Date: 2017-01-16
From: VA 635/Stony Creek

To: VA 601/Rocky Gap
Miles today: 13.1

This was the last day Robin and her group were hiking. Michael took us all to Rocky Gap, where they headed south. I left my car there, and Michael drove me to VA 635 at a bridge over Stony Creek. I hiked north alone.The hike was a steep uphill, 8 miles of small ups and downs along a ridge, a downhill, and a 2-mile steep uphill at the end. The trail started in a foggy rhododendron forest with moss-covered rocks and logs. I lost the trail one place where it took a 90-degree turn and I continued straight into a gully that I mistook for the trail. It took me about 10 minutes to find my way back to the last white blaze. Once there I looked down and saw timber log steps to my left where the trail turned. Much of the trail for the next 4 miles was on rocks.   Fallen trees and rocks were covered with bright slippery-to-walk-on green moss, and the woods were shrouded in fog. It made a dense silence: the fog and moss absorbed so much sound that I couldn¢t even hear my own footsteps. At first this was peaceful, but after a while it began to feel eerie. Then suddenly I ascended out of the fog, and the day turned sunny and warm.         Just before I reached Mountain Lake Road I met Robin and her group of hikers coming in the opposite direction. Vince told me I¢d be pleasantly surprised by how nice the trail was from here on. Indeed, when I reached where the trail crossed Mountain Lake Road the trail became a wide and even path through tall trees. It was sunny and warm there so I sat down on a rock and ate lunch in the sun. Shortly after I entered the Mountain Lake Wilderness there was a view to the west. Standing on rocks I saw the very top of the next mountain, but the entire valley was obscured by fog. The trail continued through tall trees in the sun. When it began to descend I practiced taking advantage of gravity to lean forward and tread lightly and swiftly downhill. According to Warren this will help avoid knee injuries form the constant pounding of down hill. Also, putting weight on the hiking stick transfers some of the impact from the hip and knee to the shoulder. I¢m starting to get the hang of this and am now able to descend long hills with no knee pain, so long as the hill isn¢t too steep, rocky, or rooty. It feels almost like race walking. The goal is to skim over the trail with little impact. I reached War Spur Shelter at the bottom of the hill about 3:30, later than I expected. The remaining two miles were steeply uphill, so I knew I¢d be slow. Hoping I could hike a mile and a half an hour I estimated I¢d reach my car around 5:00. I set off at a reasonably fast pace and soon came to a place where many trees had burned. Charred remains were littered all around. I took a few pictures and continued on, walking faster uphill than my usual pace. I was soon breathing heavily and stopping occasionally to drink water and catch my breath. These last two miles felt like five. Even though I was hiking fast I could see that it was a long way to the top of the mountain. Every time I rounded a corner I could see a higher part of the mountain. Then the trail turned into another mass of mossy, wet rocks. I had to slow down to avoid slipping. Five o¢clock came and went, and I was still carefully picking my way up the wet rocks. It began to get dark. Darkness here comes around 5:30 at this time of year, but of course it comes earlier in the woods. I began to fear I wouldn¢t reach my car before dark. Then I heard a gunshot, and another. I stopped instantly to put on my headlamp. I didn¢t want to be mistaken for whatever animal the shooter was hunting. I became really scared.At long last I heard the sound of a car, so I knew I was close to the road. (This in itself was surprising because the road was a fairly remote gravel road.) When I finally popped out of the woods at the top another car was parked there along with mine. I threw my pack into the car and took off, grateful to finally finish this long hike.