Damascus, VA - Too Far

Saturday morning was beautiful. After breakfast, we headed back up the side trail to the shelter for a short nature stop prior to moving on. Jeremiah, his dogs and the car were was already gone. He had mentioned driving to another place where the trail crossed the forest road and then hiking to an “awesome shelter” that some other hikers had told him about. (I guessed that these little trips were his “vacations” from his usual work week.) A few miles along the trail we crossed the forest service road again and found his car parked near the trail crossing. We didn’t see him again although when the Scout troop returned to the area in June, he was still around and remembered our having met.

Our Fearless Leader

We spent Saturday morning going up and down along the AT. Our goal was to avoid significant descents and ascents during the day. Once we were on the AT, most of our route was along the top ridges of the mountains; however those ridges rise & fall. We spent the first 9 miles of the day going up and down….Once again, I felt like I hadn’t done enough to get “ready” for the trip.

Since this was early April and the leaves were not out yet on the mountain tops, we were rewarded by significantly more “views” than is typical of the AT during the summer months. As the AT left the ridge line, we descended into Beartree Camp. This was where the troop would backpack to and then use as a base camp for the biking and rock climbing planned for the end of their week long trip in June.

After leaving Beartree, there was another climb and then a precipitous descent to the Creeper trail. The Creeper is a former rail bed converted to a scenic multi-use trail that is very popular with tourists. The surface is wide and for the most part graded with packed cinders. It is a gradual descent along a smooth trail. Once we got to the Creeper, the trail would lead us right back to our vehicle.

As the final descent on the AT began, we encountered a group of about 20 hikers. The group was on a day hike up the mountain and back down to a small grill/diner located along the Creeper Trail. The average age of this group was close to 60 and they were having a good time laughing and joking as they hiked. I was impressed...

We arrived at the Creeper Trail about 2:30 PM. We filtered water from the stream and started talking about what we planned to do next. Originally, we were planning to walk along the Creeper Trail for a mile, find a place to camp for the night and then finish the hike out on Sunday morning. Apparently, the fresh cool water had an intoxicating effect on us. Once under its influence, we forgot about the 11 or so miles that we had already hiked that day. The intoxication of the water plus the gravitational pull of the mini-van, were more than we could resist. We made the decision to wake the remaining 7 miles to Damascus that afternoon.

What was I thinking? Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. However, the euphoria of the stream water soon wore off and I realized I had committed to finish the hike, so I walked/stumbled/dragged myself the rest of the trail to the mini-van. One of the other guys had it much worse with multiple blisters from new poorly fitting shoes. Glad that wasn’t me….

After a shower and a great meal, we headed home. Another great adventure! I don’t think I will ever forget my reflection in the store front windows as I crossed the street to get in the van to head home. Out of the corner I saw the reflection of a crippled looking old man as he hobbled across the street. I didn’t care. The leather seats of the van were waiting.