After a freak October snowstorm in the Northeast, comforting temperatures in the 60s return this day to the tri-state area (VA, WV, & MD) for your favorite hikers from Maine, or so we’d like to think. Driving to the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conference in Harper’s Ferry, WV, we chit chat with Claire who welcomes us and describes the trail, then we descend through Storer College towards the mighty Shenandoah River to begin our hike along the West Virginia/Virginia border.
Within ten minutes as we cross the Shenandoah River on the Route 340 Bridge, we are rudely met by the unsettling and squealing sounds of cars and trucks roaring by at 60+ miles per hour. Protected by a concrete barrier, we safely navigate across, slip under the bridge, and head into the sweet relief of the autumnal forest.
Dressed in shorts and long sleeve tee shirts on this first day of November, we trod alone on fallen leaves which cover the trail. That’s the good news. The bad news is that since the trail is covered with leaves, we are hyper-vigilant in watching for the white blazes of the Appalachian Trail so we do not get lost. This adds uncertainty and a mild dose of apprehension to our hike. That’s not a good thing.
As we climb to Loudon Heights above the Shenandoah River, fallen branches, fully leafed, and trunks of 6-8 inches in diameter obstruct our path. Though we are not exactly bushwhacking, our pace is slow as we step over, around, and under branches that are covering our trail. The terrain is rocky and displeasing to our feet. That’s two strikes (the previously mentioned uncertainty and rocky terrain) against this becoming the coveted Dan and Hannah’s Trail-of-the-Month.
Spotting App Man (trail name) with full pack and trekking sticks, we learn he’s a section hiker who has been out on the trail for a month. (A section hiker tackles the AT in sections often taking one to six weeks at a time to eventually complete the AT over a number of years.) Finishing up today at Harper’s Ferry, he has that gleam in his eye that suggests that he smells the barn (He has no idea what that expression means when we use it. For those who don’t live in the Northeast it means “sensing one is almost home.”) I ask him, Why do you do it? He loves the outdoors, it helps him get his priorities straight, and allows him to detach from the world for a while.
Why would I do such a hike? Outdoors? Sure, but there’s more to it. Get my priorities straight? I pretty much know mine; I just need to follow through on them. So Danny Boy, what is it? It’s what it’s always been – the social, the connection, being with others, learning their stories and sharing mine. I’d rather a busy trail than one of solitude.
For the first two miles of the hike we have been climbing, the next mile and half takes us along the ridge line. It’s close to three strikes and you are out for this trail as Hannah and I hike on through forests without definition or panoramic views. We are usually not such whiners. We about face at an hour and thirty minutes and head back to the trailhead.
On our descent we spot a scruffy hiker, hidden behind a tree and smoking. We don’t stop and interact at all. I’m not proud of this, but I ignore him other than a brief “Hi,” when usually I’m Mr. Congeniality. Perhaps I am most comfortable with middle class hikers like myself? Today I’m leery, cautious, and hesitant. At this point, there’s no courage within; being in unfamiliar territory in the South and having seen the disturbing movie Deliverance in my youth, I keep on trucking.
With the hike nearly in the books, we cross back over the Shenandoah River bridge with its disconcerting traffic, chalking this hike up to one more notch on our hiking-the-AT-belt and three hours of good exercise together. App Man arrives at the ATC headquarters after us; they take his picture out front and provide him with apple champagne in a goblet for hiking half the AT. We toast his accomplishment, thinking we’re glad it’s him and not us.
No need to run to hike this trail, but as always when hiking; know thyself, thy limits, and the conditions. Be prepared.
I really like the addition of the photos. They support your text and give us a picture of where you are.
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