Saturday, June 11, 2011

Who ordered the Irishman, well done, stewing in his own juices?

Ponder for a moment the insane luxury of a cold shower. Not just cold water pouring over you, because while that's nice, it can be achieved with a bucket and no sense of decorum. A shower, on demand, when you want it. To almost everyone reading this, a shower, particularly a cold shower is beyond basic, it's part of the framework that's there before we even think technology has helped us out. 


I woke this morning, in NY. (Well in New Jersey, but for the people reading this in Ireland that's not the mental image they need.) It's hot, that special, muggy, miasma, walking through a stew, hot. Anyway, I had a shower.  I walked 10 feet, I turned a knob, cold water fell on me from high.

Till very recently I was miles from the next water source, serenaded by the hum of the horseflies (with the mosquitoes doing overtime in the rhythm section.) it's nice to have a shower.

That may have been my only point.

One morning last week a black furry blur bounced across my field of vision. About the size of a large pig, but moving faster than any pig I ever saw, a bear cub crossed the trail from right to left. This leads to the very important question, 'Is it running to mama, or away from mama?' If it's running to mama, then I can safely use the path. However, if it's running away from mama, mama is about to come tumbling out of that underbrush in a hurry and standing between her and her cub would be inadvisable.


To the detriment of this narrative, but the improvement in my quality of life, mama never appeared and I, with some trepidation, continued down the trail. 


Because of the ever escalating heat I've started trying to avoid hiking in the early to mid-afternoon, combine this with the fact that I don't get out of bed early and you end up hiking quite late into the night. Here's a safety tip, the grey stony thing that reflects the light from your headlamp is probably the path, the infinite blackness to it's immediate left, is a cliff. Don't step in the dark. While it wasn't why I was doing it, the night-hiking has lead to some of the most spectacular views on the trail. 


Shortly after sunset, walking along the western side of a high ridge, I came upon a rock outcropping. Standing on the rock, heat finally ebbing out of the day, I looked down to the west. Lights from the town silhouetted the hills of the park. Beyond them, the streets and buildings, all perspective broken by the darkness, looked like a spiderweb covered in sparkling jewels of dew. Civilization gets to be pretty too sometimes.


After you come down off the ridge line and out of the park the scenery calms down and you're back in the 'long green tunnel' the A.T. is known for, while there are fewer big climbs in this bit of Virginia it still has the capability to kick your ass. Introducing, The Roller-coaster.


Originally, when the A.T. was started long stretches of it ran along the road. In the parks, along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and sometimes, between parks, just along the highway. In the 70's after the trail was designated a National Scenic Trail they had the power to use eminent domain (compulsory purchase orders.) to acquire land to move the trail off the road. 

The part of northern Virginia that the trail runs through was quite developed by the 70's, so there wasn't a lot of space to run the trail. Efforts were made to buy enough land for the trail but not ruin anyone's property, say by taking all the land up to their back door. The strip of land they ended up with runs along a line of hills near the area of Bear's Den Rocks, and while it has no mountains to speak of, it's one of the most punishing sections of the trail. Too narrow to run switchbacks, it contains thirteen consecutive steep 500+ foot climbs and descents in the space of 10 miles. If you take the precaution of combining this with heat, humidity, and a McDonald's lunch and attempt it at the end of a 22 mile day, you get something approaching heat exhaustion. I don't think I've ever been so in need of a hostel. Luckily, the trail provides.

The Bear's Den Trail Center and Hostel is highly recommended and well used to people arriving having been beaten up by the trail. Nice bunk rooms, good facilities, and run by lovely people, a great place to stay.

After Bear's Den I hiked into Harper's Ferry, bringing me over the 1000 miles mark.

In light of this accomplishment I've decided to take a few days off, and as it was timed perfectly to coincide with a friends last night out in the US, I rented a car and drove up to New York.

That, my friends, is where you find me, and where, as there is coffee to drink, movies to watch, and brunch to consume where I will leave you.

Thanks for listening.
T.
(P.S. My phone is dead, totally, caught in a thunderstorm, dead. If you're looking to reach me email is the best, probably only, option for now.)

2 comments:

  1. Phew - with all the talk of New York, bear encounters and night hiking along cliffs I had the terrible sinking feeling that something had happened and the adventure was over. :-(
    Delighted to hear that the "something" was the 1000 mile mark (Well done BTW)and that it's only a break. The dream lives on.. :-)
    Enjoy the running water, while it lasts, and looking forward to more adventures from the AT.

    Glenn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So the question remains... Where are you now?

    ReplyDelete