New Years on the Virginia Appalachian Trail
Jan 14, 2016 16:19:37 GMT -5
Post by rpcv on Jan 14, 2016 16:19:37 GMT -5
My husband and I and three friends spent New Years on the Appalachian Trail in central Virginia. On New Year's Eve, we camped by the Tye River so we could get a reasonably early start the next morning. On New Year's Day, after setting up the car shuttle, we set out around 10:30 a.m. on the long climb up The Priest. Before this trip, I had hiked down the Priest twice, northbound, but this was my first ascent going southbound. It actually went pretty well. It is a long climb that took most of the morning, but it was never unbearably hard. We stopped for lunch halfway up, which was good. The wind and cold at the summit would have been unpleasant for a break. Once over the summit, it was six miles further to Seeley-Woodworth Shelter. We skipped Spy Rock because of waning daylight. My husband and I have been there before and the rest of the group decided it would be an easy dayhike to return to. By the time we got to the shelter - 30 minutes after sunset - we were all tired, cold, and hungry. Hot food and drink turned everyone's spirits around pretty quickly and we had a good night.
Having lunch on the way up The Priest.
The trail near the summit of The Priest.
The second day started out with a bit of an adventure. We were slowly getting our gear together after finishing breakfast when a guy who was camping nearby came over and said his friend was having a medical scare. All five in our group volunteer together and have some wilderness first aid experience, so we sprang into action. The friend was very, very cold, so we set about addressing that. We got him bundled into a sleeping bag, put hot water bottles on him and plied him with warm drinks. Pretty soon, he was chatting with us and asking for food. After about an hour, he was on his feet and they were headed for their car. We were all pretty relieved that was the extent of it.
After all that, we still had 11 miles to hike, so we got on our way. It was a spectacular hike that day. The first part of the day wound around the ridges and over pretty streams. Then Tar Jacket Ridge and Cold Mountain were so beautiful, even in high, biting winds. We camped at Cow Camp Gap Shelter that night and listened to the wind roar.
Looking south from Wolf Rocks
Frost flowers on Cold Mountain. We saw a ton of these on our hike. I've seen them before, but these were some of the biggest I've ever seen (nearly six inches long).
Tar Jacket Ridge
Cold Mountain in the waning afternoon light.
Our last day was a quick five miles over Bald Knob to the Appalachian Trail crossing of US Highway 60. The wind did not abate overnight and, if anything, it was actually stronger. We didn't linger at the shelter in the morning or on the hike out.
This is one of my favorite sections of the AT in Virginia. I hiked it in 2002, which was the first time I had ever hiked in the east. It was neat to see it in a different season and it was a great way to start the new year. There are a few more pictures on my blog.
Having lunch on the way up The Priest.
The trail near the summit of The Priest.
The second day started out with a bit of an adventure. We were slowly getting our gear together after finishing breakfast when a guy who was camping nearby came over and said his friend was having a medical scare. All five in our group volunteer together and have some wilderness first aid experience, so we sprang into action. The friend was very, very cold, so we set about addressing that. We got him bundled into a sleeping bag, put hot water bottles on him and plied him with warm drinks. Pretty soon, he was chatting with us and asking for food. After about an hour, he was on his feet and they were headed for their car. We were all pretty relieved that was the extent of it.
After all that, we still had 11 miles to hike, so we got on our way. It was a spectacular hike that day. The first part of the day wound around the ridges and over pretty streams. Then Tar Jacket Ridge and Cold Mountain were so beautiful, even in high, biting winds. We camped at Cow Camp Gap Shelter that night and listened to the wind roar.
Looking south from Wolf Rocks
Frost flowers on Cold Mountain. We saw a ton of these on our hike. I've seen them before, but these were some of the biggest I've ever seen (nearly six inches long).
Tar Jacket Ridge
Cold Mountain in the waning afternoon light.
Our last day was a quick five miles over Bald Knob to the Appalachian Trail crossing of US Highway 60. The wind did not abate overnight and, if anything, it was actually stronger. We didn't linger at the shelter in the morning or on the hike out.
This is one of my favorite sections of the AT in Virginia. I hiked it in 2002, which was the first time I had ever hiked in the east. It was neat to see it in a different season and it was a great way to start the new year. There are a few more pictures on my blog.
