Short version: tore out an ACL (for the second time) in August 2010; got it redone in December, months of therapy, etc. Have been slowly building back up, but haven't done a trip to push it. I got married just over a year ago, and when I'm going slow, my wife and I sync at about the same pace on the trail. I hadn't been on a solo trip since before marriage/surgery, so last weekend, I finally found the time.
Picked a double-loop that passed near the car at the halfway point, so that if anything went wrong, I could bail out early. Wore a 20.6 oz Breg sport brace, which adds significantly to skin-out weight, but provided a lot of piece of mind. Pack was at 11.4 pounds, which is a personal low, but I skipped on a stove to get there. My gear is getting lighter, but getting there has been an iterative process, and some key gear we haven't replaced yet, like a lightweight stove. On the bright side, with the exception of ~3oz of first aid/emergency gear, I used — and needed — every ounce of what I brought, which felt good. Yes, much of the gear could be lighter, but nothing extraneous was taken.
It's been years since I've backpacked in Shenandoah National Park — normally hit up the (slightly farther away from DC) George Washington National Forest since they have far less people, no entrance fees, and don't forbid fires. However, in the interest of time, SNP is the closest. Got to the trailhead and partway down the trail before a sign alerted me I had to have a permit … turned around and long story short, an hour later was back on the trail. Start time: 11:52 a.m. Drove through a storm to get there, but the sun was shining and it was a balmy 48F out. Great way to start a hike.
Left from the Elkwallow Picnic Grounds and headed down the A-T. Greeted by a few adolescent black bears that ran off down the trail when they saw me. Met one couple section hiking NOBO. Some nice partial views through the trees intermittent on the first 8 miles or so of the trail, at which point it joins up with Jeremy's Run, a ~5 mile valley stretch with over a dozen stream crossings. In my double-loop plan, I'm doing Jeremy's run twice, so knowing I'd have ~30 stream crossings dictated my choice of footwear, and I went with Vibram FiveFinger TrekSports (~13oz for the pair, no socks required).
Trail is mostly rock at this point, but pretty easy going when it's dry. Enjoyed a beautiful afternoon walk up the valley and scoped out a couple of camping options for later. I'm cruising along a little better than 3 mph, which is the fastest I've been able to go in a long time, and is my target pace as a great average for me for rocky trails with elevation change.
Heading up a steep cutoff trail up to Knob Mountain, the rain started coming down, it's just before 4 p.m. Slow, steady, soaking, cold rain. Temp drops to 35F and stays there. Slows my pace a little bit at this point. Stop in the rain on top of Knob Mountain in a patch of fog to scarf down some cold burritos as fuel for the way down. It's ~6 p.m. at this point. I chat for a few minutes with a group of four college students (one guy, three girls, one dog) who are heading down the same trail. They are overgeared and moving slow. It's about another 3.5 miles to water and clear campsites at this point, and not enough daylight left.
I resign myself to hiking in the cold and dark, and start heading down the rest of the trail. Closer to the valley floor it becomes all rock again, and by this point, 18 miles of hiking in VFFs, combined with near-freezing temps and wet, my ankles/feet are starting to ache, but I'm bound and determined to hit at least 20 miles before quitting… stream crossings in the dark make me glad I've got poles.
At some point, I turn around to go look for the college kids to make sure they find their way across the streams — not intuitive if you don't know what you're looking for. Make sure they are clear and have found a campsite (near where someone has an illegal fire going — illegal, but a good beacon for weary travelers). I head another half mile up the stream to a secluded spot nowhere near any other campers. Set up my TT Double Rainbow (first time to use it — found it on craigslist locally).
I was glad I'd eaten most of dinner on the trail, and heading uptrail a ways to grab a snack and hang a bear bag. Got back to the tent, and found my feet were half-frozen. Wrapped my down jacket around my feet instead of my torso and finished setting up for bed. Discovered that when you're going with a short pad (41" Z-Lite) and the plan is to use the backpack for extra insulation (GoLite Jam), it's unfortunate when that pack is soaking wet. Shoved the pack in a the garbage bag I was using to line my pack and used it anyway. Temps were 35F when I crashed, steady rain and howling wind (intermittent) throughout the night. Sleeping in a 25F RAB down bag, and slept like a baby. Was out cold a little after 9 p.m. and didn't get out of bed until 8 a.m. the next morning. Stopped raining right before I crawled out of my tent.
By the morning, feet were warm, but ankles were so sore I could hardly move. But managed through sheer willpower to pack up, throw wet VFFs back on and head up the trail. Was encouraged to see three bears — two kids and a mom — feeding about 70 yards up the slope from me. They ran off as I passed, but with the relative dearth of nature about, it was a perk to see.
Spent a half an hour or so chatting with a first-time camper/hiker who was out there solo. Chatted gear and trails, and hopefully he'll remember this URL and find his way here soon. Talk helped take my mind off my feet and, all too soon, I found myself five miles down the trail, staring at my car. 25.3 miles of trail, around nine-hours of hiking, and a newfound feeling that I'm healing up and ready for bigger adventures.
Thanks to all the people here who have helped — and continue to help — educate and refine my knowledge so that I (and my wife) can spend more time and more miles out on the trails.
