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June
29, 1983 Wednesday (1357 mtg) From
Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal
I was
up early today in order to make the twenty-three miles to my next
destination at Maupin Field Lean-to. Fairly nice walking most of
the way, at least until the summit of The Priest, but no great views
to be had from Spy Rock or The Priest. Mostly overcast and rainy,
but met a lot of hikers today for the first time. There was Dick
and Peg from Wisconsin at The Priest Lean-to, and a group of trail
maintainers working just before the lean-to. I Ate my lunch at the
shelter as I visited with Dick and Peg, and watched comfortably
from the shelter as the rain fell outside. The rain subsided as
I finished off my lunch so I set off for the second half of the
day's hike. The downhill from the summit of the Priest was known
to be a killer, dropping three thousand feet in just over four miles.
I took off down The Priest as fast as I could go, slipping and sliding
here and there in the muddy trail made that way by the recent afternoon
rain. I was careful; however, since the trail was rocky and slippery
in places. The descent bought me down to the Tye River, where the
trail crossed the river by utilizing an interesting suspension bridge,
one of those kind that you can get really undulating if you set
up a good rhythm as you march across. A few miles past the river
I chose to take the blue-blazed Mahar Trail which leads left about
1.5 miles to a 40 foot waterfall, and then the same distance to
hook up with the Appalachian Trail near Maupin Field Lean-to. I
believe that at one time this side trail was the official AT. The
Appalachian Trail continued straight ahead up and over an area known
as "Three Ridges." This was an area that I had heard horror
stories about. It was known to be very tough. Maybe that is why
I bypassed it. I really looked foreward to seeing the falls. The
entire area was foggy and a continuous mist hung in the air as I
passed by the falls which were not as spectacular as I had hoped,
but then again I was rushing through trying to get to the shelter
before the rain really started to fall. Which it did. Rain falling
out of the sky can take the grandeur out of just about any waterfall.
The fog was so thick that I had difficulty seeing the blue blazes.
I ran into Pat at the side trail to the Maupin Field shelter just
standing there waiting. I believe she was just waiting for one of
the people she stayed with the night before to come by and be amazed
that she was there before them. I acted indifferent to somewhat
disgusted. The blue-blazed alternative to the Appalachian Trail
was rough and rocky, and I knew she had not taken that trail. I
seriously doubted that she had taken the actual AT either. She probably
used her thumb again on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which the trail
parallels for many miles in Virginia. At one time the route that
the road follows was actually the route that the trail was to follow,
but the road lobby won, and the trail had to be relocated. I quickly
ducked into the shelter to claim a spot, and found it to be occupied
already, but there was room for more. I met Gene from Florida, who
tried my pack on for size. The rain fell again after I settled in.
Today was one of the more nasty days out on the trail. Dick and
Peg arrived a little later on. Then around 11.30 pm, after everyone
was settled in, had their supper, and were sleeping for the night,
we were rudely awakened by Jody as he pulled into the shelter. I
don't know how he could have traveled that section of trail in the
dark and in the rain as he had just done. It was an amazing feat!
He was happy to have arrived, but not happy with the circumstances.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
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