[at-l] Finally made it to Springer

[David Addleton]

an I'm a wannabee thru

On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 10:40 PM, David Addleton <dfaddleton at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Imho,
> search 'n rescue is better than a [selfish] thru'
> [an what thru ain't selfish?]
> jest say'n
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 31, 2008 at 6:03 PM, Richard Calkins <racalkins at msn.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > I am suffering from a really bad case of Springer Fever this year.  Cold
> > compresses don't seem to help.  My 2005 hiking partner, Butterfly Moon, is
> > having another go at it this year, with her dog, Luna.  Reading her journal
> > brings back so many incredible memories.  She just passed Bly Gap where we
> > took a group picture at the famous old gnarled tree.  I miss her, and
> > Phoenix, and Nubee, and even Hopeful Hiker!  I'm going again next year, but
> > that's 349 days from now.  sigh....
> >
> > Best I could do this weekend was to respond with my search and rescue
> > group for a missing person search in the Shenandoah National Park.  Got up
> > at 5 am to get down there for the 7:30 am briefing.  Searched until dark,
> > and then headed home.  Had to come to work today.
> >
> > One of my tasks was to lead a team doing a sweep search on both sides of
> > the AT between Elk Wallow Wayside (remember the fresh blackberry
> > milkshakes?) and the Piney Ridge trail.  Later we did a grid search around
> > the perimeter of the Range View Cabin.  We didn't find him.  But we tried.
> > The search is still going on, but I had to come back to work.  I miss the
> > mountains.  I hope they find him.
> >
> > ok, back to lurking.....
> >
> > Longhaul
> >
> >
> >  ------------------------------
> > Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:35:19 -0400
> > From: dfaddleton at gmail.com
> > To: at-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: [at-l] Finally made it to Springer
> >
> >
> > for a week-end trip, that is. With a backpacking meet-up group at
> > http://www.meetup.com/
> >
> > A cold and rainy Saturday greeted me; the weather radio predicted
> > pea-sized hail around nightfall, but it never came.
> >
> > I'd left early Friday and hiked from 3Forks to Stover Creek Shelter in
> > the evening. The trail has been rerouted to the new shelter and latrine:
> > instead of the steep climb to the right at the end of the old, nameless FS
> > road, you switchback to the left and down. They installed it last Fall. It
> > has an aisle down the middle of the first floor, a great innovation; and
> > sleeps 4 or 5 on each side. There's an upstairs loft. Both have windows in
> > the rear. There's a porch with a giant table and benches all around the
> > perimeter. There are pegs galore in the sleeping areas, but none in the
> > porch area. Mice have already moved in. I slept under my tarp between two
> > trees in a hammock, with only my legs in the bag. The first night was warm
> > enough for that.
> >
> > I was supposed to meet my group at the parking lot below Springer on
> > Saturday at around 10 am, but they arrived late. I was wet to the skin
> > hiking up there to meet them and cold from waiting for them and decided to
> > hike without them to the Springer summit. My assault on the summit went
> > smoothly -- only three bottles of oxygen and no burned retinas; I'd left my
> > gear at the Stover Creek Shelter, planning to return and dry out and letting
> > them hike up to Springer and back using the BMT, because they liked to hike
> > miles. But they wanted to stay together as a group and didn't want to get
> > wet. So we went to the Stover shelter and lunched. It quickly filled up
> > because of the rain. A women's PE class from UGA showed up and took over all
> > the tent spots. My group decided to hike down to a camp site they'd seen
> > after going to view Long Creek Falls and returning in the afternoon. I'd
> > wandered close to hypothermia and then dried out by then -- after someone
> > had built a fire -- and agreed. The next morning dropped to around 38F with
> > drizzle and we left.
> >
> > The ridge runner at the summit said he counted 15 leaving on a thru
> > hike. He said there were over 50 the last week end. We camped with two, Pete
> > from coastal Virginia and Sunny from Boston. I told all the others I was
> > just finishing up my sobo thru and offered stolichnaya and they didn't think
> > I was much of an [trail] angel. But the Russian economist dude to whom I'd
> > promised it if he joined me liked it. We drank it with his spicy organic
> > garlic Saturday night as darkness gathered. There were rumors of bears, but
> > we never saw one.
> >
> >
>
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