Mud's Better Than Snow

Mud's Better Than Snow

On Sunday (Nov. 18), I returned to the Appalachian Trail in South Mountain State Park where I dropped off last Sept. 30 due to a minor injury and a painful back, specifically at Wolfsville Rd.

The bother in September had been mud all over the trails after recent rains. To my chagrin, everything in the area was snow-covered. 

The AT crossing of Wolfsville Rd.

It wasn't my worst hike in the snow--did that on West Mt. in Harriman SP sometime back in the 1990s with Troop 40, where the snow was knee-deep.

Mud's definitely better than snow.

In November's snow I had to use great caution, especially on slopes.  Fortunately, the temperature was above freezing (not by much, especially on South Mountain's ridge top, where there was a 15- or 20-mph wind blowing), so ice wasn't a problem; in fact in some spots the snow was slushy.

AT heading southbound up South Mountain

Very quickly I was sorry I hadn't brought a 2d trekking pole.  I've never used 2 before, but it would have been an advantage this day.  I was also sorry I didn't have my skullcap to go under my watch cap; my head would've been warmer.  And for a while I wished I'd brought my glover liners too, but that was much less of a problem.

There were 5 cars in the parking lot already when I arrived around 9:30 a.m.  One or maybe 2 sets of footprints and 1 set of pawprints headed south up the mountain, making the trail very easy to follow wherever the blazes might not have been readily visible--which, generally, they are.  Those prints also helped me with my own footing in many places.

As for the pawprints, actually I met their cause before I saw them.  Just after crossing the road and starting up the slope, dog and owner appeared, returning to the parking lot.  We had a little chat, then went our ways.  I didn't see anyone else for the next 4 hours.

Amid all the snow, there were patches of greenery.

The upward climb to the ridge was pretty steady for .6 mile (according to the trail guide) but not particularly difficult.  I'm sure I'd have found it much more challenging with a full pack instead of only a day pack.  The woods initially included a few coniferous trees, but those quickly gave way entirely to hardwoods--and loads of fallen trees; a shame none of those can be hauled away for firewood (not that it would be easy to get to them).  With all the leaves fallen, one can see thru the trees the farmlands to either west or east far below the mountain (depending on which side of the ridge the trail passes over).

The easy AT along the ridge of South Mountain

Along the ridge the trail was easy with few ups or downs for the mile or mile and a half that I followed it, and quite straight.
  

Great rock piles lined most of the east side for as far as I walked.  Eventually the trail ascended along some of those rocks and gave an eastward panorama thru the trees.

There is some climbing even along the ridge.  Yes, this is the trail!

You can also see more green, certainly welcome amid all the stone gray and snow white.

All along the hike I was thinking of my Alabama friends, who'd trekked this section of trail on Sept. 30 after leaving me at the Cowell Shelter, covering twice as much territory that day as I could manage.  

8 students and staffer Molly Stone from Restoration Academy

after crossing Little Antietam Creek on Sept. 29

Tough ladies!  All those years I hiked and camped with Troop 40, I was sure I could outhike just about any Scout in the troop; but not those veteran high school girls from Birmingham.  (Of course, rapidly closing in on 70, I'm not as young as I used to be--that's my excuse!)  If you didn't check the link in the 1st paragraph above, you can go back to it now.

Westward view thru the trees

Just before noon I stopped to eat my lunch, perching on one of the few rocks that wasn't covered with snow (with my leather gloves and a foam pad to cushion me).  I devoured a PB & J sandwich, then a tin of sardines on Ritz crackers, washed down with Crystal Lite.

And an eastward view from near where I ate lunch

I'd brought along a magazine to read while I let lunch digest a bit, but it was too cold on the ridge with the wind blowing; my fingers were on the verge of numbing up, and I'd had to put on all my upper-body clothing layers (which were sufficient; in fact, as soon as I resumed hiking, I took one layer off).

So at 12:22 I started my return to the car, moving rapidly along the ridge and gingerly down the slope toward the road.  At the road at 2:00 p.m., a hiker came up, also with a dog.  He said he was a thru hiker (surprise at this time of year!) who'd left Mt. Katahdin on June 29 and expected to get to Georgia in February.  I said I hoped he had snowshoes!  He was still in his original boots, but they were wearing out, and he was planning to replace them in Harpers Ferry.  I wish I'd taken his picture; it would be a good wind-up for this post.

Oh, there were more hikers--a family of 3 and another dog pulled into the parking lot while I was putting my gear into the car.  They'd have made a nice photo too.