Appalachian Trail SOBO Day 74 – Wearing all the layers
8th october 2023
Rock Spring Hut (1268.1) - High Top Hut (1292)
Daily miles: 23.9
Total miles: 1299.4
It was cold. So cold that my nose, the only part of me exposed, was painful. I was worried about my bag being warm enough but it did the job as I had to take my fleece off in the night because I was sweating, and when that sweat cooled it was not good for my body temperature. It’s always best to sleep with as few layers as possible as it warms up the bag more efficiently. I failed to follow my own advice!
I didn’t zip my bag up, just used it as a quilt, and I was comfortable enough until I moved and I let any cold air in. My legs were also incredibly painful last night and the only comfortable position was on my front which wasn’t ideal because at 1am I needed to pee and the pressure wasn’t helping. I really didn’t want to get out of my bag and I lasted until 3am before dashing out quickly to pee so I could lay comfortably on my stomach again. It wasn’t actually as bad as I hyped it up to be in my head. My feet were also sore and itchy.
We were all up and packed up and out of the shelter by 6:45am. No one else had stirred. So by the time we left the other people in the shelter had been laying in their sleeping bags for 12 hours.
I wasn’t brave enough to put my shorts on so I started with my sleep leggings on with the intention of changing out of them when we got to the wayside in 5 miles. We walked along the road to get there and the wind was biting. We got a nice view of the sunrise. My eyes were oozing for a lot of the morning making it hard to see.
Skyline Drive
Sunrise
The light hitting the tree tops
Lookout points
3 layers
Cold weather gear
The hoody gang
It’s called a scenic drive
To get to Big Meadow Wayside we walked past a… big meadow. And the wind was brutal. Icy cold. We arrived at 8am and went straight to the restrooms. Earlier Toe had announced that she needed a poo and she let off the worst gas which punched May Queen in the face and then landed in my mouth which, although hilarious, was also really unpleasant!
Straight line to the wayside, past the big meadow
After the kids were taken care of we went to the wayside and it was so nice and warm in there. We got drinks - I got a chocolate milk - and they were serving breakfast so I got a breakfast burrito which filled a hole but was also one of the driest things I’ve ever eaten, so I had to get a Ginger Ale to wash it down, even the hot sauce I added to it didn’t make it more palatable!
One of the driest things I’ve ever eaten
We stayed there for probably longer than we intended. Today we are meeting Cal’s parents at a picnic area which is just over 17 miles into our day. Leaving Big Meadow Wayside we walked the road for a little bit more. Not because it cut off any miles but because it was quicker because of the smooth surface. I was out in the lead. I was feeling good.
A car stopped and spoke to us. He was a trail angel and asked if we needed anything and told us he maintained High Top hut (which is where we are headed to tonight). He told us his phone number was there and to call if we needed anything, which was very nice of him.
Back on Skyline Drive
We got back onto the trail and we had 8.5 miles to go to the picnic area. It was still cold. I walked the road with my fleece, hat, jacket, 2 hoods, buff around my neck and gloves, and back on the trail I still had all that on.
The wind was icy
Road walking
The uphill warmed me up slightly. I passed Toe as she was stopped taking off some layers. I was out in front but as it was uphill I was expecting them all the catch up to me and overtake me over those 8 miles.
The road was sometimes only 20 feet away, and it was strange to see the cars driving by as I was hiking along the trail
The trail was really nice. Now more of a golden tunnel than a green one. One area in particular, where loads of yellow leaves had fallen to the ground, it looked like a golden trail. I took my fleece off about half way through the hike, and there were a few times I got quite warm and considered changing out of my leggings and into my shorts but every time I was about to do it the wind blew again and I was too cold.
My head temperature was constantly being adjusted. Hat on. Hat off. Ears in. Ears out. Hood up. Hood down. The temperature wasn’t the problem, it was the wind.
I went down some switchbacks and it reminded me of my 2016 hike up Mt Whitney. Cold and blowing in your face one way then pushing you along the other way. It was all in all though a really pleasant hike and a welcome break from the road.
With only 2 miles to go I started to worry that I would arrive first and I had no idea what Cal’s parents were called other than ‘Cal’s Parents’, but May Queen caught up to me and we hiked the last couple of miles together and she knew they were called Keith and Amy. They would probably recognise us anyway from all the photos on Instagram.
Great trail!
Golden tunnel
The leaves defining the path
We got to the picnic area and needed to use the toilets. We saw the “comfort station” was closed but there were some pit toilets. We tried the doors but they appeared to be locked; it turns out Cal’s parents were in there! So our first interaction was us rattling the doors of the toilets they were in!
We went to sit with them and they put out this whole amazing spread of food. Cal arrived and Toe got there about 20 minutes later. It was really cold as the wind was whipping through and I got my puffy out and put that on under my jacket.
We started to eat. The brought Ale8, which was a Ginger Ale from Kentucky, and loads of fresh food, sandwiches and veggies and dips and lots of homemade stuff. It was all delicious. And, as requested, they brought a couple of rolls of toilet paper because home toilet paper in nicer that the 1 ply stuff we liberate from the pit toilets.
Ginger Ale!
A fine spread
I was getting so cold I was starting to shake so I got my sleeping bag out. Toe and May Queen already had theirs out and had it draped over their legs but that wasn’t doing it for me so I got fully in it and zipped it up and sat there like a little caterpillar. I was toasty. I didn’t care what I looked like; I was finally warm.
Toe and May Queen soon followed suit and we were all sat there like little grubs.
Keeping warm
Eating grapes!
Soon the time came to pack up and get going. We still had 6.7 miles to get the the shelter and it was 4:30pm already. We needed to leave so we could get there before it was dark. I reluctantly got out of my bag. We packed up some food to take with us and we felt bad about leaving them with all the mess, but they also got to sit in a car which they could blast the heating in to get warm! It was a really nice treat and great to meet them.
Wonderful trail magic from Cal’s parents
We walked some more road because we wanted to make sure we got to the shelter before it was dark, so we did 4 miles of road, which I walked on with all my layers on, before delayering to just my top and jacket before we stated to go uphill. It had actually got a bit warmer now the wind wasn’t so blowy.
Skyline Drive
Hey deer
Back on the trail there were 2.2 miles, mostly uphill, to the shelter. Again it was mostly a case of temperature regulation by adjusting the hood and hat. I moved kind of slowly uphill. My foot, where the corn is, was really painful all of a sudden, and it had felt ok most of the day. I also had terrible gas from the grapes I ate. Grapes do that to me which is a shame because I really like them, they just don’t like me. If I eat them on an empty stomach - instant diarrhoea.
At the top of the climb there were a bunch of people watching the sunset and I squeezed in, snapped a quick picture of the sunset and then got to the shelter just before it got dark. No night hiking tonight!
Heading towards sunset
Sunset
There were a bunch of people there. 3 or 4 in the shelter but there was room for us. Apparently there is another SOBO here but they are camping. We wonder if it might be Rabbit Foot.
I set up my stuff and put all my warm clothes back on as it was cold again, but not as cold as last night. I sweep the corner of the shelter as there was what looks like a mouse nest and droppings.
I didn’t eat anything for dinner as I was full, but Toe gave me one of her Apple Cider packets so I could have a hot drink. I always thought Apple Cider was heavily cinnamon based but these packets are just like powdered apple juice (ie, powdered sugar). They are seriously sweet and that’s coming from someone who exists on 90% sugar on trail. It was nice to have a hot drink though, even nicer to hold the warm pot.
I looked at my foot. The corn plaster was gone. I’m pretty sure it was there this morning, and I didn’t appear to be stuck to my sock anywhere so it’s a bit of a mystery what happened to that. I put a new one on.
In bed lying down by 8. Now writing this I can definitely hear mouse activity by my head. As long as it doesn’t chew my pad, or any of my stuff, it will be ok.
