Skywalker--Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail Read Free

Mountains to my sister’s house, which was near the AT in northern Virginia. Warren had been looking directly at me when he strongly suggested we take a couple long practice hikes. I closely studied the official AT data book he had given me and found a fourteen-mile stretch from Highway 7, where my sister could drop me off, to a road crossing on West Virginia Highway 9, where she would pick me up that afternoon. I hadn’t yet bought all the necessary equipment so I loaded my backpack with twenty pounds of books, along with some sandwiches.
    The topography in an area aptly called “the Roller Coaster” was quite demanding the first few miles, and I immediately began wondering if I could make the fourteen miles to Keys Gap before dark. Then it leveled off, and I began making better time. An eerie silence reigned, and I didn’t see or hear a single other living creature all day in the dormant winter forest. Combined with the blanket of late winter snow, and surrounded by mountains on all four sides as far one could see, it was a magical scene.
    I arrived at Keys Gap on West Virginia Highway 9 at four in the afternoon, having hiked fourteen miles in seven hours.
    I had been wondering for several years whether the whole AT idea was gigantic folly, so my adrenaline was rushing upon completion of the day’s task. Looking at the data book I saw that the next road crossing was at the historic city of Harper’s Ferry, which was also the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conference. I quickly called my sister on the cell phone and notified her, without allowing time for a response, that I was continuing to Harper’s Ferry.
    I later learned that she had then called my mother about what I was doing and they did some simple arithmetic. I had averaged two miles per hour the first seven hours. It was four o’clock and it would be completely dark in northern Virginia by six o’clock. That meant that at the pace I had maintained so far there was time to hike at most four more miles before dark. But it is 5.7 miles from Keys Gap to Harper’s Ferry. Further, I didn’t have a flashlight, sleeping bag, or tent with me, and heavy snow was in the forecast for the evening.
    Off I went, hoping the trail would be as easy as it had been the last five miles. But, it wasn’t. The gentle inclines became more pronounced. As I headed up the mountain I began doing the same arithmetic my mother and sister had done and realized I had a time problem. At that point a thought crept into my mind that would reappear on several occasions in the next six months. Regardless of how I felt, and fatigue was indeed setting in, I had to make it .
    The terrain became much rockier, which was a problem because my boots were beginning to kill me. I stumbled over rocks and roots, and cried out as I hurried. But there was no time for a break as the sun began to fall below the hills and the temperature dropped.
    The data book showed that at the four-mile mark the trail reached the top of Loudon Heights at which point there was a steep descent into Harper’s Ferry. It was too late to turn around, and it was now getting dark. My hopes rested on reaching that hilltop and then heading toward the lights of Harper’s Ferry, in case I lost the trail. I was slowed by the rugged terrain and my throbbing feet; the point of maximum concern came after traveling what seemed like a quarter mile without seeing a blaze. Was I off the trail and, if so, what would I do? It even occurred to me that if I went much farther without seeing a white blaze that I might have to abandon my backpack in order to get to Harper’s Ferry before pitch black dark. Why had I packed books, rather than a flashlight? Instead of preparing for a twenty-mile hike, I had packed for a sedate picnic.
    Finally, I saw two posts ahead. Squinting hopefully, I read Loudon Heights on the right and Harper’s Ferry 1.7 miles on the left. Looking below to the left I could make out lights shining way below and even