GWNF Trip Report

“The story I?m about to relate is true to the best of my knowledge and memory. Sorry about the length of it, I must have gotten carried away. Pictures when they get back from being developed. Now keep in mind this is the first I?ve packed since I was a strong, energetic young lad of about age 20 and my first solo ever.
I got to the Whiterock Falls trailhead off of the Blue Ridge Parkway at about 11:00 a.m. and headed out. My pack feels good and I am in the best of spirits. The first mile is a glorious time, the temperature is about 50 degrees and the sun is shining through the leafless trees. Massive rocks the size of tool sheds are 40 feet below the trail in the floor of the hollow and the water in the tiny creek they sit beside glints in the sun as it trickles down the hill. I move along the trail as it leaves the creek and heads around the mountain. Enjoying the sound of the wind and the smells of the woods I feel great. After making a few adjustments to my pack I come to another, larger creek and rock hop across. I stop to snap a few photos of the small falls above me. Life couldn?t be better. Finally, I reach the uphill and can get some real exercise. The first switchback and my blood is pumping, good exercise. The second switchback and my lungs are feeling it also, this is real exercise. Now I?m thinking I need to adjust my pack a little more. Adjustments made, third switchback, that cliff face must be somewhere right above me here. Fourth switchback, Hey, where is that side trail to the falls that the guide book spoke of? Why does this pack keep sliding down my hips? Is it only 50 degrees out? Finally, 1.7 miles in, I find the side trail to the falls. It goes around the bottom of the cliff and there are the falls and wading pool the book promised me. Lunchtime. After lunch, another mile or so and it is back across the Parkway I go and on to the Slacks Trail, headed for Torry Ridge. This trail is rather featureless with views through the trees in the winter. It crosses a few rockslides and goes for about a mile uphill before it runs into Torry Ridge Trail. Once on the Torry Ridge Trail things the terrain is flattening out. It rolls along the ridge of Mount Torry and affords some beautiful views into the Sherando Lake Valley to the right and the Mill Creek Valley to the left. There are a few old telegraph poles that still stand on the ridge and in the 2.5 miles I hiked of it I don?t think the ridge was more than maybe 50 ft wide at the widest spot.
About a mile down this section of trail I feel a cramp coming into the quad on my right leg. Maybe I should just step a little higher. Is that a cramp coming into my left quad also? Sure enough. Time for a break. Now, I have already consumed about half a gallon of water to this point so I am wondering if these cramps are due to dehydration. Probably. 15 minutes rest and I feel good to go, although far from the person bursting into the woods at the start of the trek. This trail on the ridge isn?t much traveled and is extremely rough and rocky. The trees are gnarled due to exposure to the elements and it looks desolate and attractive. Views of Turner Mountain and the rockslides on it are quite abundant to my left. Ah, there is the Blue Loop Trail. It takes me down to the Sherando Lake Campgrounds and the trailhead for the Whiterock Gap Trail. Man, my pack is really feeling heavy. Is that a cramp coming back into my right leg? Down the trail I go to overlook rock. Ah, what a great place. It looks out over the Sherando Lake Valley and across at the Blue Ridge where the Parkway and the Appalachian Trail run. About another mile down to the campgrounds and I know that I can take another break on the dam of the upper lake. The dam. I think this thing is 75+ feet high and there are stairs cut into the side of it. Up the stairs I start. Are those cramps returning again? Up, up, up.
Don?t stop, the cramps will go away. Damn this dam. Damn this heavy pack. Half way up, great, my lungs have just caught on fire and those damn cramps in my legs just got cramps. Finally the top. Sit, drink, rest. No sit and try and get those damn rocks you call quadriceps loosened back up. 20 minutes later, rested and glad of only about a .5 miles to go until I can chose a camp sight somewhere along Back Creek. Headed up the trail and it looks like a cross between some one logging and a twister came through here. Gypsy moths have killed the woods on the lower end of this trail. Where to camp. Will those dead tree limbs fall on me if the wind starts to blow heavily? Ah, there?s a spot over there across the creek. Camp is set up, water containers are full I?m rested, sort of, and it is time to cook. It?s dark now but that is no problem. Note to self: stop in time to cook while there is still daylight. I?m tired, my food stinks and I still need to clean dishes. While sitting there eating I am wishing that I were already done so I could just go to bed. I think misery would love company right now. Next morning, arise as it is getting light out. It isn?t raining as was forecasted. I feel suprisingly better than I anticipated. I think I?ll use this as a base camp and head out for a day hike after I eat. Well, 4 packs of oatmeal is too much even for me. Folgers single packs coffee sucks. I should have just drank water. Oh, here comes the rain, wait no, here comes the ice. These dead trees don?t look like they will hold up to very much ice. Pack, pack, pack. I?m outta here. Two miles up the trail, which is actually quite a beautiful trail, brings me back to the Parkway and my truck. Homeward bound.
Lessons learned:
1. I am not in the physical condition I was at age 20.
2. I cannot carry the kitchen sink with me at age 34.
3. A small beer belly makes it difficult to keep your pack in the proper position
4. Lipton Zesty Cheddar noodles are not Mac-n-Cheese
5. An entire can of Treet chopped up in the Cheddar Noodles does not taste like ham. At all.

I?m still not decided on going solo. I will try it again to see. All in all about 8 miles day one with a few pretty steep ascents and descents, 2 miles day two all uphill but nothing really steep.”

“I think you had a good walk.
You had good food to.

Know what?
I have a leetle beers belly to.
I am preggent, but my belly is by beers tho.
The nother day my daddy said "it is ok if you get on the cliner with me happy nice sarabelle." And when I got on the cliner with my daddy I nocked over my daddys beers on the table with my tale cuz it was my trik and he hopped down and runned in the nother room to get the towlel to kleen the floor but I awredy did lick the beer up and was DRUNK!

I did some fun cussin when I was drunk. I called skinny kenny a "ickypoo stinky butt hiney hole rat with stinky guts" and some nother cusses.

I am glad you had some fun walkin in the woods and sleepin in the woods. Where was yer new mama? Is her name "runnin woman"?

Is these woods by Georgia?”

“Sarabelle,

I couldn't go along--baume66 was the only one on Spring Break from school. But I plan to go along next month. It will be a little warmer then.”

“Great first paragraph.

No really, I liked it. Ever read Walk in the Woods? I thought you were going to start throwing stuff off of cliffs.”

“K.
(o:3”

“baume 66; Thanks. I love reading a good trip report when I haven't been out in a few weeks.”

“Glad you are home!”

“I finally got the pictures around.
The photo's”

“Hey, Great Report & Pics man.
I know what you mean about being out of shape if you haven't been BPing in a while. I went almost 2 years without going. It was a real Butt kicker the first couple of trips. I'm 35 now and just as strong now as I was back in my mid 20's. You'll get back in the grove.”