The Hike, Week 102: 1/22/06

Such simple, easy gifts the forest presents, even on a modest walk on a short winter day . . .

• Forest Road 186, gated at milepost 101.5 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, offers a soft-bedded, gentle climb wide enough for two hikers and two dogs to walk abreast or in varying configurations of who's-in-front.
Not to mention the opportunity to meet a son who'd spent the weekend walking the opposite direction we were headed once we got to the trail.
Eric was headed down the forest road to return home; snow-dog Fluff turned around and walked with us back up toward the trail.

• The Appalachian Trail in much of Virginia can be a bit of a bear even along ridgelines, rising and falling, skimming along the top and then dipping to flank the mountainside before climbing again, and then repeating that pattern for miles and miles. But from FR 186 north to Fullhardt Knob Shelter, it is, as Gail said on this trek, truly a walk in the woods. Climbs are gentle, the pathway seldom rocky and the views, in winter, consistent to the east and west--looking into Bedford County in one direction and Botetourt the other.

• Many of the AT's three-sided shelters open to the southeast, which is a good thing in the winter time, as the wind usually comes from behind the structure, and the afternoon sun warms the floor and face of the shelter. That's the case with Fullhardt Knob, which sits on a rise about a tenth of a mile off the trail. We built a fire nonetheless, given the around-40 temperature and the Day Hiker's tendency to cool off fast after the pace she sets for us.

• The dogs--Gunnar and Fluff--have become fully friendly trail walkers, able to go for hours without seeing anyone and then, coming upon a set of hikers, minding their own business well, pausing only as requested to for a head pat or a compliment. Not so once Gail and I have sort of set up camp for lunch, with a little fire going, the table strewn with food and pulled-off sweaty clothing and dog-food bowls set out on the ground. We were joined, this Sunday afternoon, by a mother, daughter and son who'd hiked from the other direction--from U.S 11. Both dogs put out big barks of coming intrusion until introduced to companions on the trail. The mom and her pre-teen son and daughter were from upstate New York on a weekend visit to Virginia, and pretty well shamed us with their lack of gear and clothing. The boy, visibly excited to be on the trail, stood in a short-sleeved shirt without a shiver for the 15 or 20 minutes we spent to introduce the dogs and trade hiking notes.

• A loop hike is a good thing, with no territory seen twice. But an out-and-back--especially one as level as this easy eight-miler--has its virtues too. One on this day was that the high winds of the recent weeks had left the trail strewn with limbs and full trees. On the way in, the Day Hiker and I had pushed aside most of those small enough for us to move; on the way back, we got to be quietly pleased with our tiny contribution to trail maintenance. And with another day outside, under the Virginia mountain sky, on the world's most famous walking trail.

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