Someone in my neighborhood gave a whistle to a child and sent them outside to play. I closed my doors. I closed my windows. I closed my curtains. Still, no room in my house was safe from the piercing, unevenly repetitive noise. Desperate to find relief and a few quiet hours to write, I packed my tent and headed to the mountains.
Highlights
The fall color was absolutely gorgeous. Bright yellows, peppy oranges, and deep reds were visible in every direction.
I found a leaf that looks like it was painted with watercolors! I also found a valley where the mosquitos swarmed around me like gnats, which was equally exciting but in the opposite sort of way – none of the pictures are from there, since I was trying to outrun them.
At the shelter, most tent sites were either full of roots, on a slope, or too small for my tent. I ended up pitching in the tightest, most challenging spot I’ve ever attempted (pic below).
The water source was waaaay down a sketchy, leaf-covered hill. I had to be very careful to make it down and back up without falling. All that effort was for nothing, though – I fell anyway when I tripped over my own tent stake while looking for firewood. I landed hard, but managed to sustain only a minor scrape on my hand and a bruise on my hip.
I started a fire and settled in to write just in time for 4 woodpeckers to arrive. They were as noisy as the whistle child, but less piercing, so I was able to get a little writing done.
The woodpeckers left just in time for another backpacker to arrive. I set my writing aside for the obligatory socializing when he joined me at the picnic table to share the fire. While we were talking, I discovered my water filter was clogged and he was kind enough to let me use his AND provide an author recommendation when the conversation turned to books (Michael Pollan, who writes creative nonfiction type stuff).
My fellow backpacker went to bed early, as most tend to do, and I stayed up for a very productive writing session. The temps fall quickly after sunset, though, and the cold soon drove me to my tent, where I wrote for another hour while snuggled into my sleeping bag.
As backpacking trips go, this was a good one – more Type 1 fun than Type 2 (Type 2 fun being that which is miserable in the moment but fun to tell people about later).
Trip Details
- Location: Niday Shelter (Appalachian Trail near Catawba, VA)
- Mileage: low (~1.25 to 1.5 miles each way)
- Temps: Day 1 = 70° / Night ~35° / Day 2 = 55°
- Tent: Durston X-Mid 1
