuminated almost as bright as a football field. This shelter has a pull down tarp in front of it to block the wind which I am hoping will make it less cold. It is beautiful outside!