THE THREE RIDGES WILDERNESS

AT Day 052: Monday May 29,  2023

Mile 830+ 23 miles /37 km

Total Distance Hiked: 853 miles/1372 km

The Priest – VA 56 – Harpers Creek Shelter – Chimney Rock – Three Ridges – Bee Mountain – Maupin Field Shelter – Reid’s Gap – Three Ridges Overlook, Blueridge Parkway – Rock Point – Cedar Cliffs- Dripping Rock Parking, Blueridge Parkway – Humpback Mountain –  Camp

A:5795 ft /1767 m  D: 6257 ft /1908 m

We walked all day, long descents and long ascents, over rocks and tree roots, crossed the Blueridge Parkway three times with its promise of escape only to be returned to the dark, damp woods.  We saw almost nothing but enormous  dripping trees, ferns and moss soaking up the moisture and  a couple of very ‘happy’ salamanders. There was rain, lots of rain, very wet rain. There is a saying on the AT “No pain, no rain, no Maine”. I guess there are bound to be more days like this.

Our day started just after midnight when Hammer was woken by feeling moisture on his sleeping bag. He found pooling water in the dimples of his sleeping mat. He woke me to check if my sleeping bag was also getting wet. The water was dripping from the roof of the tent.  Finally the Big Agnes Hilton found her match – Virginia rain. We’ve been sheltered and protected by this tent in all sorts of conditions, from desert heat to snowy blizzards in high country. Maybe just like us she was getting old and and a little worn out. Maybe it’s time to retire the tent. But first we have to get through the night. 

The heavy downpour started just after we were settling to sleep and despite being protected by trees on three sides, the fly was dripping onto the tent.  We mopped up the water that got inside and put our wet weather gear around the sleeping bags hoping that body heat would dry them somewhat. Hammer went back to sleep while I stayed awake on leaky roof watch, mopping up any drips that got inside. We were somewhat spared by the rain easing around 3 am but the drips from the trees continued and the fly continued to drip inside the tent.  As I was awake all night and we had phone service I edited some photos and updated the blog while Hammer slept. 

We were feeling lucky that the rain held off while we broke camp this morning. The sleeping bags had dried somewhat by the morning, but the tent and fly were soaking wet. 

Looking at the weather prediction the rain was due to return at 7:15 exactly and stick around for the rest of the day.  We headed off down The Priest without being able to see any views except the immediate woods around us. The views from the summit, where we were camped, are supposed to be spectacular. We just saw fog.   We’ll just have to look at other people’s photos  to see what we missed. 

The descent off The Priest was very long. Hammer commented about feeling rather blessed this morning that the rain had not arrived at the predicted time. We got an hour of extra grace – rainfree hiking until the rain returned at 8:15. And it continued for pretty much all day. 

We just put our heads down and hiked the miles just so we can can get closer to Waynesboro and get out of the rain. We had not seen anybody all morning. There was a feeling of desolation, a kind of loneliness in this wet suffering. 

We finally saw some other hikers, a group of four who were out for the Memorial Day weekend. It lifted my spirits immensely just to see someone else out here in these miserable conditions. We were beginning to feel like we were the only nuts out here. Later in the afternoon we passed a rather curious southbound hiker trail name Slow Duck. He told us a joke – ‘don’t wish an AT hiker a good trip, as we don’t want to fall’ haa haa. He laughed and looked very pleased with his joke. 

I was constantly checking the rain forecasts whenever we had phone service. Heavy rain with thunderstorms was approaching around 7pm. So we rushed to find a campsite before the storm arrived. We got the tent up just in time. A huge downpour started just as we were settled inside. We were disappointed that  the fly leaked almost immediately.  Although now I think we’ve worked out the problem. Most likely the waterproofing on the seams has deteriorated. We will try a fix when we are in Waynesboro tomorrow. We just have to stay dry through tonight. It is predicted to rain all through the night. Hammer was on leaky roof duty tonight.