"Last night, I shot six holes in my freezer,
I think I've got cabin fever,
Somebody sound the alarm".
From "Boat Drinks", by Jimmy Buffett
A funeral, a family illness, and a broken toe have combined to keep us out of the woods the last few weeks. Add in some rotten weather and the obligatory shopping trips to the maul, and I had developed a nasty case of cabin fever. Finally we were able to shake off the doldrums and head for the Black Mountains this weekend.
0800: I’m driving up I-77 and I’m fighting heavy wind gusts just to stay on the road. I pass one accident and then an 18 wheeler flipped over on its side. It’s not the best of omens.
0845: Saucony and I meet up with Myron, Dorcas, and Izzak in Statesville. From there, we carpool on to Marion and the Black Mountains.
1000: We pass through a little rain, but the skies are clearing by the time we reach Marion. We decide to head on into the heart of the Black Mountains.
1030: We climb drive up the Blue Ridge to Buck Creek Gap amid light snow. Luckily though, it doesn’t appear to be sticking to the ground. However, we crest the ridge, and the world turns white. Soon we are heading down a snow covered road deeper into the mountains.
1100: After a couple of wrong turns, we finally locate the trailhead. Once we calm the dogs down and we get our gear straight, we are ready to hike. At this point, I discover that I left my gaiters (which I’ve used twice) safely at home. By now, there are several inches of snow on the ground. The wind above us sounds like an airplane taking off. Luckily though, we are still down in a sheltered cove. When we begin the hike, the temperature is 23 degrees.
1230: We begin to climb on switchbacks, and miss one which adds 1/2 mile to the hike. We find a nice rock outcrop with a partial view and have lunch. It took me 30 minutes to find the thermos last night, but the chili is worth it. Myron and Dorcas enjoy warm soup.
1300: We climb further, and reach the crest of the ridge. The wind hits us hard, now that we don't have the mountainside for protection. Nevertheless, we're thankful for the thick stands of old growth spruce and fir. They make for a beautiful hike in the snow, and help cut the worst of the wind. The temperature is down to 19 degrees.
1330: We continue to follow the ridge, and pass a spring. A little ways further, we arrive at the remains of an old cabin and a campsite. Smoke from the fire ring indicates that someone stayed here last night. However, there is no other sign of them. We leave the campsite, and soon arrive at the parkway. The road is snow covered, and we are blasted with snow carried by gusts of wind. We turn our backs to it and hike down the road. After a short distance, we turn onto the Old Toll Road, and then pick up the primitive route up the ridge to the Pinnacle. It was a steep climb up a narrow ridge, but once again the trees helped block the wind.
1400: We reach the summit of the Pinnacle at 5800'. The wind is fierce on the exposed rock outcrops, probably in the neighborhood of 50 mph. The temperature is down to 10 degrees. What does that make the wind chill? Some of the snow clouds have cleared off, leaving outstanding views. However, we can only enjoy them for a couple of minutes. The conditions are truly brutal. I take several photos, but at least 2 are of my feet. The wind is so strong it's impossible to stand. Twice, a blast of wind knocks me sideways just as I press the shutter.
1403: After a brief discussion, we decide to attempt a descent of the steep east face. The first part of the route is rock scrambling, which is extra challenging in the snow. We work our way down carefully, and eventually reach the trees. The rest of the hike is safer but still steep, and we each fall on our butts at least once.
1430: Izaak caught a scent of something and ran off. We call and whistle for him, but the wind is so loud that we can't be heard more than a few feet away. We split up and search, hiking up and down the Old Toll Road. We even bushwhack, searching the woods for him or his tracks. However, tracking proves difficult, thanks to wildlife prints and all of Saucony's tracks.
1600: There's an hour of daylight left, and still no Izaak. I'm really getting cold now, so I add polartec fleece to the other 4 layers of clothing I'm wearing. After one last search, we bushwhack down to the Parkway. We followed it north, back to the forest road and our car. Along the way, we find one set of tracks that look promising, but they don't turn up anything. As we descend on the snow-covered road, we are treated to a beautiful but melancholy pink and blue sunset.
1800: We finally arrive at the car, and there's still no sign of Izaak. It's well past total darkness now, but Myron has a spotlight (you never know when one of those will come in handy). Since the gate to the forest road is open, we decide to drive back up and have a last look.
1820: We drive slowly up the road, shining the light and honking the horn. As we near the Old Toll Road, Myron notices something and stops the truck. I see it, too. There, at the roadside. It's a rock, no it's a log, no, it's Izaak! He's sitting beside the road, but he doesn't react at all when we call to him. It actually appears that he's in shock. Myron gets him, and he finally snaps out of it once he's in the car. We were literally miles from any civilization, and temperatures were approaching zero. Finding him was truly a miracle.
1840: The adventure is almost over, but not quite. We still have a long drive down a snow covered road, and Myron is almost out of gas. Although we didn't see any wildlife during the hike, the creatures really came out afterwards. First, we follow a bobcat down the road for a short distance. I'd never seen a bobcat before, so it was quite a thrill. A few minutes later, a family of raccoons crosses the road in front of us.
2000: We enjoy some fast food after an exciting drive back to Marion involving a lot of coasting. We all agree that it was a great hike despite the near tragedy. At the very least, it certainly got rid of our cabin fever.
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